One year on, Israel’s war conduct exacts record journalist death toll

One year in, Israel’s conduct of the war has exacted an unprecedented and horrific toll on Palestinian journalists and the region’s media landscape.

More journalists and media workers have died in the Israel-Gaza war than in any other year since CPJ began documenting journalist killings in 1992.

Unprecedented numbers of killed journalists

At least 128 journalists and media workers, all but five of them Palestinian, have been killed. All of the killings, except two, were carried out by Israeli forces. These 128 killings include:

• 123 Palestinian journalists and media workers, in addition to three Lebanese and two Israeli.
• 11% of those killed were female, and the majority of all killed were under 40 years old.
• 75% of Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes; the rest were killed by other types of fire, including drone strikes, tank fire, shootings, and fire of unknown type.
• At least five of the killings were targeted murders of journalists by the IDF, four in Gaza and one in Lebanon. CPJ is investigating at least 10 additional cases where the IDF may have specifically targeted the journalists.?
• Four of the murdered journalists targeted were wearing press insignia at the time they were killed.

The spate of killings occurred amid censorship, arrests, the continued ban on independent media access into Gaza, persistent internet shutdowns, the destruction of media outlets, and displacement of the Gaza media community, which has severely restricted reporting on the war and hampered documentation.

Arrests and allegations of torture of detained journalists

• Since the war, at least 69 Palestinian journalists have been arrested; Israel arrested 66, and Palestinian authorities arrested three. Forty-three Palestinian journalists remain detained by Israel.
• Of this record number being imprisoned, most were detained by Israel in the West Bank, most without charge under Israel’s administrative detention law; 10 remain in detention. These individuals can be detained indefinitely under Israel’s administrative detention law.
• CPJ has documented cases of five journalists alleging torture and mistreatment while imprisoned.

Impunity and lack of accountability

• Members of the IDF held to account for killing, targeting, attacking, or abusing journalists: Zero
• Number of investigations underway into the killing of journalists or other alleged war crimes by the IDF, due to the IDF’s lack of transparency about the status of investigations: Unknown

Read more about Israel’s sustained attack on the press in the Israel-Gaza war.

Global press freedom updates

• Journalist Yeris Curbelo Aguilera sentenced to 2 years in prison in Cuba
• Haitian journalist threatened over article about Reuters reporters’ gifts to gang leader
• Hong Kong editor sentenced to 21 months on sedition charges
• Award-winning journalist Mech Dara arrested for incitement in Cambodia
• Death threat sent to Serbian news agency Tanjug over Kosovo reporting
• Kyrgyzstan prosecutors seek 6-year prison terms for 11 investigative journalists
• CPJ urges Russia to drop charges against journalists accused of ‘illegal’ border
• Azerbaijan extends pretrial detention of 11 journalists ahead of COP29
• Gambian journalists charged with false news over president’s exit plan report
• Cameroon ratchets up media censorship ahead of 2025 election

Spotlight?

The safety of journalists in the United States is no longer a given as members of the media face a slew of threats – including violence, online harassment, legal challenges, and attacks by police – that could coalesce to undermine press freedom, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The report, “On Edge: What the US election could mean for journalists and global press freedom,” found that the hostile media climate fostered during Donald Trump’s presidency has left a legacy that poses great risks to media inside and outside the country.

“It is concerning that in an increasingly polarized environment, threats to the media have become routine in the U.S.,” said Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ’s U.S., Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator and author of the report. “The scapegoating of journalists not only has consequences for them personally, but also poses grave risks to the public’s right to be informed, a core element of any democracy.”

As of September 2024, assaults on journalists in the U.S. in relation to their reporting have increased by more than 50% compared to 2023 — from 45 to 68 assaults — according to data from the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding member.

To mitigate risk and help journalists protect their rights in what has become an increasingly tenuous situation, CPJ and the Thomson Reuters Foundation are inviting all photographers, reporters, and editors covering the 2024 U.S. election to a free webinar on journalists’ legal rights in the U.S on October 10th from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT.

The training is based on the Guide to Legal Rights in the U.S., which is available in English and Spanish.?

What we are reading

• Mr. Biden, Come Clean On Khashoggi’s Brutal Murder’s Secrets — Lauren Harper, The Daily Beast
• Decolonise how? Humanitarian journalism is no ordinary journalism — Patrick Gathara, The New Humanitian
• Building an independent newsroom that’s a ‘pain in the neck’ to the powerful, brick by brick — Ana P. Santos, Global Investigative Journalism Network
• How social media is fueling geopolitical tensions in the Horn of Africa — Endalkachew Chala, Global Voices
• State of internet freedom in Africa report 2024 — Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa