LONDON: The Israel-Gaza war has led to a sharp increase in the number of journalists killed in 2023, with the majority of fatalities occurring in the conflict-ridden region, according to a report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists on Thursday.
The CPJ documented 99 journalists and media workers killed last year, marking the highest number of deaths recorded by the organization since 2015.
Of these, 72 were Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, highlighting the unprecedented toll of the Israel-Gaza war on media personnel.
“Journalists in Gaza are bearing witness on the frontlines,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
“The immense loss suffered by Palestinian journalists in this war will have long-term impacts for journalism not just in the Palestinian territories but for the region and beyond. Every journalist killed is a further blow to our understanding of the world.”
In December 2023, the CPJ reported that more journalists were killed in the first three months of the Israel-Gaza conflict than in any single country in an entire year.
Concerns were raised by various organizations regarding the apparent targeting of media members by the Israeli army, with investigations underway to determine if a dozen journalists killed during the conflict were deliberately targeted.
The Israeli army has long faced accusations of deliberately targeting journalists, leading to Israel being added to the CPJ’s list of the “worst jailers of journalists” for the first time in January.
While journalist deaths in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon accounted for the majority of casualties, the CPJ highlighted ongoing dangers faced by media workers globally, particularly in the Philippines, Mexico, and Somalia.
Non-lethal attacks on journalists also persist, and record numbers of journalists continue to be imprisoned, indicating ongoing challenges to press freedom.
“The near-record high number of journalist killings in 2023 clearly indicates that we must work collectively to ensure that journalist killers are brought to justice, that a culture of safety prevails in newsrooms, and that the public’s right to be informed is protected from those whose power is threatened by the scrutiny of reporting,” added Ginsberg.
