Gaza Becomes the Deadliest Place for Journalists in Modern History

September 11, 2024 – Palestine/Israel –

The Israel-Gaza war has marked a devastating chapter for press freedom, with journalist fatalities reaching historic levels. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the conflict has become the deadliest for media workers since CPJ began keeping records in 1992. By mid-2025, at least 185 journalists and media workers will have been killed across Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and the West Bank—an unprecedented toll in modern journalism.

The vast majority of these deaths—over 80%—occurred in Gaza. In 2023 alone, 77 out of 99 journalist deaths worldwide happened in the Gaza Strip, including 72 Palestinians, three Lebanese, and two Israelis. CPJ notes that many of these journalists were killed in Israeli airstrikes, often while identified as press or while working near their homes. In 17 confirmed cases, evidence suggests journalists were deliberately targeted. Investigations are ongoing in over 130 additional cases that may constitute war crimes under international law.

Beyond the fatalities, CPJ has documented at least 113 journalists wounded, 86 arrested or detained, and two still missing. This pattern of violence is accompanied by the widespread destruction of press offices, and media infrastructure, and severe restrictions on movement and communication, effectively silencing local voices and limiting international coverage.

Press freedom organizations, including RSF (Reporters Without Borders) and CPJ, have condemned these attacks and called for full, independent investigations. They emphasize that journalists are protected as civilians under the Geneva Conventions and that intentional attacks against them are violations of international humanitarian law.

The scale of the losses in Gaza dwarfs other dangerous regions for journalists, including Ukraine, Syria, and Mexico. The current toll threatens not only the lives of those reporting but the broader public’s access to information. Journalists in Gaza are among the few remaining witnesses to a humanitarian catastrophe, and their deaths represent a growing void in independent reporting.

With calls for accountability largely unheeded, the situation has exposed a grave crisis of impunity. If justice is not pursued, press advocates warn, these deaths risk becoming a grim precedent, where killing journalists during war becomes a tactic rather than a tragedy.

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