Israel has killed more journalists than any other country in recorded history

Committee to Protect Journalists Releases Annual Report on Media Worker Fatalities

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has released its annual report, detailing 129 media worker fatalities in 2025, the highest number since the organization began tracking records in 1992. Israel was responsible for 84 of these deaths, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global total.

According to the CPJ, most of the media workers killed by Israel were Palestinian, while Israeli air strikes also resulted in the deaths of 31 staff members in Yemeni newspaper offices. The organization classifies targeted killings as “murder” and reports that Israel carried out 38 of 47 deadly incidents globally.

The CPJ notes that the true number of journalists targeted and killed by Israel may be higher due to potential press restrictions and humanitarian difficulties. It also lists five Al Jazeera journalists who were killed in Israeli attacks, including Anas al-Sharif and three others who died from an Israeli strike on a journalist tent in Gaza City.

The report highlights that since the start of the war in Gaza, Israel has killed nearly 300 journalists and media workers. The CPJ criticizes claims made by Israel that some journalists were targeted due to ties to armed groups, stating these claims as “deadly smears”.

Other countries with significant numbers of journalist fatalities reported by the CPJ include Sudan, where nine journalists were killed, and Mexico, where six journalists died. Four Ukrainian journalists were also killed by Russian military attacks.

The CPJ’s report is based on its annual survey of media worker fatalities and provides a comprehensive overview of global press violence in 2025.

Source: Al Jazeera