Editor’s note: The list below is CPJ’s most recent and preliminary account of journalist casualties in the war. Our database will not include all of these cases until we have completed further investigations into the circumstances surrounding them. For more information, read our FAQ.
The Israel-Gaza war has taken an unprecedented toll on Gazan journalists since Israel declared war on Hamas following its attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.
As of August 27, 2024, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 116 journalists and media workers were among the more than 41,000 killed since the war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages. This has meant that it is becoming increasingly hard to document the situation, and CPJ is investigating almost 350 additional cases of potential killings, arrests and injuries.
“Since the war in Gaza started, journalists have been paying the highest price–their lives–for their reporting. Without protection, equipment, international presence, communications, or food and water, they are still doing their crucial jobs to tell the world the truth,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna in New York. “Every time a journalist is killed, injured, arrested, or forced to go to exile, we lose fragments of the truth. Those responsible for these casualties face dual trials: one under international law and another before history’s unforgiving gaze.”
Journalists are civilians and are protected by International Law. Deliberately targeting civilians constitutes a war crime. In May, the International Criminal Court announced it was seeking arrest warrant applications for Hamas and Israeli leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
To date, CPJ has determined that at least five journalists were directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders: Issam Abdallah, Hamza Al Dahdouh, Mustafa Thuraya, Ismail Al Ghoul, and Rami Al Refee. CPJ is still researching the details for confirmation in at least 10 other cases that indicate possible targeting.
As of August 27:
- 116 journalists and media workers were confirmed killed: 111 Palestinian, two Israeli, and three Lebanese.
- 33 journalists were reported injured.
- 2 journalists were reported missing.
- 52 journalists were reported arrested.
- Multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.
CPJ is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists’ homes.
The list published here includes names based on information obtained from CPJ’s sources in the region and media reports. It includes all journalists* involved in news-gathering activity. It is not always immediately clear whether all of these journalists were covering the conflict at the time of their deaths, but CPJ has included them in its count as it investigate their circumstances.
The list is being updated on a regular basis, with names being removed if CPJ confirms that those members of the media were not working journalists at the time they were killed, injured or went missing.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has repeatedly told media outlets that the army does not deliberately target journalists. It also told agencies in October that it cannot guarantee the safety of the journalists. CPJ has called for an end to the longstanding pattern of impunity in cases of journalists killed by the IDF.
U.N. experts have raised concerns over the killings of journalists, saying in a February statement that they were “alarmed at the extraordinarily high numbers of journalists and media workers who have been killed, attacked, injured and detained in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in Gaza, in recent months blatantly disregarding international law.”
Journalists and media workers reported killed, missing, or injured:
KILLED
August 20, 2024
Hamza Murtaja
Murtaja, a 32-year-old Palestinian journalist who was a co-owner and camera operator for the privately owned Record Media production company, was killed while on assignment in an Israeli airstrike at the Hafiz Mustafa school in Gaza City, along with 11 others, according to multiple media reports.
On assignment? Yes
Read more about Murtaja’s killing.
August 18, 2024
Ibrahim Muhareb
Muhareb, a 26-year-old Palestinian freelance journalist, who worked with multiple outlets including the local Al-Hadath newspaper, was killed when an Israeli tank fired towards a group of journalists reporting in the Hamad city area, northwest of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to multiple news reports. Freelance journalist Salma Al-Qaddoumi was also injured in the incident.
On assignment? Yes
Read more about Muhareb’s killing.
August 6, 2024
Mohammed Issa Abu Saada
Abu Saada, a 31-year-old Palestinian freelance photographer and videographer who worked with several outlets including the local online outlet Sahat and Al Sharqiya Pulse, was killed with at least two family members in an Israeli strike on his uncle’s home in the Al-Zana neighborhood of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, Sahat, and Arabi21 news site.
On assignment? Yes
Read more about Abu Saada’s killing.
July 31, 2024
Ismail Al Ghoul
Ismail Al Ghoul, a 27-year-old Palestinian journalist working for the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera Arabic TV channel, was killed in an Israeli drone strike with his colleague Rami Al Refee as they were leaving Al Shati refugee camp, near Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera and news reports.
On assignment? Yes
Read more about Al Ghoul’s killing.
Rami Al Refee
Rami Al Refee, a 27-year-old Palestinian camera operator with the local Watania Media Agency who was also freelancing for Al Jazeera Arabic TV channel during the Israel-Gaza war, was killed in an Israeli drone strike with Al Jazeera Arabic reporter Ismail Al Ghoul as they were leaving Al Shati refugee camp, near Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera and news reports.
On assignment? Yes
Read more about Al Refee’s killing.
Mohammed Abu Jasser
Abu Jasser, a Palestinian journalist working for the Hamas-affiliated newspaper Al-Risala and the pro-Hamas newspaper Felesteen, was killed along with his mother, wife, and at least two of his children in an Israeli airstrike at about 3 a.m. in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Felesteen, news reports, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes.
Abu Jasser was born on September 7, 1985, Felesteen reported. He obtained a master’s degree in journalism from the Islamic University of Gaza and freelanced for multiple outlets, including the privately owned, Qatar-funded Ultra Palestine news site, and the Abu Dhabi-based magazine Zahrat Al Khaleej, it said.
Since October 7, Abu Jasser frequently reported on airstrikes and funerals in northern Gaza. On October 13, he posted on Facebook, “For me and all my family, we’re not leaving.”
On Facebook, Abu Jasser shared multiple emotional posts about the agony of losing his brother, Abdallah, during the war. His last post was a video of a funeral, captioned “daily scene in Gaza.”
On assignment? Yes
July 5, 2024
Saadi Madoukh
Madoukh, a Palestinian journalist and freelance camera operator for outlets including Al Jazeera and the Turkish state broadcaster TRT, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Al Daraj neighborhood in Gaza City, according to news reports, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, and the International Federation of Journalists.
Madoukh was also the founder and CEO of Deep Shot media production company, according to his Facebook profile. Its last project was a video for a song by Sol Band recorded in Gaza during the war about the deaths of Palestinian children. Adeeb Sukkar, another media worker who produced the graphics for the video, was injured in the strike that killed Madoukh.
Madoukh post extensively on Facebook, mostly venting about the war in northern Gaza, where he remained. On June 21, he wrote “I don’t care about reaching goals, all I care about is for the war to end.” His last post, on the day of his death, read “Whatever you ask us, our answer will be ‘Thank God.’”
On assignment? Yes
July 1, 2024
Mohammed Abu Sharia
Abu Sharia, managing editor of the local privately owned Shams News Agency, was injured in an Israeli airstrike in the Al-Sabra neighborhood in Gaza City on June 29, resulting in severe head injuries, according to his outlet, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and the International Federation of Journalists. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Indonesian Hospital and died on July 1.
Abu Sharia studied journalism at the Islamic University of Gaza and worked for various outlets before becoming a reporter at Shams News Agency, where he was later promoted to managing editor, the outlet said.
