It is over a year since Israel began its lethal bombing campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. As of November 8, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) preliminary investigations have found that at least 137 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and Lebanon. This makes it by far the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began collecting data in 1992. They are investigating more than 130 additional cases of potential killings, arrests and injuries, in conditions that make documenting such cases extremely difficult. They also count 47 journalists reported injured, two reported missing and 71 reported arrested, in addition to multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship and killings of family members. In late October, Gaza’s Government Media Office published a list of 182 journalists killed by Israel since October 7.
Israel has continued to bar the international press from access to Gaza despite constant calls for access by international press organizations. That critical job has fallen to the Palestinian and Lebanese journalists living in the combat zones who report at great risk to their lives and limbs.
In common with the civilian population, they face famine, bombing attacks, the displacement of 90% of Gaza’s population and destruction of at last count 80% of its buildings. Communications blackouts and damage to Gaza’s communications infrastructure has made it near impossible for media outlets to do their work.
PEN International passed a Resolution at its International Congress this September calling out the many offences committed, the vast majority by Israel, against free expression in Palestine and Israel.
We are especially appalled at the deliberate targeting of journalists. To date, at least five journalists have been directly targeted by the IDF in killings which the CPJ classifies as murders, and they are investigating at least 22 other cases that are suspected of being targeted attacks. This includes the attack on October 13, 2023 that killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, and seriously injured six others.
International law protects civilians, and targeting civilians deliberately is a war crime. We stand in solidarity with Palestinian and Lebanese journalists on the front lines and international journalist organizations in calling for an end to impunity, or disregard of consequences, on the part of Israel and insistence on the protection of journalists carrying out their critical role reporting the facts and holding combatants to account in war.
