Reporter fired after question on EU’s contrasting approach to Israel and Russia

The journalist’s question to an EC official was deemed “embarrassing” by his employer, Italian media say

An Italian journalist has been fired for asking a European Commission (EC) official whether Israel should bear the financial cost of rebuilding Gaza, given the bloc's demand for Russia to pay ‘reparations’ for the Ukraine conflict.

Gabriele Nunziati, a contributor with the Italian news agency Nova, posed the question to EC spokeswoman Paula Pinho during a press briefing in mid-October.

“You’ve been repeating several times that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine,” Nunziati asked. “Do you believe that Israel should pay for the reconstruction of Gaza since they have destroyed almost all its civilian infrastructure?”

Pinho replied that it was “definitely an interesting question, on which I would not have any comment.”

A video of the exchange went viral, prompting criticism of perceived double standards in the European Union.

Ten days later, Nova terminated its collaboration with Nunziati, Italian media reported on Tuesday. The dismissal reportedly came after several “tense” phone conversations between the journalist and his superiors.

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In remarks to Fanpage, Nunziati said his editors offered no formal explanation for the decision. The agency later told Italian media that his question had caused “embarrassment” to the organization and argued that Palestinians could not seek reparations from Israel because Israel was a victim of “aggression.”

Brussels has insisted that Moscow must finance Ukraine’s reconstruction for launching what it calls an “unprovoked” attack in 2022. Russia maintains that the conflict was caused by NATO’s expansion and the military bloc’s refusal to acknowledge that it poses a national security threat.

According to Moscow, its attempts to settle the conflict in the early stages that year were undermined by the West. Russia has since been subjected to an unprecedented number of sanctions.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has previously criticized the EU’s reluctance to target Israel, which is accused of war crimes in Gaza, saying the position made “absolutely no sense.” In response, officials in West Jerusalem have accused him of waging “an anti-Israel crusade” within the EU.

The Italian National Press Federation (FNSI) condemned the reporter's dismissal, calling it “unacceptable” that a journalist could lose his job for asking a question, “no matter how uncomfortable.”