On assignment? Yes
May 31, 2024
Ola Al Dahdouh
Al Dahdouh, a Palestinian journalist working as an editor and presenter for the local Sawt Al Watan radio station, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her husband’s family home in Gaza City’s Al Jalaa neighborhood, according to SKeyes, the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate. In a post on her Facebook page, her brother Mohannad said that Ola was killed in the airstrike, which he said happened without any prior alert. Those sources said that Al Dahdouh’s husband, Abdelrahman Helles, and her son, Karam, were wounded in the airstrike.
Wissam Zaghbar, director of radio Sawt Al Watan, told CPJ via messaging app that Al Dahdouh was 28 years old and Karam is 1 1/2 years old.
Al Dahdouh’s house in northern Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood was destroyed in October by Israeli bombing, according to a post by her on Facebook page and Zaghbar. After that attack, “the three of them were displaced … to a house that belonged to her husband’s uncle,” Zaghbar said. “On May 31, 2024, that house was hit by an Israeli airstrike that killed her and her husband’s uncle.”
Zaghbar added, “Ola trained at our radio station in 2017 when she was only a media student, then she started working there after her graduation in 2019. She started as an editor in the news division and then became also a presenter, where she shined. She was an editor and a host at the same time and was known for her punctuality even though her program was very early in the morning.”
Before her death, Al Dahdouh posted critical views of Hamas on her Facebook page, including posts calling for the war to end.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
May 16, 2024
Mahmoud Juhjouh
Juhjouh, a Palestinian photographer who worked for the local Palestine Post Network, was killed along with his wife, children, and mother, in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, according to his outlet and media reports.
Those reports mentioned that Juhjouh had been displaced several times with his family, and had returned to his house after the Israeli army withdrew from northern Gaza.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
May 11, 2024
Bahaa Okasha
Okasha, a Palestinian camera operator who worked for the Hamas affiliated Al-Aqsa TV channel, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Al-Qasasib neighborhood in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, along with his son Hamza and his wife, according to Al Jazeera, Qatari-funded Al-Araby TV, the privately owned Palestinian Maan News Agency, and the privately owned Lebanese newspaper Annahar.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
May 6, 2024
Mustafa Ayyad
Ayyad, a freelance Palestinian photographer, was killed after he was critically injured by an Israeli airstrike on his home in Azzaytoun neighborhood in northern Gaza, according to multiple media reports. Those sources said that Ayyad suffered injuries to his head, heart, and liver, and was taken to Al-Maamadani hospital where he was pronounced dead. Ayyad worked for Al Jazeera Mubashar and Al Jazeera Net on a freelance basis during the war, according to Al Jazeera.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
April 29, 2024
Salem Abu Toyour
Abu Toyour, a Palestinian media worker at the Hamas affiliated Al-Quds Al-Youm TV channel, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his family home in Nuseirat camp, central Gaza, along with two relatives including his son Ahmed, according to Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the independent Palestinian news agency Wattan, Al Jazeera, and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
April 26, 2024
Ibrahim Mohamad Al-Gharbawi
Al-Gharbawi, Palestinian freelance photojournalist, was killed along with his brother, Ayman in an Israeli drone strike in the Hamad neighborhood of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, when they were filming with a drone according to Beirut based-press freedom group SKeyes, the independent Palestinian news agency Shfa, and the Russian state-owned outlet RT. According to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, the journalists were buried on April 27, 2024, near Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah.
On assignment? Yes
Ayman Mohamad Al-Gharbawi
Al-Gharbawi, Palestinian freelance photojournalist, was killed in an Israeli drone strike along with his brother, Ibrahim, in the Hamad neighborhood of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, when they were filming by a drone, according to Beirut based-press freedom group SKeyes, the independent Palestinian news agency Shfa, and the Russian state-owned outlet RT. According to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, the journalists were buried on April 27, 2024, near Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah.
On assignment? Yes
April 25, 2024
Mohammed Bassam Al Jamal
Al Jamal, Palestinian photographer working for the pro-Islamic Jihad news agency Palestine Now, was killed after sustaining critical injuries in an Israeli airstrike on his family home in the Al-Jenenah neighborhood in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the privately owned Al-Ghad TV channel, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Qatari-funded Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. SKeyes said that the airstrike occurred at 11:00 p.m. on April 24, injuring Al Jamal and killing six of his relatives before Al Jamal succumbed to his critical injuries at 5:00 a.m. the next day.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
March 28, 2024
Mohamed Abu Skheil
Mohamed Adel Abu Skheil, a Palestinian media worker who worked as an editor and graphic designer for the local privately owned Shams News Agency, was killed by Israeli bullets when the Israeli army raided the Al-Shifa hospital complex in northern Gaza, according to his outlet, the International Federation of Journalists, and the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds news agency. His outlet said that Abu Skheil was killed inside the hospital after he took refuge in it following the destruction of his house in an Israeli airstrike at the beginning of the war.
Editor’s Note: CPJ corrected the work affiliation of the journalist after reports that two people with the same name were killed at the hospital. CPJ is still investigating the other name.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
March 25, 2024
Saher Akram Rayan
Rayan, a journalist who works for the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, was killed with his son, Anas, in an Israeli strike in the west of Gaza City as they were assisting injured neighbors, according to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, Middle East Eye, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
March 15, 2024
Mohamed El-Reefi
El-Reefi, a Palestinian freelance photographer, died of injuries sustained on March 14 when he was hit by Israeli army gunfire while attempting to obtain flour in a humanitarian aid delivery southeast of Gaza City, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, and the Palestine Chronicle. El-Reefi used his Instagram account to document life in Gaza before and during wartime.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
March 14, 2024
Abdul Rahman Saima
Saima, a Palestinian photojournalist for Raqami TV, an Arabic language media outlet that focuses on technology news, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, and Palestine Chronicle. Raqami TV issued a statement on Facebook mourning Saima’s death and added that he was part of the media outlet since its beginning. Raqami TV said that Saima served as a photojournalist and producer for the program “Ibtekar” or “Innovation.”
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
March 5, 2024
Muhammad Salama
Salama, a Palestinian journalist who worked as a host for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV channel, was killed with his family in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, according to several media reports, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency.
CPJ wasn’t immediately able to specify the number of family members killed with Salama. A report by the Qatari-funded Al-Araby TV in the area showed damage from the airstrikes on the residential area, and Al-Araby’s reporter on the ground, Bassel Khalaf, said at least six people were pulled from under the rubble, while others remained missing. A witness in the area told the channel that the family was having dinner when they were killed.
According to Al-Aqsa Voice radio and the Egypt-based Al-Bawaba News, Salama was buried in Gaza on March 6, 2024.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
February 23, 2024
Mohamed Yaghi
Yaghi, a 30-year-old freelance photojournalist who worked with multiple media outlets, including Al Jazeera, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Az-Zawayda town in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, along with 36 family members, including his wife and daughter, according to Al Jazeera, the International Federation of Journalists, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
February 15, 2024
Zayd Abu Zayed
Abu Zayed, a 35-year-old director of the local Quran Radio channel, which is owned by the Islamic University of Gaza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, according to the Qatari-funded Al-Araby TV, the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, and the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
February 14, 2024
Ayman Al-Rafati
Al-Rafati, a Palestinian journalist, writer, and political analyst who wrote for the Hezbollah-affiliated broadcaster Al Mayadeen and appeared regularly on Al Mayadeen and Al Jazeera, was killed along with his brother, sister-in-law, and nephews in an Israeli airstrike on his home at Al Jalaa Street in Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, and the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network.
