Gaza
By Ab Susan
Gaza has become the deadliest place in the world for journalists, with over 270 media personnel killed since October 2023, according to reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have documented the alarming number of journalist fatalities in Gaza, highlighting the risks faced by media workers in the region. The death toll includes prominent journalists such as Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a media tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Other notable incidents include the deaths of Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abudaqa, who died from his wounds after being hit by an Israeli drone strike while filming in Khan Younis, and journalist Hossam Shabat, who was killed in Beit Lahiya.
The number of media workers killed in Gaza exceeds the total killed during major conflicts like the US Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Vietnam War, and post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Local reporters have shouldered the burden of documenting the war without protective gear, medical assistance, or institutional support, under constant threat of airstrikes. Journalists have been deliberately targeted by Israeli forces, with notable incidents including the deaths of Al Jazeera journalists and media personnel. Over 90 press offices have been bombed or destroyed, and repeated internet blackouts have disrupted communication.
The United Nations has condemned the killings and called for journalists to be protected under international law. The CPJ has reported that nearly one in ten journalists in Gaza has been killed, which would be equivalent to wiping out 8,500 journalists in the United States in a single year. In addition to the killings, nearly 380 journalists have been injured, detained, displaced, or targeted through smear campaigns, cyberattacks, and accusations of collaborating with Hamas.
