192 journalists killed in Gaza war

Muscat Daily

2 days ago

Gaza, Palestinian Territories – The war Israel is waging in Gaza since October 7, 2023 has taken a catastrophic toll on Gazan journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The committee's preliminary investigations show at least 192 journalists and media workers were among the more than tens of thousands killed in the Gaza war, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office put the figure at 237 journalists killed since the beginning of the ongoing war.
According to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the war has claimed the lives of 242 media professionals.
CPJ is investigating more than 130 additional cases of potential journalists killings, arrests and injuries, and damage to media offices and homes, cases that remain difficult to document and verify amid prevailing harsh conditions and devastation.
Journalists in Gaza face extreme, often fatal, risks as they try to cover the war, including relentless Israeli airstrikes, the destruction of most of the territory's infrastructure, the forced displacement of 90% of Gaza's population, trauma and widespread famine, the committee said.
'Since October 7, 2023, Palestinian journalists have been slaughtered with impunity, while the world watches. This is a direct, unprecedented assault on press freedom,' said Sara Qudah, Regional Director of CPJ. 'Journalists cannot carry out their work – let alone survive – while being deliberately starved and denied life-saving aid. Israel must allow humanitarians, international media and human rights investigators into Gaza at once.'
Targeted murder of journalists
Journalists are civilians and protected by international law. Deliberately targeting civilians constitutes a war crime. To date, CPJ has determined that a total of 20 journalists and media workers were directly targeted and killed by Israeli forces, cases that CPJ classifies as murders.
Of the 20 murdered are 18 journalists: Ahmad Qalaja, Ahmed Mansour, Ayman al Gedi, Fadi Hassouna, Faisal Abu al Qumsan, Ghassan Najjar, Hamza al Dahdouh, Hilmi al Faqaawi, Hossam Shabat, Ismail al Ghoul, Ismail Baddah, Issam Abdallah, Mahmoud Islim al Basos, Mohammed al Ladaa, Mustafa Thuraya, Rami al Refee, Suleiman Hajjaj and Wissam Kassem. The two media workers are Ibrahim Sheikh Ali and Mohammed Reda Ibrahim.
CPJ continues to investigate at least 20 other cases that show signs of possible targeting. Anas al Sharif was among six journalists killed in a targeted attack outside Al Shifa hospital in Gaza
Al Jazeera correspondent among 6 journalists killed in targeted Israel strike
A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, previously threatened by Israel, was killed along with four colleagues and a freelance reporter in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Sunday night.
Anas al Sharif, one of Al Jazeera's most recognisable reporters in Gaza, was targeted while in a tent for journalists outside Al Shifa hospital.
Al Jazeera described Sharif as 'one of Gaza's bravest journalists' and called the strike 'a desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza'.
Sharif was previously part of a Reuters team which in 2024 won a Pulitzer Prize in the category of Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
The Israel Defence Force acknowledged carrying out the strike, alleging Sharif was 'head of a terrorist cell in Hamas' and responsible for advancing rocket attacks. It said intelligence and documents recovered in Gaza supported its claim.
Rights advocates, however, said Sharif was targeted for his frontline reporting and that Israel had provided no credible evidence.
Agencies