Al-Rafati, who had a PhD and was on the board of the Center for Regional Studies – Palestine, appeared on Al Jazeera hours before his death.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
February 12, 2024
Alaa Al-Hams
Al-Hams, a 35-year-old Palestinian journalist for the local Palestinian News Agency SND succumbed to her injuries after being seriously wounded in an Israeli airstrike on her family house in Rafah city, southern Gaza Strip, which resulted in the tragic loss of 10 members of her family on December 2, 2023, according to Palestine Chronicle, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS), and the Cairo-based Ahram online.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Angam Ahmad Edwan
Edwan, a Palestinian journalist who worked for the Libyan TV channel February, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home in Jabalia city, northern Gaza Strip, according to her channel, the Cairo-based Ahram online, the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, and Palestine Chronicle.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
February 11, 2024
Yasser Mamdouh El-Fady
Mamdouh El-Fady, a 40-year-old journalist for the Islamic Jihad affiliated Kan’an news agency, was killed by an Israeli sniper at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, according to multiple media reports, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
February 8, 2024
Nafez Abdel Jawad
Abdel Jawad, a Palestinian director for the official Palestine Television station, Palestine TV, was killed along with his son in an Israeli missile strike on the house they were staying in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Additionally, the missile killed 14 people, including five children, according to CNN, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency. Responding to an inquiry from CNN on the killing of Abdel Jawad, the Israel Defense Forces stated that it “takes all operationally feasible measures to mitigate harm to civilians, including journalists. The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target journalists.” They added that they were not aware of any strikes at these coordinates.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
February 6, 2024
Rizq Al-Gharabli
Al-Gharabli, a 40-year-old director of the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Information Center, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his family’s home in Khan Yunis, according to media reports, the Palestinian Information Center, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
The Palestinian Information Center said that Al-Gharabli was its Gaza office director since 2015, and worked as a writer and editor until his death.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
January 29, 2024
Mohammed Atallah
Atallah, a 24-year-old Palestinian editor for the local Al-Resalah news website and a writer for the regional independent website Raseef22, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beach refugee camp in northern Gaza City, along with an unidentified number of family members, according to a tweet by Raseef22 that included his last voice message, the local news agency Safa, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the International Federation of Journalists.
Ayman Sharrouf, Raseef22’s political editor, told CPJ that Atallah “wrote for Raseef22 under his name and another pseudonym. He was particularly interested in the daily life stories of the Gazans, despite the siege on Gaza, the corruption, and the narrow political interests in the strip. When the war started, we started collaborating, and he wrote three pieces, but he lived in the north where there was intense bombing, and one of the Israeli airstrikes hit his parents’ house, which killed one of his brothers and all his family members.”
Sharrouf told CPJ that “Atallah evacuated after surviving a lot of near-death situations. In his last correspondence with us, he told me that he’s safe and he wants to resume working soon, but I later learned about his death from the news.” Sharrouf added, “Mohammed was a very professional journalist. He wanted to relay the voices of the people. He worked hard on his pieces and was very keen on factual reporting of the daily life of Gaza’s people, despite all the challenges that a journalist like him faces. Unfortunately, he was killed before he got to do what he wanted in journalism; and the most horrific heartbreaking part was that he thought he would survive.”
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing.
January 25, 2024
Iyad El-Ruwagh
El-Ruwagh, a Palestinian journalist who worked as a host for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat camp in northern Gaza, along with four of his children, according to multiple media reports, his outlet, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes.
El-Ruwagh was buried on January 26, according to Al Jazeera. Prior to his death, he posted on Facebook about his family’s dire conditions, asking for someone who was leaving Gaza to take his toddler to his wife, who fled to Sinai, Egypt, with his son Mohamed following a previous airstrike that severely injured him. After El-Ruwagh’s death, his wife published Facebook posts about him and her slain children: Loay, Nada, Yazan, and the toddler, Ahmed.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
January 14, 2024
Yazan al-Zuweidi
Al-Zuweidi, a Palestinian journalist and camera operator for the privately owned Cairo-based broadcaster Al-Ghad, was killed, along with his brother and cousin, in an Israeli airstrike on Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza while on his way to see what had happened to his home in the aftermath of heavy bombing, according to his employer, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, The New Arab, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
Al-Zuweidi, 27, had been working with Al-Ghad for six years, and covered the war and various other events in Gaza, according to the broadcaster. Al-Ghad said that Al-Zuweidi didn’t stop reporting on the ongoing war; he kept filming from northern Gaza and sending footage to the channel after it was impossible for him to evacuate south to Rafah.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
January 11, 2024
Mohamed Jamal Sobhi Al-Thalathini
Al-Thalathini, a Palestinian journalist who worked for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds Al-Youm broadcaster, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in south Gaza, according to the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, Islamic Jihad-affiliated broadcaster Palestine Today, and the Qatari-funded newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
January 10, 2024
Ahmed Bdeir
Bdeir, a Palestinian journalist working for the local news website Bawabat al-Hadaf, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis, close to the Aqsa Martyrs hospital. Bdeir was standing in front of the journalists’ tent at the hospital gate and died when a shrapnel hit him, according to Al Jazeera, The New Arab, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes. His outlet said that he worked relentlessly during the war to cover the news. Bawabat al-Hadaf is affiliated with The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
On assignment? Yes
January 9, 2024
Heba Al-Abadla
Al-Abadla, a 30-year-old journalist and host for the local Al-Azhar radio station, owned by Al-Azhar University in Gaza, and the co-founder of the Social Media Club-Palestine, was killed along with her daughter Judy and several family members in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Yunis, according to media reports, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the New Arab, the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes.
At Social Media Club-Palestine, Al-Abadla held training and conferences on technology related matters, including content writing and journalism.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
January 8, 2024
Abdallah Iyad Breis
Breis, a 26-year-old journalist who led the photography section for the Rawafed educational channel, owned by the Hamas government’s ministry of education, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Khan Yunis, according to media reports, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
January 7, 2024
Hamza Al Dahdouh
Al Dahdouh, a Palestinian journalist and camera operator for Al Jazeera, and the son of Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael Al Dahdouh, was killed in an Israeli drone strike along with freelance journalist Mustafa Thuraya, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. They were driving to an assignment in southern Gaza when the strike occurred, according to Al Jazeera and the BBC.
On assignment? Yes
Mustafa Thuraya
Thuraya, a Palestinian freelance videographer working for Agence France-Presse (AFP), was killed in an Israeli drone strike along with Al Jazeera journalist Hamza Al Dahdouh, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. They were driving to an assignment in southern Gaza when the strike occurred, according to Al Jazeera, BBC, and AFP.
On assignment? Yes
January 5, 2024
Akram ElShafie
ElShafie, a Palestinian journalist working as a reporter and editor for the Palestinian press agency Safa died after sustaining injuries months before on October 30, from an Israeli bullet, according to his outlet Safa, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS), and Al Jazeera. PJS said in a statement that ElShafie required medical attention after sustaining the life-threatening injury, and that it submitted a request to evacuate the journalists from Gaza for that purpose, but it was declined by Israel, according to the syndicate. The syndicate also stated that 25 journalists in Gaza are injured and require immediate medical attention.
