Italian media sources report that an Italian journalist was allegedly fired after his employer considered his question to a European Commission (EC) representative to be “embarrassing.”
Gabriele Nunziati, who worked for the Italian news agency Nova, was reportedly dismissed after questioning an EC spokeswoman, Paula Pinho, about whether Israel should be financially responsible for rebuilding Gaza, given the EU’s demand that Russia compensate Ukraine for damages incurred during the conflict.
During a mid-October press briefing, Nunziati asked Pinho, “You’ve been repeating several times that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe that Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza since they have destroyed almost all its civilian infrastructure?”
Pinho responded that the question was “definitely an interesting question, on which I would not have any comment.”
The exchange gained traction online, leading to criticism regarding perceived inconsistencies in the European Union’s stance.
Reports in Italian media on Tuesday indicated that Nova terminated its collaboration with Nunziati ten days after the briefing. The dismissal allegedly followed several “tense” conversations between the journalist and his superiors.
Nunziati told Fanpage that his editors did not provide a formal justification for the decision. The news agency later communicated to Italian media outlets that Nunziati’s question had caused “embarrassment” to the organization. They also contended that Palestinians could not seek reparations from Israel because Israel was a victim of “aggression.”
Brussels has consistently stated that Moscow must fund the reconstruction of Ukraine, citing Russia’s “unprovoked” attack in 2022 as the reason. Conversely, Russia asserts that NATO expansion and the bloc’s disregard for Russia’s national security concerns triggered the conflict.
Moscow claims that its attempts to resolve the conflict early on were thwarted by Western interference. Since then, Russia has faced an unprecedented number of sanctions.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has previously voiced criticism of the EU’s hesitance to take action against Israel, which faces accusations of committing war crimes in Gaza, deeming the EU’s stance “absolutely no sense.” In response, officials in West Jerusalem have accused Sánchez of leading “an anti-Israel crusade” within the EU.
The Italian National Press Federation (FNSI) has denounced the reporter’s dismissal, calling it “unacceptable” for a journalist to be fired for posing a question, “no matter how uncomfortable.”
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