Gaza City, Gaza Strip — An escalating conflict has proven perilous for journalists in Gaza, where reporting has become a high-risk activity marked by airstrikes, displacement, and shortages. Since the onset of hostilities between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has identified that at least 137 journalists and media workers have lost their lives amid the broader casualties that span Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon.
These findings underscore what has become the deadliest period for journalists recorded since the CPJ began logging such data in 1992. The perils for journalists in Gaza are particularly severe, with CPJ investigating over 130 additional cases involving potential journalist killings, arrests, and injuries. Amid the chaos, documenting and verifying these incidents presents its challenges, given the demolition of infrastructure, including 80% of Gaza’s buildings, and the displacement of 90% of its population.
Carlos Martinez de la Serna of the CPJ emphasized the dire situation for journalists caught in the warzone. “Journalists in Gaza are paying the ultimate price – their lives – to fulfill their role of truth-telling,” he stated, pointing out the lack of protective measures and basic necessities that have only amplified risks.
Journalists are recognized as civilians under international law, a status which renders targeting them a potential war crime. Notably, the International Criminal Court initiated steps in May to pursue arrest warrants against leaders from both Hamas and Israel, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
CPJ specifically cites instances where journalists were presumably targeted by Israeli forces. Five such incidents have been classified as murders, with the investigation still ongoing for additional cases suggesting possible targeting.
As the war approached its one-year mark, further casualties among journalists spurred CPJ to call for an end to what they describe as a pattern of impunity concerning attacks on media workers by Israeli forces. Moreover, this situation has triggered international concern, with United Nations experts criticizing the high number of journalist casualties which blatantly disregard international law.
The list of affected journalists compiled by CPJ includes those injured and missing under distressing circumstances. For instance, in Jabalia refugee camp, Tamer Lubbad, a journalist, suffered injuries from a drone strike, and his colleague was killed during the same incident. Both were clearly identified as press at the time of the attack.
These frontline reports shed light on a harrowing pattern of danger and abuse faced by journalists in Gaza, where even marked press cars and vests offer no sure protection. The incidents range from shrapnel injuries in immediate proximity to Israeli attacks to specific instances where journalists were targeted while covering stories.
Each testimony from the injured journalists not only portrays a grim picture of their working conditions but also a desperate need for international attention and intervention to safeguard media freedom and civil safety in conflict zones.
Given the ongoing threats, CPJ continues to offer safety advisories for media personnel covering the unrest in Gaza and stresses the importance of ensuring that journalists can perform their crucial duties without the constant fear of violence and retribution.