Safa said that ElShafie, 53, was injured badly by Israeli bullets when he was on his way to check up on his house, and that he spent the last two months in hospitals. It added that ElShafie started working with Safa in 2019, and that the last report he wrote was about the cooperation and solidarity between Gazan refugees in the war.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 29, 2023
Jabr Abu Hadrous
Abu Hadrous, a Palestinian journalist and a reporter for the Hamas-affiliated Quds Al-Youm broadcaster, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Nuseirat refugee camp, northern Gaza, along with seven members of his family, according to Al Jazeera, Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen, and the privately owned government-affiliated Al-Ghad newspaper in Jordan.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 28, 2023
Ahmed Khaireddine
Khaireddine, a Palestinian journalist and a cameraman for the Hamas-affiliated Quds Al-Youm TV, and a reporter for the Hamas-affiliated Quds feed, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his family home in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza, along with 12 family members, including his uncle Mohamed Khaireddine, according to the Islamic Jihad-affiliated broadcaster Palestine Today, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and Al Jazeera.
Khaireddine’s brother, Basil, who was a reporter for the Palestine Today broadcaster, spoke about his brother’s killing to the channel, in a video that spread virally. Basil said that Ahmed wanted to take a day off work for the first time in 82 days and didn’t want to leave the house to report when Basil asked him to go with him, adding: “He wanted to rest, but apparently his rest was forever.”
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 24, 2023
Mohamad Al-Iff
Al-Iff, a Palestinian journalist and photographer for the Hamas government-owned local newspaper and news agency Al-Rai, was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, northern Gaza, along with an unspecified number of family members, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Qatari-funded London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, and the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network. Al-Iff’s cousin, journalist Mohamed Azzaytouniyah, was killed in the same strikes, according to a tweet by Al-Iff’s cousin Hammam.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Mohamed Azzaytouniyah
Azzaytouniyah, a Palestinian media worker and a sound engineer for the Hamas government-owned local radio Al-Rai was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, northern Gaza, along with unspecified number of family members including his father, according to a tweet by his brother Hammam, the outlet, the Qatari-funded London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, and the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network. His cousin, journalist Mohamad Al-Iff, was killed in the same strikes.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Ahmad Jamal Al Madhoun
Al Madhoun, a Palestinian journalist and deputy director of the Hamas government-owned local newspaper and news agency Al-Rai and the director of visual content at the agency, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza, according to the Hamas-affiliated Quds News Network, the Qatar-funded London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, and the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 23, 2023
Mohamed Naser Abu Huwaidi
Abu Huwaidi, a 29-year-old Palestinian journalist working for the privately owned Al-Istiklal newspaper, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Shajaiah area in northern Gaza while covering the aftermath of the airstrikes, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the Qatar-funded London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and the Cairo-based independent website Darb.
On assignment? Yes
December 22, 2023
Mohamed Khalifeh
Khalifeh, a media worker and director at the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV channel was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, along his wife and three of his children, according to his outlet, the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, the Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV, and the privately owned news channel Al-Ghad TV.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 19, 2023
Adel Zorob
Zorob, a Palestinian freelance journalist who worked with multiple media outlets, including the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Rafah, southern Gaza, along with 25 family members, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Middle East Eye, the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, and the independent Wattan news agency.
Zorob posted Gaza war news on his Facebook page and on WhatsApp news groups. The last news message was sent directly before his death, according to a WhatsApp screenshot CPJ viewed. The Zorob family were among the few Palestinians in Gaza who remained in their own homes in a war that has displaced some 1.9 million people — more than 80% of the territory’s population, according to the Associated Press.
On assignment? Yes
December 18, 2023
Abdallah Alwan
Alwan, a Palestinian media worker and voice-over specialist who contributed to multiple media outlets including the Al Jazeera owned platform Midan, Mugtama magazine, and Al Jazeera, and was a radio host for the Islamic University’s Holy Quran Radio, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Jabalia, according to his outlet Midan, the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa Radio, the local Palestinian newspaper Al-Hadath, and Amman-based Roya TV. In his last Facebook post on December 17, Alwan wrote that “On every morning, we say that last night was the worst night in the war… All days are worse than each other. This briefly describes the war.” On November 30, Alwan posted photos of damage to his home by Israeli bombing, saying two of his nieces were killed in the strikes.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 17, 2023
Assem Kamal Moussa
Moussa, a Palestinian journalist who produced visual and written news reports for the local privately owned news website Palestine Now, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, according to his outlet, Lebanon’s Hezbollah-affiliated broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, and the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa radio channel.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Haneen Kashtan
Kashtan, a Palestinian journalist who contributed to multiple media outlets including the local Fatah-affiliated Al-Kofiya TV and the local privately owned Baladna TV, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat refugee camp in northern Gaza, along with other family members, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Al Jazeera, and the Cairo-based Youm7.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 15, 2023
Samer Abu Daqqa
Abu Daqqa, a camera operator for Al Jazeera Arabic, was killed by a drone strike while covering the aftermath of nightly Israeli strikes on a United Nations school sheltering displaced people in the center of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters news agency. He was trapped with other injured people in the school, which was surrounded by Israeli forces, and was unable to be evacuated for treatment. His colleague, Al Jazeera bureau chief Wael Al Dahdouh, was injured in the same strike.
On assignment? Yes
December 9, 2023
Duaa Jabbour
Jabbour, a Palestinian freelance journalist who worked with the local website Eyes Media Network, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home along with her husband and children in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, and the Qatar-funded London-based Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. In her last Facebook post, Jabbour wrote: “To survive everyday is exhausting.”
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Ola Atallah
Atallah, a Palestinian freelance journalist who contributed to multiple media outlets, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the house in which she and her family were taking refuge, in the El-Daraj area of Gaza City, northern Gaza, according to Arabi 21, the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate. Those sources said that Atallah was killed with nine members of her family, including her brother and her uncles.
On November 27, Atallah wrote an article for the Al-Morasel website about life in Gaza during the war, describing the destruction and damage to her neighborhood and city. Atallah worked as a reporter for Anadolu Agency until 2017. Atallah was well-known on social media, and her last tweet on December 8 asked, “How many more nights of terror and death does Gaza have to count?”
