At Least 48 Journalists and Media Workers Killed in Israel-Gaza war

“The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organisation to promote press freedom, confirmed 48 deaths among journalists since the start of hostilities on 7 October.

Saturday 18 November was the second deadliest day for journalists, with five killed across Gaza by Israeli airstrikes. Bilal Jadallah, the Head of Press House-Palestine, was killed on Sunday, bringing the total of confirmed deaths up to 48. Of these, 43 were Palestinian, four Israeli, and one Libanese.

Additionally, 13 journalists were reportedly arrested, nine were injured, and 3 reported missing. Yet more journalists had to endure assaults, were subjected to threats, or had their families killed, according to CPJ. The organisation seeks at least two sources confirming each victim before updating the list.

“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.

“Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.”

The Israeli military wrote in late October that they could not guarantee the safety of journalists in Gaza. This was after both Reuters and AFP wrote to seek reassurance that their journalists would not be targeted.

“The situation on the ground is dire, and the IDF’s unwillingness to give assurances about the safety of our staff threatens their ability to deliver the news about this conflict without fear of being injured or killed,” Reuters said in a response to the letter.

‘Blanket impunity’

The safety of journalists in the area, particular if Palestinian, has been a concern long before this conflict.

“Since 2001, CPJ has documented at least 20 journalist killings by the IDF,” CPJ stated in May this year. “The vast majority – 18 – were Palestinian; two were European foreign correspondents; there were no Israelis. No one has ever been charged or held accountable for these deaths.”

Of these deaths, 13 occurred in the Gaza strip and a further seven in the West Bank. CPJ added, “Israel’s army is responsible for 80% of journalist and media worker killings in the Palestinian territories in CPJ’s database.”

Hagai El-Ad, executive director of Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, called Israel’s enquiries into these killings a “theater of investigation”.

“They want to make it look credible. They go through the motions,” he told CPJ.  “Things take a lot of time, a lot of paperwork, a lot of back and forth.

“But the bottom line after all this maneuvering is almost blanket impunity for security forces when using lethal force against Palestinians that is not justified.”