Israel Linked to Third of Journalist Murders & Assassinations in 2024

According to a recent analysis by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Israeli armed forces were responsible for the deaths of 18 journalists in 2024 - 16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon. RSF's annual report indicates that Palestine is the most hazardous country in the world for journalists, having the highest death toll over the last five years.

The report also claims that since the onset of Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza in October 2023, over 145 journalists have been killed, with 35 of them actively working at their time of death. RSF describes this as an "unprecedented bloodbath."

This is consistent with Israel's pattern of targeted assassinations, as evidenced by the tragic murder of journalists like Issam Abdallah, Hamza Al Dahdouh, Mustafa Thuraya, Ismail Al Ghoul, Rami Al Refee, Ghassan Najjar, Wissam Kassem and Mohammed Reda.

In a separate report published earlier on December 10th, 2024 by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), it was revealed that 104 journalists were killed worldwide, with more than half of these fatalities occurring in Gaza. The differences in the numbers reported by the IFJ and RSF stem from how each group tracks and counts journalist fatalities, a task made more difficult due to Israel’s tight grip over media coverage.