The Israel-Gaza conflict has taken a severe toll on journalists since Hamas launched its resistance campaign against Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on the fighter group, launching strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) confirmed that 31 journalists have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war since October 7, these included 26 Palestinian, 4 Israeli, and 1 Lebanese journalist.
Among these 31 journalists, 26 were killed in Gaza, whereas, four of those were killed during the October 7 Hamas onslaught in Israel, and one journalist was allegedly killed in Lebanon by Israeli shelling that targeted Hezbollah. Moreover, eight journalists were reported injured, whereas, nine were reported missing or detained.
The journalists have been facing continued attacks, arrests, threats, censorship, and killings of family members.
"CPJ is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists' homes," the committee said in a press release.
CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, Sherif Mansour, emphasized that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties.
Since the start of the "Iron Swords" war, Israel has received a record number of 1,880 foreign journalists. This is twice the number of journalists who arrived in Israel during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in Gaza.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) warned the media that they cannot guarantee the safety or take responsibility amid the targeting of Hamas operations.
The largest number of journalists sent to Israel so far came from the US (358), UK (281), France (221), and Germany (102).
Even countries that rarely report the Israel-Palestine crisis, such as Romania, Argentina, Nepal, and Singapore have sent journalists to cover the war.
Journalists in the region are making significant sacrifices to report on this devastating conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, bear an unparalleled burden, facing constant threats and losses of colleagues, families, and media facilities. Many have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.
