Israel responsible for more than one third of journalist killings in 2025, charity says

Report says 29 Palestinian reporters have been killed in Gaza

Palestinian journalist Saleh Al Jafarawi was killed in Gaza city in October. Photo: @SalehAljafarawi/Facebook

Israel is responsible for more than one third of this year's journalist killings worldwide, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Twenty-nine Palestinian reporters have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, the charity said in its annual report. The total number of journalists killed around the world reached 67 this year, one more than last year.

Israeli forces accounted for 43 per cent of the total, making them “the worst enemy of journalists”, RSF said in its report, which documented deaths over 12 months from December 2024.

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The most deadly attack was a double strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on August 25, which killed five journalists, including contributors to Reuters and the Associated Press.

Israel called that a “tragic mishap”. But two weeks earlier it admitted deliberately killing an Al Jazeera crew of five, including Anas Al Sharif.

Saleh Al Jafarawi, meanwhile, was killed covering clashes in Gaza city in October − days after he celebrated the announcement of a ceasefire.

In total, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, nearly 220 journalists have died, making Israel the biggest killer of journalists worldwide for three years in a row, the charity's data shows. The Israeli military says its raids and shelling are aimed at Hamas fighters and leaders.

'Not stray bullets'

Despite widespread calls for access, foreign reporters are still unable to enter Gaza – except on tightly controlled tours organised by the Israeli military.

The charity's annual report said this has also been the deadliest year in Mexico for at least three years, with nine journalists killed, despite pledges from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to protect them.

War-torn Ukraine and Sudan, where three and four journalists were killed respectively, are also among the most dangerous countries for reporters.

The overall number of deaths is down from the peak of 142 journalists killed in 2012. Many of them were linked largely to the Syrian civil war. It is also below the average since 2003 of around 80 killed per year.

RSF editorial director Anne Bocande noted a growing tendency to “smear” journalists as a way to “justify” the crime of targeting them.

“These are not stray bullets,” she told AFP. “This is a deliberate targeting of journalists because they inform the world about what's happening on the ground.”

The RSF annual report also counts the number of journalists imprisoned for their work, with China (121), Russia (48) and Myanmar (47) the most repressive countries, RSF figures showed. As of December 1, 503 journalists were detained in 47 countries, the report said.

Other organisations use different qualifiers to calculate journalist deaths. According to Unesco, 91 journalists were killed this year.