At least 57 journalists killed in Israel-Gaza war

During a November 22 funeral procession, Manal Jaafar reacts as she hugs a photo of her husband Rabih Al Maamari, a cameraman for Al-Mayadeen TV who was killed along with correspondent Farah Omar by an Israeli strike on November 21 in Lebanon. (Photo: AP/Bilal Hussein)

The first month of the Israel-Gaza war is now the deadliest month for journalists since CPJ began documenting journalist fatalities in 1992.

As of November 29, CPJ’s investigations showed at least 57 journalists and media workers were among more than 16,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with some 14,800 deaths in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 in Israel. This deadly toll is coupled with harassment, detentions, and other reporting obstructions in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and beyond.

Israeli forces have told news agencies that they cannot guarantee safety of journalists working in Gaza, where a truce began on Friday. Gaza has also experienced multiple communications blackouts and journalists are reporting disruptions to phone and internet connections, particularly in the north.

CPJ is investigating all reports of journalists and media workers killed, injured, detained or missing in the war. The results of these investigations, which are based on testimonies of CPJ sources in the region and media reports, are published here. It is unclear whether all journalists were covering the conflict at the time of their deaths, but CPJ has included them in our count as we investigate their circumstances. The list is being updated regularly.

FULL COVERAGE OF THE ISRAEL-GAZA WAR

Al-Mayadeen TV reporter and videographer killed by Israeli strike in south Lebanon

CPJ pays tribute to slain Palestinian press freedom defender Bilal Jadallah

Photos: The war’s unprecedented toll on journalists

Interactive map: Where journalists have died

FAQ: How CPJ documents journalists’ deaths

See CPJ’s safety advice for journalists covering conflict and civil unrest

Azerbaijani journalist Aziz Orujov detained for 3 months, office and home searched

Aziz Orujov
Azerbaijani police arrest Aziz Orujov, director of Kanal 13, at home on November 27, 2023. (Screenshot: YouTube/Kanal13)

Aziz Orujov, director of the popular television channel Kanal 13, is the latest journalist to be detained in Azerbaijan following his arrest on Monday by eight police officers, seven of whom were wearing masks and confiscated his laptops, cell phone, and bank cards.

A court on Tuesday ordered Orujov—who was previously jailed in 2017—to be held in pre-trial detention for three months on charges of illegally building on land that was not registered in his name, a common practice in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, his lawyer Bahruz Bayramov told CPJ, adding that he believed the charges were prompted by Orujov’s journalism.

If found guilty, he faces up to three years in prison under Azerbaijan’s criminal code.

“Hot on the heels of last week’s arrest of three journalists and media workers at the anti-corruption outlet Abzas Media, Azerbaijani authorities appear to be targeting yet another critical online news platform with the arrest of Aziz Orujov,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, in New York. “Azerbaijani authorities should release Orujov, drop the charges against him, and end their crackdown on the independent press.”

Last week, Abzas Media’s director, Ulvi Hasanli; chief editor, Sevinj Vagifgizi; and Hasanli’s assistant, Mahammad Kekalov, were detained for four months on charges of conspiring to bring money into the country unlawfully.


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Journalists Attacked

Samuel Wazizi

KILLED



Cameroonian news anchor and camera operator Samuel Wazizi died in government custody on August 17, 2019.

Police officers arrested him on August 2, saying they were looking for Wazizi to “get a certain information for their boss, the commissioner.”

On August 7, he was transferred to military custody and disappeared. In June 2020, military authorities disclosed that Wazizi had died of “severe sepsis” 10 days after that transfer.

CPJ has repeatedly called for authorities to allow an independent probe into Wazizi’s death.

In at least 8 out of 10 cases, the murderers of journalists go free. CPJ is waging a global campaign against impunity.

The Committee to Protect Journalists promotes press freedom worldwide.

We defend the right of journalists to report the news safely and without fear of reprisal.

journalists killed in 2023 (motive confirmed)
imprisoned in 2022
missing globally