A New York-based rights advocacy organization highlighted the grave toll on journalists covering Israel’s aggression against the besieged Palestinian territory, labeling the first 10 weeks of the war as the deadliest ever recorded for journalists. Within this time frame, the most significant number of journalists lost their lives in a single location during a year.
Expressing deep concern, the CPJ emphasized the severity, stating, “More journalists have been killed in the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year.” Notably, over half of these fatalities—37 deaths—occurred within the war's initial month, marking it as the deadliest month documented by the CPJ since its establishment in 1992.
The CPJ highlighted disturbing trends, pointing out an “apparent pattern of the Israeli military targeting journalists and their families”. It cited instances where journalists were killed despite displaying marked press insignia and no active fighting in the vicinity.
CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg stressed the unprecedented nature of journalist casualties, remarking, “The concentration of journalists killed in the Israel-Gaza war is unparalleled in CPJ’s history and underscores how grave the situation is for press on the ground,” CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg said. Local Palestinian journalists, despite living in constant fear, continue to report from Gaza.
Amid intensified bombardment in Gaza, the CPJ noted the impact on foreign journalists' access to the conflict zone, hindering independent reporting on the situation.
The toll stands at 68 reporters and media workers killed since the onset of Israel’s offensive on October 7, with 61 of them being Palestinian.
The Israeli regime has been also deliberately killing journalists’ families who serve as a source for investigators looking into how those journalists died.