PARIS: Fifty-four journalists were killed worldwide while carrying out their work or because of their profession in 2024, a third of them by the Israeli army, according to an annual report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published Thursday.
According to the press freedom NGO, Israeli armed forces were responsible for the deaths of 18 journalists this year — 16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon.
“Palestine is the most dangerous country for journalists, recording a higher death toll than any other country over the past five years,” RSF said in its annual report, which covers data up to December 1.
The organization has filed four complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “war crimes committed against journalists by the Israeli army.”
It said that in total “more than 145” journalists had been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since the start of the war there in October 2023, with 35 of them working at the time of their deaths, RSF said.
It described the number of killings as “an unprecedented bloodbath.”
In a separate report published Tuesday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) reported that 104 journalists were killed worldwide in 2024, with more than half of them in Gaza.
The figures differ between the IFJ and RSF due to two different methodologies used in calculating the toll.
RSF only includes journalists whose deaths have been “proven to be directly related to their professional activity.”
Israel denies that it intentionally harms journalists but admits that some have been killed in air strikes on military targets.
“We don’t accept these figures. We don’t believe they are correct,” Israeli government spokesman David Mercer told a press conference on Wednesday.
After Gaza, the deadliest places for journalists in 2024 were Pakistan with seven deaths, followed by Bangladesh and Mexico with five each.
In 2023, the number of journalists killed worldwide stood at 45 in the same January-December period.
As of December 1, there were 550 journalists imprisoned worldwide, compared to 513 last year, according to RSF figures.
The three countries with the highest numbers of detained journalists are China (124, including 11 in Hong Kong), Myanmar (61), and Israel (41).
Furthermore, 55 journalists are currently being held hostage, including two abducted in 2024. Nearly half — 25 in total — are in the hands of the Daesh group.
In addition, 95 journalists are reported missing, including four new cases reported in 2024.
54 journalists killed in 2024, a third by Israel — Reporters Without Borders
https://arab.news/wbksc
54 journalists killed in 2024, a third by Israel — Reporters Without Borders
- Israeli armed forces were responsible for deaths of 18 journalists this year, 16 in Gaza, two in Lebanon
- RSF has filed four complaints with ICC for “war crimes committed against journalists by the Israeli army”
Egypt vows to prevent escalation between Lebanon and Israel amid tensions over Hezbollah
- “Egypt will spare no effort in continuing its tireless endeavors to keep Lebanon away from any escalation,” Madbouly told reporters
- Madbouly’s visit also focused on strengthening bilateral ties and addressing pressing regional development
BEIRUT: Egypt is doing all it can to prevent further escalation between Lebanon and Israel amid tension between the two neighbors over the disarmament process of the militant Hezbollah group, the country’s prime minister said Friday during a visit to the Lebanese capital.
Egypt, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, has been working for months to deescalate the regional tensions and Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly’s visit to Beirut comes after similar trips to the small Arab nation by Egypt’s foreign minister and intelligence chief.
“Egypt will spare no effort in continuing its tireless endeavors to keep Lebanon away from any escalation,” Madbouly told reporters during a joint briefing with his Lebanese counterpart Nawaf Salam.
Madbouly’s visit also focused on strengthening bilateral ties and addressing pressing regional developments.
Madbouly’s meetings in Beirut came as the committee monitoring the enforcement of a US-brokered ceasefire that halted the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah a year ago held another meeting Friday.
Friday’s gathering along the Lebanon-Israel border was the second meeting of the mechanism after Israel and Lebanon appointed civilian members to a previously military-only committee. The group also includes the United States, France and the UN peacekeeping force deployed along the border.
A statement issued by the US Embassy in Beirut said that military participants offered operational updates and remained focused on deepening the cooperation by finding ways to increase coordination through the mechanism. It added that all participants agreed that a strengthened Lebanese army, the guarantors of security in the border area known as the south Litani Sector, “is critical to success.”
The embassy added that civilian participants meanwhile focused on setting conditions for residents to return safely to their homes, advancing reconstruction, and addressing economic priorities. It added that they underscored that durable political and economic progress is essential to reinforcing security gains and sustaining lasting peace.
The embassy said meeting participants reaffirmed that progress on security and political tracks remain mutually reinforcing and essential “to ensuring long-term stability and prosperity for both parties.”
The Lebanese government has said that the army should have the whole border area south of the Litani River cleared from Hezbollah’s armed presence by the end of the year.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, after Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in solidarity with Hamas. Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon in September 2024 that severely weakened Hezbollah, followed by a ground invasion.
Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes since then, mainly targeting Hezbollah members, but also killing 127 civilians, according to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Also Friday, the Israeli military said that a Hezbollah operative who was captured from Lebanon last year played a major role in the group’s secretive maritime force. The military added that Imad Amhaz was trained in Iran and Lebanon to carry out maritime operations.
A Hezbollah official said the group will not comment on the video released by the Israeli military of Amhaz, describing him as “a Lebanese citizen who was kidnapped.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
