Global Investigation Reveals Systematic Targeting of Journalists in Gaza

A sweeping investigation by Forbidden Stories and 12 international media outlets has revealed what appears to be a systematic pattern of attacks on journalists in Gaza by Israeli forces. Since October 7, 2023, at least 170 journalists have been killed, making the current Israel-Gaza conflict the deadliest for media workers in recent history.

This joint effort, dubbed the Gaza Project, involved more than 40 journalists who examined over 100 cases of media workers killed or injured in Gaza. The investigation uncovered evidence that at least 18 journalists were killed or injured in precise strikes suspected to be carried out using Israeli drones. These attacks raise serious concerns about violations of international humanitarian law, especially if journalists were knowingly targeted.

One troubling pattern is that many of those killed were wearing marked “PRESS” vests or were inside media-labeled buildings, yet were still hit in Israeli airstrikes. Traditionally, press markings are meant to protect war zones, but several journalists have now stopped wearing them, fearing they have become targets rather than shields.

Among the journalists killed was drone reporter Mahmoud Isleem Al-Basos, who died on March 15, 2025, in a strike despite a ceasefire being in place. His work documenting the war from above provided rare and vital footage of the devastation on the ground—footage that may have contributed to him being targeted.

Israel’s internal mechanisms for investigating such incidents, including the Fact-Finding Assessment process, have been criticized for lacking transparency and rarely leading to accountability. Most cases involving journalist deaths are closed without public explanation or legal consequences.

The Gaza Project has sparked renewed calls from international organizations and press freedom advocates for independent investigations. If proven, the targeting of journalists would represent not only a war crime but also a direct assault on the freedom of the press and the global public’s right to know the realities of war. In Gaza, journalism is proving not just dangerous, but potentially a death sentence.