Hundreds of Italian journalists gathered in Rome on Tuesday to honour media workers who have lost their lives during the Gaza conflict. The demonstration, organized by the Italian Journalists Association and Articolo 21, saw participants reading aloud the names of their colleagues killed, in a public show of mourning and protest.
Organisers said that 289 media workers have died in connection with the conflict. According to Articolo 21 spokesman Beppe Giulietti, there has never been such a high number of journalists killed in a single conflict. He emphasised the imperative of defending freedom of information amid ongoing dangers faced by reporters.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that at least 189 Palestinian reporters have lost their lives since escalations began, many killed while performing their duties—some in marked press vehicles, others reporting from hospitals or civilian shelters.
One of the individual cases highlighted was that of Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old visual journalist and mother, killed in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. The strike also claimed the lives of rescuers and four other reporters.
Speakers at the gathering stressed that the scale of these losses is unprecedented and that the targeting of journalists, whether on assignment or in transit, represents a direct attack on media freedom and the public’s right to know.
The event also called on international bodies and governments to take stronger action to protect journalists in conflict zones, especially in Gaza, where media workers often operate under threat, with limited access to safety or legal protection.