In Gaza, Wearing a Press Vest Has Become a Death Sentence

In war-torn Gaza, journalists have found that wearing a press vest—once a symbol of protection—is now a potential death sentence. Reports by The Guardian and The New Arab detail how Israeli strikes have increasingly targeted media workers, even when they are marked as press.

One of the most harrowing cases involved Ibrahim Muhareb, a young journalist with Al-Quds Today, who was killed in Khan Younis by Israeli tank fire. He wore a helmet and a flak jacket labeled “PRESS,” but this did not save him. His colleague, Salma Kaddoumi, who survived the attack, later asked, “What’s the point of the vest if it doesn’t protect us?”

Another deadly incident involved Ismail al-Ghoul and Rami al-Refee, Al Jazeera journalists who were killed when their press-labeled car was hit by an airstrike in Jabalia. The blast was so powerful that al-Ghoul was decapitated. The vehicle was identified as a press vehicle, yet it was directly targeted.

On March 24, 2025, just after a ceasefire collapsed, Hossam Shabat of Al Jazeera Mubasher and Mohammed Mansour of Palestine Today were killed in a similar strike on their marked vehicle in Beit Lahia. These were not isolated incidents. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 166 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the war escalated in late 2023.

Survivors speak of trauma, fear, and the sense that being visible as a journalist now brings more risk than safety. Protective gear—once internationally recognized—appears to be disregarded or deliberately targeted.

Press freedom groups like Reporters Without Borders and CPJ warn that this pattern points to systematic targeting, not accidental crossfire. Such actions may constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law, which mandates protection for journalists.