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 3, 2023
Hassan Farajallah
Farajallah, who held a senior position with the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds TV, was killed by Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Shaima El-Gazzar
A Palestinian journalist for Al-Majedat network, El-Gazzar was killed along with her family members in an Israeli airstrike on Rafah city, southern Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the Cairo-based media outlet Darb.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
December 1, 2023
Abdullah Darwish
A Palestinian cameraman for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Darwish was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Montaser Al-Sawaf
Al-Sawaf, a Palestinian cameraman for the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, was killed in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, according to his outlet, Middle East Monitor, and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Adham Hassouna
Hassouna, a Palestinian freelance journalist and media professor at Gaza and Al-Aqsa universities, was killed, along with several family members in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian news network Shfa, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 24, 2023
Mostafa Bakeer
Bakeer, a Palestinian journalist and cameraperson for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa radio, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 23, 2023
Mohamed Mouin Ayyash
Ayyash, a Palestinian journalist and a freelance photographer, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, along with 20 members of his family, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 22, 2023
Assem Al-Barsh
Al-Barsh, a sound engineer working for the Gaza’s Hamas government owned Al-Rai radio and freelancing for other local radio stations, was shot dead by Israeli sniper fire when he was on his way home on November 22, 2023, in the Al-Saftawi area north of Gaza City, according to news reports and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
According to a news report by Radio An-Naja7, Al-Barsh helped Radio An-Naja7 develop a podcast entitled “The Identity Podcast” that focuses on the values of dialogue and cultural and religious diversity in the Arab world. In the days prior to Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, Al-Barsh set up a small radio studio at his home, where he was a sound engineer for the podcast.
In 2021, Al-Barsh also hosted and produced the program “With You” for Radio Namaa, during which listeners could dedicate songs or send greetings to friends or loved ones.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Mohamed Nabil Al-Zaq
Al-Zaq, a Palestinian journalist and a social media manager for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds TV, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Shejaiya in northern Gaza, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News, the Ramallah-based news website Wattan TV, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 21, 2023
Jamal Mohamed Haniyeh
Haniyeh, a reporter for the sports news website Amwaj, was killed along with other family members and in-laws in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Gaza City, according to news reports and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
According to the same reports, Haniyeh was the grandson of Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh and also worked as a radio engineer. Haniyeh covered the football league in Gaza, as well as other stories, including the visit by Abdel Salam Haniyeh, the assistant secretary of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, to the injured journalist Ashraf Abu Amra while he was receiving medical treatment in Turkey for injuries suffered in September 2023 while covering a Gaza border protest.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Farah Omar
Omar, a Lebanese reporter for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV channel, was killed by an Israeli strike in the Tayr Harfa area in southern Lebanon, close to the border with Israel, according to Al-Mayadeen, Al Jazeera, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes. She was reporting on escalating hostilities across the Lebanese-Israeli border and gave a live update an hour before her death.
On assignment? Yes
Rabih Al Maamari
Al Maamari, a Lebanese cameraperson for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV channel, was killed by an Israeli strike in the Tayr Harfa area in southern Lebanon, close to the border with Israel, along with his colleague Farah Omar, according to Al-Mayadeen, Al Jazeera, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes.
On assignment? Yes
November 20, 2023
Ayat Khadoura
Khadoura, a Palestinian freelance journalist and podcast presenter, was killed along with an unknown number of family members in an Israeli airstrike on her home in Beit Lahya in northern Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the news website Arabi 21, and London-based Al-Ghad TV. Khadoura shared videos on social media about the situation in Gaza, including a November 6 video, which she called “my last message to the world” where she said, “We had big dreams but our dream now is to be killed in one piece so they know who we are.”
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 19, 2023
Bilal Jadallah
Jadallah, director of Press House-Palestine, a non-profit which supports the development of independent Palestinian media, was killed in his car in Gaza in an Israeli airstrike, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Al Qahera News, and the Cairo-based Youm7.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 18, 2023
Abdelhalim Awad
A Palestinian media worker and driver for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Awad was killed in a strike on his home in the Gaza Strip, according to the London-based Al-Ghad TV, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes. Awad had been working full-time since the beginning of the war in Khan Yunis and had left to visit his family last week, his colleague Ziad AlMokayyed told CPJ via messaging app.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Sari Mansour
Mansour, director of the Quds News Network, and his colleague and friend Hassouneh Salim were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Cairo-based Elwatan news, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Al Jazeera, and Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency.
On assignment? Yes
Hassouneh Salim
Salim, a Palestinian freelance photojournalist, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, along with his colleague and friend Sari Mansour, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News, Al Jazeera, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Yes
Mostafa El Sawaf
El Sawaf, a Palestinian writer and analyst who contributed to the local news website MSDR News, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home along with his wife and two of his sons in Shawa Square, Gaza City, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Cairo-based Youm7.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Amro Salah Abu Hayah
A Palestinian media worker in the broadcast department of the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV channel, Abu Hayah was killed in a strike in Gaza, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Mossab Ashour
Ashour, a Palestinian photographer, was killed during an attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip but his death was not reported until November 18, soon after his body was discovered, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, TRT Arabi, and Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 13, 2023
Ahmed Fatima
A photographer for the Egypt-based Al Qahera News TV and a media worker with Press House-Palestine, Fatima was killed in a strike in Gaza, according to Al Qahera News TV, the Cairo-based Ahram Online, the Palestinians Journalists’ Syndicate, and the Amman-based news outlet Roya News.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Yaacoub Al-Barsh
Al-Barsh, executive director of the local Namaa Radio, was killed after sustaining injuries on November 12 from an Israeli airstrike on his home in northern Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Ramallah-based Palestinian news network Shfa, and the Palestinian press freedom group MADA.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 10, 2023
Ahmed Al-Qara
Al-Qara, a photojournalist who worked for Al-Aqsa University and was also a freelancer, was killed in a strike at the entrance of Khuza’a town, east of the southern city of Khan Yunis, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Cairo-based Al-Dostor newspaper.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 7, 2023
Yahya Abu Manih
A journalist with Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa radio channel, Abu Manih was killed in a strike in the Gaza strip, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News, Al Jazeera, and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Mohamed Abu Hassira
Abu Hassira, a journalist for the Palestinian Authority-run WAFA news agency, was killed in a strike on his home in Gaza along with 42 family members, according to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, the London-based news website The New Arab, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 5, 2023
Mohamed Al Jaja
Al Jaja was a media worker and the organizational development consultant at Press House-Palestine, which owns Sawa news agency in Gaza and promotes press freedom and independent media. He was killed in a strike on his home along with his wife and two daughters in the Al-Naser neighborhood in northern Gaza, according to the London-based news website The New Arab, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
November 2, 2023
Mohamad Al-Bayyari
Al-Bayyari, a Palestinian journalist with the Hamas affiliated Al-Aqsa TV channel, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News, the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Mohammed Abu Hatab
A journalist and correspondent for the Palestinian Authority-funded broadcaster Palestine TV, Abu Hatab was killed along with 11 members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Authority official news agency Wafa and the Amman-based news outlet Roya News. Those sources added that Abu Hatab’s last live coverage was an hour before he was killed, and that he was killed shortly after stepping into his home.
