In a damning annual assessment released Thursday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has identified the Israeli military as the primary global threat to journalists, responsible for nearly half of all media professional fatalities worldwide during the past year. The Paris-based press freedom organization documented 67 journalist killings across the reporting period, with 43 percent occurring at the hands of Israeli forces in Palestinian territories—making this region the most lethal environment for news gatherers globally.
RSF’s comprehensive analysis reveals that Israel’s military operations have surpassed even cartels and organized crime groups (24 percent) and the Russian army (4 percent) in journalist fatalities. The organization accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of conducting “an unprecedented massacre of the Palestinian press in recent history,” while simultaneously mounting a global propaganda campaign that falsely portrays Palestinian journalists as terrorists to justify these actions.
The devastating toll includes over 250 media personnel killed since October 2023 according to Gaza’s Palestinian Media Office, with numerous documented cases of targeted strikes. On August 10, an Israeli attack killed Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Mohammed Noufal, and Ibrahim Zaher, alongside freelance reporters Moamen Aliwa and Mohammed al-Khaldi. Israel alleged Sharif’s Hamas affiliation without presenting substantiating evidence—claims vehemently denied by Al Jazeera.
Further atrocities include August’s ‘double-tap’ airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza that killed more than 20 people, including five journalists: Middle East Eye’s Mohamed Salama and Ahmed Abu Aziz, AP-affiliated freelancer Mariam Dagga, Reuters photojournalist Hussam al-Masri, and freelance reporter Moaz Abu Taha.
Beyond the killings, RSF ranks Israel as the world’s ninth-worst jailer of journalists, immediately following Egypt. The report documents over 250 media workers detained since the Gaza conflict began, with at least 20—and potentially up to 50 according to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs—currently imprisoned. Most face no formal charges, instead being detained for social media activity labeled as ‘incitement’ or under administrative detention based on undisclosed ‘secret files’—a controversial practice enabling indefinite imprisonment without trial.
International journalists have likewise faced repression, exemplified by the January detention of French journalist and Middle East Eye contributor Sylvain Mercadier for over four hours by Israeli forces while reporting from Syria. RSF concludes that Israel’s press suppression continues with impunity after more than two years of Gaza blockade and military operations.