Gaza war: Number of journalists killed at highest level in years, according to CPJ report

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Colleagues and relatives mourn the deaths of journalists Sari Mansour and Hasona Saliem

Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images

As a result of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, the number of journalists killed last year reached its highest level in years, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). A total of 99 media workers were killed worldwide last year, more than three-quarters of them in connection with the war between Israel and Hamas, according to a CPJ report published on Thursday.

This was the highest number of media workers killed worldwide since 2015 and a 44 percent increase in the number compared to 2022, the non-governmental organization said.

More journalists were killed in the first three months of the war between Israel and Hamas, which began in October, than in any single country in an entire year, CPJ said. 77 journalists and other media workers were killed as a result of the war in Gaza. 72 of them were Palestinians who were killed in Israeli attacks. There are also three Lebanese and two Israelis.

Media workers in the Gaza Strip are “witnesses on the front lines,” explained CPJ managing director Jodie Ginsberg. The "immense loss" among Palestinian journalists will have long-term effects on journalism - "not only in the Palestinian territories, but throughout the region and beyond."

Because of the many dead journalists in the Gaza Strip, the committee expressed concern about possible targeted attacks on the media by the Israeli army. The organization calls for a quick and transparent investigation of all cases. Israeli military authorities categorically deny targeting journalists, according to CPJ.

Apart from journalists killed in the Middle East war, the numbers fell significantly in the rest of the world last year, according to CPJ. In other countries, a total of 22 journalists and media workers were registered killed, compared to 69 the year before.

The number of journalists killed in the Ukraine war fell from 13 in 2022 to two last year, according to the report. This may be due, among other things, to improved security training and stricter accreditation rules for access to the front line.

However, according to the CPJ, the decline in the number of journalists killed in several countries is not an indication that journalism has become safer. According to the organization, the recorded number of imprisoned media workers - another important indicator of the state of press freedom - was 320 worldwide as of December 1st, not far from the record high from the previous year.

Feb/AFP