On assignment? Yes
November 1, 2023
Majd Fadl Arandas
A member of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate who worked for the news website Al-Jamaheer, Arandas was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Iyad Matar
Matar, a journalist working for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, was killed along with his mother in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to the Amman-based news outlet Roya News and the Islamic Jihad-affiliated broadcaster channel Palestine Today.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 31, 2023
Imad Al-Wahidi
A media worker and administrator for the Palestinian Authority-run Palestine TV channel, Al-Wahidi was killed with his family members in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement issued by the channel, the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Majed Kashko
Kashko, a media worker and the office director of the Palestinian Authority-run Palestine TV channel, was killed with his family members in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement issued by the channel, the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 30, 2023
Nazmi Al-Nadim
Al-Nadim, a deputy director of finance and administration for Palestine TV, was killed with members of his family in a strike on his home in Zeitoun area, eastern Gaza, according to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA and Egypt’s state-run Middle East News Agency.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 27, 2023
Yasser Abu Namous
Palestinian journalist Yasser Abu Namous of Al-Sahel media organization was killed in a strike on his family home in Khan Yunis, Gaza, according to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, Al Jazeera, and the Hamas-affiliated Al-Quds network.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 26, 2023
Duaa Sharaf
Palestinian journalist Sharaf, host for the Hamas-affiliated Radio Al-Aqsa, was killed with her child in a strike on her home in the Yarmouk neighborhood in Gaza, according to Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency and Middle East Monitor.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 25, 2023
Jamal Al-Faqaawi
Al-Faqaawi, a Palestinian journalist for the Islamic Jihad-affiliated Mithaq Media Foundation, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the Palestinian News Network, and the International Federation of Journalists.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Saed Al-Halabi
Al-Halabi, a journalist for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, and Al Jazeera.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Ahmed Abu Mhadi
A journalist for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Mhadi was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and Cairo-based Youm7.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Salma Mkhaimer
Mkhaimer, a freelance journalist, was killed alongside her child in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the independent Egyptian online newspaper Mada Masr.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 24, 2023
Ibrahim Marzouq
Ibrahim Marzouq, a Palestinian media worker for the logistics department of the Gaza Bureau of the Islamic Jihad-affiliated broadcaster Palestine Today TV, was killed along with his family in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Gaza City´s Al-Tuffah neighborhood on October 24, 2023, according to his employer, and a report by the Beirut-based think tank Institute for Palestine Studies.
After Israeli warplanes bombed his home, he remained under the rubble until noon when medical teams were able to extract his body, according to the Institute for Palestine Studies. Marzouq had decided to stay at his home rather than leave for southern Gaza with his family as advised by the Israeli Army, the institute report said.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 23, 2023
Mohammed Imad Labad
A journalist for the Al Resalah news website, Labad was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in Gaza City, according to RT Arabic and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 22, 2023
Roshdi Sarraj
A journalist and co-founder of Ain Media, a Palestinian company specializing in professional media services, Sarraj was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA and Sky News. His widow, Shrouq Al Aila, told CPJ in a May interview that Sarraj was having breakfast with his family before heading to an assignment. Al Aila, also a journalist, stepped in as head of Ain Media after her husband was killed.
On assignment? Yes
October 20, 2023
Roee Idan
On October 20, Israeli journalist Idan was declared dead after his body was recovered, according to The Times of Israel and the International Federation of Journalists. Idan, a photographer for the Israeli newspaper Ynet, was initially reported missing when his wife and daughter were killed in a Hamas attack on October 7 on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. CPJ confirmed that he was working on the day of the attack.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Mohammed Ali
A journalist from Al-Shabab Radio (Youth Radio), Ali was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Cairo-based Al-Dostor newspaper.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 19, 2023
Khalil Abu Aathra
A videographer for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Abu Aathra was killed along with his brother in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, as reported by the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Amman-based news outlet Roya News.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 18, 2023
Sameeh Al-Nady
A journalist and director for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Nady was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Palestinian press agency Safa.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 17, 2023
Mohammad Balousha
Balousha, a journalist and the administrative and financial manager of the Islamic Jihad affiliated broadcaster “Palestine Today” office in Gaza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Al-Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza, reported Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency and The Guardian.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Issam Bhar
Bhar, a journalist for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip, according to TRT Arabia and the Cairo-based Arabic newspaper Shorouk News.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 16, 2023
Abdulhadi Habib
A journalist who worked for Al-Manara News Agency and HQ News Agency, Habib was killed along with several of his family members when a missile strike hit his house near the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the independent Palestinian news organization International Middle East Media Center.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 14, 2023
Yousef Maher Dawas
Dawas, a contributing writer for Palestine Chronicle and a writer for We Are Not Numbers (WANN), a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit project, was killed in an Israeli missile strike on his family’s home in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia, according to WANN and Palestine Chronicle.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 13, 2023
Salam Mema
The death of Mema, a freelance journalist, was confirmed on this date. Mema held the position of head of the Women Journalists Committee at the Palestinian Media Assembly, an organization committed to advancing media work for Palestinian journalists. Her body was recovered from the rubble three days after her home in the Jabalia refugee camp, situated in the northern Gaza Strip, was hit by an Israeli airstrike on October 10, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Husam Mubarak
Mubarak, a journalist for the Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa Radio, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group Skeyes and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Abdallah, a Beirut-based videographer for the Reuters news agency, was killed near the Lebanon border by shelling coming from the direction of Israel. Abdallah and several other journalists were covering the back-and-forth shelling near Alma Al-Shaab in southern Lebanon between Israeli forces and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.
On assignment? Yes
October 12, 2023
Ahmed Shehab
A journalist for Sowt Al-Asra Radio (Radio Voice of the Prisoners), Shehab, along with his wife and three children, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his house in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Palestinian press freedom group MADA, and the London-based news website The New Arab.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 11, 2023
Mohamed Fayez Abu Matar
Abu Matar, a freelance photojournalist, was killed during an Israeli airstrike in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 10, 2023
Saeed al-Taweel
Al-Taweel, editor-in-chief of the Al-Khamsa News website, was killed when Israeli warplanes struck an area housing several media outlets in Gaza City’s Rimal district, according to the U.K.-based newspaper The Independent, Al Jazeera, and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Yes
Mohammed Sobh
Sobh, a photographer from Khabar news agency, was killed when Israeli warplanes struck an area housing several media outlets in Gaza City’s Rimal district, according to the U.K.-based newspaper The Independent, Al Jazeera, and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
On assignment? Yes
Hisham Alnwajha
Alnwajha, a journalist with Khabar news agency, was injured when Israeli warplanes struck an area housing several media outlets in Gaza City’s Rimal district, according to the U.K.-based newspaper The Independent, Al Jazeera, and the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA.
He died of his injuries later that day, according to the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and Palestinian news website AlWatan Voice.
On assignment? Yes
October 8, 2023
Assaad Shamallakh
Shamallakh, a freelance journalist, was killed along with nine members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Sheikh Ijlin, a neighborhood in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Beirut-based advocacy group The Legal Agenda and BBC Arabic.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
October 7, 2023
Yaniv Zohar
Zohar, an Israeli photographer working for the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Israel Hayom, was killed during a Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel, along with his wife and two daughters, according to Israel Hayom and Israel National News. Israel Hayom’s editor-in-chief Omer Lachmanovitch told CPJ that Zohar was working on that day.
On assignment? Presumed; investigation ongoing
Mohammad Al-Salhi
Al-Salhi, a photojournalist working for the Fourth Authority news agency, was shot dead near a Palestinian refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Authority official news agency WAFA, and the Journalist Support Committee (JSC), a nonprofit which promotes the rights of the media in the Middle East.
On assignment? Yes
Mohammad Jarghoun
Jarghoun, a journalist with Smart Media, was shot while reporting on the conflict in an area to the east of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the BBC and UNESCO.
