More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in both World Wars, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan combined according to the Costs of War project.
Israel’s war on Gaza has resulted in the deaths of 232 journalists, averaging 13 per week, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded, according to a report by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ Costs of War project.
More journalists have died in Gaza than in both World Wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United States war in Afghanistan combined.
“It is, quite simply, the worst ever conflict for reporters,” states the Costs of War project.
The report clarifies that it is unclear if Palestinian journalists in Gaza have been targeted by Israeli attacks or if they were collateral damage from Israel’s bombardment.
It refers to the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which documented 35 cases where Israel’s military likely targeted and killed journalists due to their work by the end of 2024.
Among these was Al Jazeera reporter Hamza Dahdouh, killed on January 7, 2024, when a missile struck the vehicle he was traveling in southern Gaza. He was the fifth immediate family member of Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, to be killed by Israeli attacks.
A more recent case is Al Jazeera reporter Hossam Shabat, killed on March 24 when an Israeli strike hit his car.
Israel’s military accused Shabat of being a secret Hamas operative, a claim the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says Israel has repeatedly levied against Palestinian journalists without evidence to justify their killing or mistreatment.
The attacks on journalists in Gaza, where nearly no foreign correspondents have been granted access, have exacerbated a trend where local reporters – often underpaid and underresourced – face the greatest risks, according to the Costs of War project.
“Across the globe, the economics of the industry, the violence of war, and coordinated censorship campaigns are turning more conflict zones into news graveyards, with Gaza being the most extreme example,” the report said.
More journalists have died in Gaza than in both World Wars, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and the United States war in Afghanistan combined.
“It is, quite simply, the worst ever conflict for reporters,” states the Costs of War project.
The report clarifies that it is unclear if Palestinian journalists in Gaza have been targeted by Israeli attacks or if they were collateral damage from Israel’s bombardment.
It refers to the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which documented 35 cases where Israel’s military likely targeted and killed journalists due to their work by the end of 2024.
Among these was Al Jazeera reporter Hamza Dahdouh, killed on January 7, 2024, when a missile struck the vehicle he was traveling in southern Gaza. He was the fifth immediate family member of Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, to be killed by Israeli attacks.
A more recent case is Al Jazeera reporter Hossam Shabat, killed on March 24 when an Israeli strike hit his car.
Israel’s military accused Shabat of being a secret Hamas operative, a claim the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says Israel has repeatedly levied against Palestinian journalists without evidence to justify their killing or mistreatment.
The attacks on journalists in Gaza, where nearly no foreign correspondents have been granted access, have exacerbated a trend where local reporters – often underpaid and underresourced – face the greatest risks, according to the Costs of War project.
“Across the globe, the economics of the industry, the violence of war, and coordinated censorship campaigns are turning more conflict zones into news graveyards, with Gaza being the most extreme example,” the report said.
