In a devastating turn of events, five journalists were among the 22 individuals killed in Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip on August 25, 2025. This incident has drawn global condemnation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issuing a statement claiming Israel “values the work of journalists.” However, the grim statistics paint a starkly different picture. The death toll of journalists in Gaza has now reached 192 over nearly two years of conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ has accused Israel of engaging in the “deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists” in its history. Palestinian journalists are reportedly being threatened, targeted, detained, and tortured by Israeli forces in retaliation for their work. This alarming trend is part of a broader historical context dating back to 1967, when Israel began its military occupation of Palestinian territories. Over the decades, Israel has systematically attempted to control and censor Palestinian journalism through legal and military measures, including the issuance of Military Order 101 in 1967, which criminalized political assembly and propagandistic publications. Despite these oppressive tactics, Palestinian journalism has persisted, with local publications flourishing in the 1980s, albeit under strict Israeli military censorship. Editors were forced to submit all content, including articles, photos, and even crossword puzzles, to Israeli censors for approval. Violations of these censorship rules often resulted in detention or deportation. The situation has escalated in recent years, with Israeli forces increasingly targeting journalists, often under the guise of combating terrorism. The international community has repeatedly called for Israel to allow independent media access to Gaza, but these requests have been consistently denied. As a result, Palestinian journalists remain the primary witnesses to the ongoing devastation in Gaza, often at great personal risk. The question now is whether the international community will hold Israel accountable for these egregious violations of press freedom and human rights.