On assignment? Yes
Ibrahim Mohammad Lafi
Lafi, a photographer for Ain Media, was shot and killed at the Gaza Strip’s Erez Crossing into Israel, according to the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, and Al Jazeera.
On assignment? Yes
CPJ safety advisories
As we continue to monitor the war in Israel/Gaza, journalists who have questions about their safety and security can contact us emergencies@cpj.org.
For more information, read:
- Physical Safety: War Reporting
- Physical and digital safety: Civil Disorder
- Psychological Safety
- Physical and digital safety: Arrest and detention
These are available in multiple languages, including Arabic.
INJURED
CPJ is aware that dozens of Palestinian journalists were injured during the war. CPJ counts the journalists cases it was able to document, and continues to investigate other cases.
August 18, 2024
Salma Al Qaddoumi
Al Qaddoumi, a freelance Palestinian journalist, who works with multiple outlets including the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera, and AFP news agency, was injured when an Israeli tank fired towards a group of journalists reporting in the Hamad city area, northwest of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to news reports. Freelance journalist Ibrahim Muhareb was also killed in the incident.
The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate posted a description by journalist Rasha Ahmed of the incident. Ahmed said she was one of five journalists on assignment together when a military tank suddenly advanced from the Al-Hawz area in the northwestern part of Hamad city and opened heavy fire on them. Some reporters lay on the ground for more than five minutes due to the intense gunfire, until they were “miraculously” able to get out. Al-Qaddoumi also tried to run, unaware that her back was injured, but fell to the ground. Ahmed and another journalist Saeed Al-Lulu rescued Al-Qaddoumi and found a cart and then a car to transport her to hospital, the PJS report said.
On August 19, Al-Qaddoumi told CPJ by phone that the group of journalists reported from “a place far from the presence of tanks” but “a number of tanks suddenly appeared in the area after filming had ended.”
“The tanks fired shells and bullets at us, and Ibrahim was hit directly. He asked me to help him leave the place, and I went with one of the displaced people in the area to rescue him, but the tanks fired more shells and bullets at us. At that moment, I was hit in the back by two (pieces of) shrapnel, either from the shells or the bullets. I then lost consciousness and found myself in the hospital,” she told CPJ.
Sami Barhoom
Barhoom, a Palestinian correspondent for the Turkish state-owned broadcaster TRT Arabic was injured by shrapnel from Israeli sniper bullets when he and a colleague were reporting in southern Gaza, according to news reports and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.
“I was on a field mission to prepare a report with camera operator Hazem al-Baz about the cemeteries being full and the lack of graves to accommodate the martyrs in the Austrian neighborhood northwest of Khan Yunis,” Barhoom told CPJ by phone. “We finished and headed to another mission near Hamad city, west of Khan Yunis, at exactly 2:00 p.m.”
“Although the car was marked “Press” and “TV” and we were (both) wearing a “Press” jacket and helmet, we were surprised by direct fire on our car … The first shot hit the right door of the car, so I knew it was a targeted attack because the gunfire was hitting the sand very heavily,” he said, referring to the desert sand they were driving over.
“We tried to get out of the car to hide, but as soon as we tried to get out of it, the bullets hit the front window of the car at the level of our heads, and it was clear that the target was to kill,” he said.
Barhoom said the pair managed to get out of the car, which was hit by five bullets, and took cover in a nearby shelter for an hour until it was safe to leave. In April, Barhoom was one of four journalists injured by Israeli shelling while reporting in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. His TRT Arabic colleague Sami Shehadeh lost a leg in the incident.
May 21, 2024
Amro Manasrah
Manasrah, a freelance photographer working with the local Palestine Post outlet and the regional Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen broadcaster, was hit in the back by an Israeli bullet that ricocheted off the wall next to him as he and other journalists were reporting on an Israeli operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestine Post, Al Jazeera, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.
Manasrah, who was wearing a press vest, told CPJ via phone call after he was hospitalized, that the bullet hit a wall next to him and ricocheted, hitting him in the back. Manasrah said that only journalists were in the area and were visible to IDF soldiers. Manasrah was later released from the hospital on the same day.
Journalist Obada Tahayneh, a freelance reporter for Al Jazeera Mubashar who was at the scene, told CPJ over the phone that “there were approximately 20 journalists present at the scene, only 150 meters away from IDF soldiers. Seven of us moved towards the nearby hospital, when we heard shots fired. We ran and hid next to a wall, and shortly after I saw Manasrah on the ground.” Tahayneh added that he is still “in shock” from being so close to the shooting and witnessing Manasrah’s injury.
April 12, 2024
Sami Shehadeh, cameraman, TRT Arabic injured by an Israeli shell while reporting in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which led to the loss of his right leg.
Sami Barhoom, TRT Arabic reporter, injured by an Israeli shell while reporting in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Ahmad Harb was on duty for Al Arabiya TV at the time of the incident and was injured by the Israeli shell.
CNN stringer Mohammad Al-Sawalhi was struck by shrapnel, resulting in a slight injury to his right hand and bruising on his left leg.
March 31, 2024
Freelance photojournalist Ali Hamad, whose back was hit with missile shrapnel in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
Freelance photojournalist Saeed Jars, whose knee was hit by shrapnel in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
Freelance photojournalist Naaman Shteiwi suffered minor facial injuries in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
Zain Media cameraperson Mohammed Abu Dahrouj was seriously injured in the leg in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
Freelance photojournalist Nafez Abu Labda suffered a leg injury in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
Al-Aqsa photographer Ibrahim Labad suffered leg injuries in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
Al Jazeera photographer Hazem Mazeed, who suffered leg injuries in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
Freelance photojournalist Magdi Qaraqea was also injured in the attack in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital, according to CPJ sources. Those sources did not specify his injuries.
January 7, 2024
Hazem Rajab, injured by the same strike that killed Mustafa Thuraya and Hamza Al Dahdouh on January 7, 2024.
Amer Abu Amr, injured in an Israeli strike on January 7, 2024, several minutes before the one that killed Thuraya and Al Dahdouh.
Ahmed al-Bursh, injured in an Israeli strike on January 7, 2024, several minutes before the one that killed Thuraya and Al Dahdouh.
December 23, 2023
Khader Marquez
Marquez, a cameraman for Lebanon’s Hezbollah-owned TV channel Al-Manar was injured after shrapnel from an Israeli missile hit his car on the Khardali road of south Lebanon, injuring his left eye, according to Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, who was with Marquez, posted about the incident on social media, and spoke to the privately-owned Beirut-based Al-Jadeed TV. The incident also was reported by the privately owned Lebanese Annahar newspaper, the Beirut based press freedom group SKeyes, the National News Agency, and multiple news reports.
December 19, 2023
Islam Bader
Bader, a Palestinian reporter and presenter for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa channel, and a contributor to multiple media outlets including the Qatari-funded Al-Araby TV, was injured in the right shoulder and hip in an Israeli airstrike on Block 2 of the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, on December 19, according to the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Araby TV, and Palestine TV. His colleague Mohamed Ahmed was injured in the same strike. A video posted by Al Jazeera shows the two journalists being treated in Jabalia medical center after the attack. Another video posted by the local Palestine Post website shows Bader and Ahmed lying on the floor of the medical center frowning in pain.
