Hamas-Israeli War In Gaza Becomes The Most Dangerous Period For Journalists

Illustration of journalists on the battlefield of conflict. (Wikimedia Commons/Mstyslav Chernov)

JAKARTA - The United States-based Journalists Protection Committee (CPJ) on Thursday said the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war were the deadliest periods for journalists, with the highest number of journalists killed in one year in one location.

Most journalists and media workers killed in the war, 61 of the 68 journalists, were Palestinians. The report said it was "deeply concerned about the clear pattern of targeting journalists and their families by the Israeli military."

In response, an Israeli military spokesman said his forces were not targeting journalists.

Four Israeli journalists and three Lebanese journalists, including visual journalist Reuters Issam Abdallah, were also killed between October 7 and December 20, according to CPJ data.

CPJ, which is a non-profit organization that promotes press freedom around the world, said it was investigating further the cause of death of all journalists.

It said these efforts in Gaza were hampered by widespread destruction and the killing of members of a journalist's family, which is usually a source for investigators investigating how the journalists died.

Reports in Gaza were severely restricted by intense Israeli bombardment, with repeated communication cuts and lack of food, fuel, and housing, CPJ said, adding foreign journalists had not been able to access the line independently as long as most of the war went on.

"The Israel-Gaza war is the most dangerous situation for journalists we've ever seen, and these numbers show it clearly," said Assher Mansour, coordinator of the CPJ program in the Middle East and North Africa.

"The Israeli army has killed more journalists in 10 weeks than soldiers or other entities in one year. And with every journalist killed, this war becomes more difficult to document and understand."

Previously, CPJ reports in May found Israeli soldiers had killed at least 20 journalists in 22 years. No one has ever been prosecuted or held accountable.

Earlier this month, a Reuters investigation found that an Israeli tank crew killed Abdallah and injured six journalists in Lebanon on October 13 by firing two bullets in a row from Israel, while journalists were recording cross-border shootings.

It is known that at least 1,200 people were killed in Israel and 240 people were held hostage on October 7, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel.

Meanwhile, Gaza health officials said more than 20,000 Palestinians were said to have died as a result of Israeli attacks, while thousands more are believed to have disappeared under the rubble.