More than one journalist is being killed every day in the Gaza-Israel war. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Gaza–Israel war has been the deadliest conflict for media workers. The committee said at least 39 journalists and media workers have been killed in the month since the war began. Whereas Reporters Without Borders has put the number slightly higher at 41.
More than one journalist is being killed every day in the Gaza-Israel war. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Gaza–Israel war has been the deadliest conflict for media workers. The committee said at least 39 journalists and media workers have been killed in the month since the war began.
At the same time, ‘Reporters Without Borders’ has put the number slightly higher at 41. But the death rate is still more than one per day. Chances are that by the time you read this story, more journalists will have been killed. The victims of Israeli attacks on Gaza have mostly been Palestinian journalists and media workers, but they also include four Israeli journalists, whom Hamas killed in its initial cross-border attack on October 7.
A large number of journalists were targeted
It’s important to pause for a moment and remember that these are not just statistics. Each victim has a name, relatives, loved ones, and a story of their own. The committee has a grim list of all the journalists who have been killed in the Gaza-Israel war. However, there are some figures about which the committee does not have complete information. Either those journalists have been injured in the war or are missing.
10 journalists were killed in the attack
The dead included Palestinian freelance journalists working for international news services and others who worked for local news outlets. These also include some journalists who have been killed along with their children and families in air strikes on their homes. The Israeli Defense Forces say they do not target journalists, but Reporters Without Borders says at least ten have been killed while apparently covering the news.
Of course, the life of a journalist is no more valuable than that of any other citizen, and in such a horrific war in which more than 10,000 people have already died. It is not surprising that some of them would be journalists, but there is strong evidence that journalists have been targeted, harassed, assaulted, and intimidated.
The Committee to Protect Journalists list blames Israeli authorities for most of the incidents. On 12 October, Israeli police attacked a group of BBC journalists in Tel Aviv and held them at gunpoint. On October 16, Israeli journalist and columnist Israel Frey went into hiding after his home was attacked by a mob of far-right Israelis the previous day.
Israeli police arrested journalists
The crowd was apparently angered by a column he had written expressing sympathy for Palestinians in Gaza. On November 5, Israeli police arrested Somaya Jawbara, a 30-year-old freelance Palestinian journalist, in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. She was summoned for investigation along with her husband, journalist Tariq al-Sarkazi. Her husband was later released, but Jawaba, who is seven months pregnant, remains in custody.
The International Federation of Journalists has called on the Israeli government to strictly adhere to international law, which requires combatants to treat journalists as civilians and take all appropriate steps to protect their lives. The Israeli military has told at least two international news agencies that it cannot guarantee the safety of its staff covering the Gaza crisis.
