Killed, injured, or missing
The Israel-Gaza war has taken a severe toll on journalists since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on the militant Palestinian group, launching strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.
CPJ is investigating all reports of journalists and media workers killed, injured, or missing in the war, which has led to the deadliest month for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
See the list here
Israel-Gaza war news
- Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war
- Attacks, arrests, threats, censorship: The high risks of reporting the Israel-Gaza war
- Texas police detain, charge FOX 7 Austin journalist covering pro-Palestinian protest
- CPJ welcomes call by EU’s Borrell on protecting journalists in Israel-Gaza war; urges further action by EU states
- CPJ seeks probe of Israeli attack on TV journalists wearing press insignia
- CPJ calls for probe of attack injuring 8 journalists at Gaza hospital
- Journalist Ahmed al-Bitawi arrested while covering pro-Gaza march in the West Bank
- Gaza journalist Diaa Al-Kahlout describes 33 harrowing days in Israeli custody
- Gaza journalists struggle to report as they ‘expect to die daily’
- CPJ urges Netanyahu government not to shut down Al-Jazeera in Israel
In two feature reports marking six months of the Israel-Gaza war, emergency assistance providers talk about the grave hardships faced by Gaza journalists and those trying to help them, and veteran journalist Diaa Al-Kahlout describes 33 harrowing days in Israeli custody. (Photo: AFP)
The Israel-Gaza war brought journalist killings to a devastating high.
2023 prison census report
Israeli imprisonments spike as global number of jailed journalists remains near record high.
(Photo: AFP/Fadel Senna) (Photos-clockwise from top left: AP, Reuters, AFP, Reuters, Reuters)
PHOTOS: War takes unprecedented toll on journalists
Here are images of journalists working under extreme, heartbreaking, and sometimes fatal circumstances to cover the fighting.
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The high risks of reporting the war
Since the Israel-Gaza war began, journalists and media across the region have faced a hostile environment that has made reporting on the war exceptionally challenging.
CPJ’s research to date has found many incidents of journalists being targeted while carrying out their work in Israel and the two Palestinian territories, Gaza and the West Bank. These include arrests, as well as assaults, threats, cyberattacks and censorship.
Read the story here
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 [email protected].
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.
Mental health resources for journalists
Resilience/mental health resources for journalists dealing with violent imagery and trauma.
- Headlines Network: Vicarious trauma: A guide for journalists and newsrooms to recognize vicarious trauma and mitigate against it
- Dart Center: Working with Traumatic Imagery
- Dart Center: Handling Traumatic Imagery: Developing a Standard Operating Procedure
- First Draft: Journalism and vicarious trauma: A guide for journalists, editors, and news organizations
- CPJ: Psychological safety 101
Interactive map
Methodology: Read our FAQs
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
Last update: April 22, 2024
Map by Geoff McGhee for CPJ
Deaths in Israel-Gaza Conflict
Killed in Israel-Gaza Conflict
FAQ
How many journalists have died since the Israel-Gaza war began on October 7?
Dozens have died; see an updated list here.
How do these numbers compare to prior conflicts?
The Israel-Gaza war has claimed the lives of more journalists in three months than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year.
From the start of the war in October 7 to December 31, 77 journalists and media workers were killed in connection with their work. In comparison, CPJ documented 68 journalists and media workers killed around the world in the whole of 2022. (Read more about CPJ’s methodology here and here.)
Why are the numbers in your casualty report different from those in your annual database of journalists killed?
Our priority is to update the casualty listings as soon as a journalist’s death is confirmed by at least two sources. We then try to get more details about the circumstances of their deaths before we enter their names into our database. This means there is sometimes a time lag between the casualty report and the database. The casualty report contains the most up-to-date information.
Why are some causes of killings listed as “Israeli airstrikes” and others listed as “strikes”?
An airstrike is defined as an attack by military airplanes dropping bombs or other ordnance. In wartime, it’s not always immediately clear whether an attack was the result of an airstrike or ground-launched weapons. As the Israeli military controls the airspace over Israeli-Palestinian territory, CPJ lists cause of death as an Israeli airstrike when we have determined the source of the attack based on available information — typically from at least two independent sources. If we do not have this information, we initially describe the cause of death as a strike. If additional details — such as crater analysis showing the origin of the ordnance — become available, we’ll update our database accordingly.
How does CPJ define a journalist?
CPJ defines journalists as people who cover news or comment on public affairs through any medium — including in print, online, via broadcast media, or photographs and video. We take up cases involving staff journalists and freelancers. We do not include journalists if there is evidence that they were acting on behalf of militant groups or serving in a military capacity at the time of their deaths.
CPJ is also documenting the deaths of media support workers in recognition of the vital role they play in news gathering. These include translators, drivers, guards, fixers, and administrative workers.