The Gaza Killings That Shattered Journalism’s Frontline
December 12, 2024
Sudanese Journalist Hanan Adam and Brother Killed by Paramilitary Forces
December 12, 2024
December 12, 2024 – Palestine/Israel –
Media freedom organizations and press coalitions have sharply condemned Israel following the deaths of dozens of journalists covering the Gaza conflict, calling it an unprecedented “massacre” of press workers. Reports from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and others found that Israeli military actions killed 18 journalists in 2024—16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon, while other monitoring groups report far higher figures for Palestinian media casualties.
RSF described the losses in Gaza as “an unprecedented massacre,” highlighting that most of those killed were local journalists or freelancers operating without institutional protection and forbidden entry to the region. With foreign correspondents largely absent, the burden of frontline reporting has fallen on Palestinian reporters risking life and limb, with a toll that deepens daily.
In March 2025, two journalists became emblematic of this crisis: Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter Hossam Shabat and Palestine Today correspondent Mohammed Mansour were killed in separate Israeli strikes—Shabat in Beit Lahiya and Mansour along with his family in Khan Younis. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the killings as clear breaches of journalist protections under international law and urged thorough investigations.
Al Jazeera’s bureau chief described the deaths of his colleagues as part of a systematic targeting pattern, while CPJ emphasized that deliberate strikes on civilians in press attire may amount to war crimes. Israel’s military has claimed those journalists were combatants or militants, allegations widely criticized as lacking credible evidence.
This series of killings occurs against a backdrop in which Gaza has seen more journalists killed than any conflict in decades, by some counts, over 196 media workers since October 2023. International press organizations—including CAIR, PEN, UN officials, and the EU—have jointly demanded swift accountability and transparent investigations.
As the Gaza war continues, the temporary silencing of press voices carries grave implications for global media transparency and civilians’ rights. The mounting calls for legal scrutiny reflect not just outrage over individual deaths, but a broader plea to uphold the foundational safety of journalism during armed conflicts.
Reference –
https://www.timesofisrael.com/media-groups-pan-israel-with-accusations-of-gaza-journalist-massacre/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/12/media-groups-condemn-israel-over-gaza-journalist-massacre
