A record number of journalists were killed in 2024, with Israel responsible for more than two-thirds of the deaths, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
In its annual report released Wednesday, CPJ stated that at least 124 journalists lost their lives across 18 countries, making it the deadliest year for media workers since the organization began keeping records over three decades ago.
The previous highest toll was in 2007, when 113 journalists were killed—nearly half due to the Iraq war.
“Today is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ’s history,” said CPJ chief Jodie Ginsberg, highlighting the devastating impact of the Gaza war on press freedom. She noted that the conflict has worsened global protections for journalists in war zones but emphasized that threats extend beyond Gaza.
CPJ reported that 85 journalists were killed by Israeli forces during the war in Gaza in 2024, with 82 of them being Palestinian. The advocacy group accused Israel of obstructing investigations, shifting blame onto journalists for their deaths, and failing to hold its military accountable.
Outside of Gaza, Sudan and Pakistan were the second most dangerous countries for journalists, with six media workers killed in each nation last year.
It also said at least 24 journalists were deliberately killed because of their work, in what it described as an “alarming rise in the number of targeted killings”.
The CPJ said 10 journalists were “murdered” by the Israeli military in Gaza and Lebanon, while the 14 other journalists were assassinated in Haiti, Mexico, Pakistan, Myanmar, Mozambique, India, Iraq, and Sudan.
The group said that freelance journalists accounted for 43 deaths – more than 35 percent of last year’s total – with 31 of those cases being Palestinians reporting from Gaza.
“International media continue to be barred from reporting from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, except for rare and escorted trips arranged by the Israeli military,” the CPJ said, highlighting the essential work of freelancers in the besieged enclave.
“CPJ has repeatedly advocated for Israel and Egypt to open access, and reiterates that call as part of the ongoing ceasefire,” it added.
The Israeli military has killed several Al Jazeera journalists covering the war in Gaza since October 2023.
Among those killed were Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul and his cameraman Rami al-Rifi, who died on July 31, 2024, when Israeli forces bombed their car in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City.
Israeli authorities denied deliberately targeting the pair, as well as other journalists in Gaza.
In a statement, Al Jazeera Media Network labelled the killings a “targeted assassination” and pledged to “pursue all legal actions to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes”.
Israel’s attacks on Palestinian journalists have also continued into 2025, with reporter Ahmad al-Shayah among six killed in a drone strike on a charity facility in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on January 15.
Source: Al Jazeera
BDST: 1446 HRS, FEB 13, 2025
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