Bader told Al-Araby TV that he was injured by three pieces of shrapnel in his shoulder, and hip.
Bader and Ahmed are among the few journalists still reporting from northern Gaza.
Mohamed Ahmed
Ahmed, a Palestinian reporter for the Hamas-affiliated Shehab agency and photographer for the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa channel, was injured in the left thigh in an Israeli airstrike on Block 2 of the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, on December 19, according to the London based pan Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Araby TV, and Palestine TV. His colleague Islam Bader was injured in the same strike. A video posted by Al Jazeera shows the two journalists being treated in Jabalia medical center right after their injury. Another video posted by the local Palestine Post website shows Bader and Ahmed lying on the floor of the medical center frowning in pain.
December 16, 2023
Mohamed Balousha
Balousha, a reporter for the Emirati-owned Dubai-based Al Mashahd TV, was shot in the thigh while reporting on the war from northern Gaza on December 16, 2023. According to his outlet Al Mashhad, Al Jazeera, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the bullet was fired by an Israeli sniper. Balousha said in a video about his injury that he lost consciousness for about 30 minutes after “six hours of agony” and was roused by the nuzzling of cats he was feeding before the shooting. Al Mashhad said that Israeli forces intercepted the ambulances sent to evacuate him, delaying his transfer to a hospital for treatment.
In late November, Balousha broke a story that four premature babies left behind at al-Nasr Children’s Hospital died and their bodies had decomposed after Israel forced the staff to evacuate without ambulances. Balousha accused Israel of directly targeting him. “I was wearing everything to prove that I was a journalist, but they deliberately targeted me, and now I am struggling to get the treatment necessary to preserve my life,” he told The Washington Post.
December 15, 2023
Wael Al Dahdouh
The Gaza bureau chief for Al Jazeera, Al Dahdouh was injured by a drone strike while covering the aftermath of nightly Israeli strikes on a UN school sheltering displaced people in the center of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, according to reports by their Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, and Reuters. Dahdoh was hit with shrapnel in his hand and waist and treated at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. His colleague, camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa, was killed in the same strike.
Mustafa Alkharouf
Alkharouf, a photographer with the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, was covering Friday prayers near Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem on December 15 when a group of Israeli police and soldiers attacked him, according to Anadolu Agency, footage shared by The Union of Journalists in Israel, and the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA. Soldiers initially brandished their weapons at Alkharouf, punched him, and then threw him to the ground, kicking him. Alkharouf sustained severe blows, resulting in injuries to his face and body, and was transported by ambulance and treated at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem.
November 18, 2023
Mohammed El Sawwaf
Mohammed El Sawwaf, an award-winning Palestinian film producer and director who founded the Gaza-based Alef Multimedia production company, was injured in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Shawa Square in Gaza City. The airstrike killed 30 members of his family, including his mother and his father, Mostafa Al Sawaf, who was also a journalist, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Anadolu Agency, and TRT Arabic.
Montaser El Sawaf
Montaser El Sawaf, a Palestinian freelance photographer contributing to Anadolu Agency, was injured in the same Israeli airstrike that injured his brother, Mohammed El Sawwaf and killed their parents and 28 other family members, according to the Anadolu Agency, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and TRT Arabic.
November 13, 2023
Issam Mawassi
Al Jazeera videographer Mawassi was injured after two Israeli missiles struck near journalists in Yaroun in southern Lebanon covering clashes, which also resulted in damage to the journalists’ cars in the area, according to multiple media reports, some of which show the journalists live on air the minute the second missile hit the area. CPJ reached out to Mawassi via a messaging app but didn’t receive any response.
October 13, 2023
Thaer Al-Sudani
Al-Sudani, a journalist for Reuters, was injured in the same attack that killed Abdallah near the border in southern Lebanon, Reuters said.
Maher Nazeh
Nazeh, a journalist for Reuters, was also injured in the same southern Lebanon attack.
Elie Brakhya
Brakhya, an Al Jazeera TV staff member, was injured as well in the southern Lebanon shelling, Al Jazeera TV said.
Carmen Joukhadar
Joukhadar, an Al Jazeera TV reporter, was also wounded in the southern Lebanon attack.
Christina Assi
Assi, a photographer for the French news agency Agence France-Press (AFP), was injured in that same attack on southern Lebanon, according to AFP and France 24.
Dylan Collins
Dylan Collins, a video journalist for AFP, was also injured in the southern Lebanon shelling.
October 7, 2023
Ibrahim Qanan
Qanan, a correspondent for Al-Ghad channel, was injured by shrapnel in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to MADA and JSC.
MISSING
October 7, 2023
Nidal Al-Wahidi
Nidal Al-Wahidi, a cameraman and photographer in Gaza for the Nablus-based Palestinian broadcaster An-Najah Nbc Channel, went missing near the Erez crossing, known in Gaza as the Beit Hanoun crossing, while reporting on Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 according to news reports, the Palestinian press freedom organization MADA, and a video interview with his father, Suhail Al-Wahidi, on Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher.
On assignment? Yes
Haitham Abdelwahid
Haitham Abdelwahid, a cameraman and video editor for Ain Media, a Gaza production company, went missing near the Erez crossing, known locally as the Beit Hanoun crossing, while reporting on Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to news reports, his employer, and the Palestinian press freedom organization MADA.
On assignment? Yes
Clarifications and corrections:
CPJ has corrected the affiliation of Mohammed Bassam Al Jamal’s outlet, Palestine Now.
CPJ has removed a Palestinian man, Mohamed Khaireddine, from this list. Khaireddine was previously identified as a journalist, but his family later clarified that he was neither a journalist nor a media support worker.
CPJ has removed two Israeli journalists, Shai Regev and Ayelet Arnin, from this list after their outlets confirmed that the journalists were not on assignment to cover the music festival, nor did they have any opportunity to begin reporting on the attack by Hamas militants that killed them on October 7. CPJ’s global database of killed journalists includes only those who have been killed in connection with their work or where there is still some doubt that their death was work-related.
After receiving reports that Palestinian journalist and presenter Alaa Taher Al-Hassanat may have survived the attack thought to have killed her, CPJ has removed her name from its casualties list pending further investigation.
*CPJ’s research and documentation covers all journalists, defined as individuals involved in news-gathering activity. This definition covers those working for a broad range of publicly and privately funded news outlets, as well as freelancers. In the cases CPJ has documented, multiple sources have found no evidence to date that any journalist was engaged in militant activity.
This text has been updated to correct the spelling of Alma Al-Shaab in Issam Abdallah’s October 13, 2023 entry, and of the outlet Palestine TV in Abu Hatab’s November 2, 2023 entry.
On February 6, 2024, Canadian-Palestinian journalist Mansour Shouman was found alive after being reported missing more than two weeks before. We have removed him from our list of missing journalists.
According to CPJ’s research, Israeli journalist Oded Lifschitz wasn’t working when he was taken as a hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023. CPJ removed his name from the list of missing journalists after contacting the family.