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IN BRIEF
- Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and Mexico were the deadliest regions for journalists in 2025.
- The Committee to Protect Journalists says Israel was responsible for 81 per cent of killings classified as intentional.
A staggering 129 journalists and media professionals lost their lives while on duty last year, with Israel being accountable for two-thirds of these deaths, as reported by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Wednesday.
This marked the second consecutive year of record-breaking journalist fatalities, with Israel once again responsible for the majority, according to the CPJ. This New York-based independent organization meticulously tracks worldwide press-related attacks, and it highlighted these alarming statistics in its annual report.
In 2025, Israeli forces were responsible for the deaths of 86 journalists, predominantly Palestinians in Gaza. Among these fatalities were 31 media personnel who perished during an assault on a Houthi media hub in Yemen, an incident noted as the second deadliest attack CPJ has ever documented.
Furthermore, Israel was accountable for 81% of the 47 journalist killings classified by CPJ as deliberate or “murder.”
The report also indicated that the actual number of casualties might be higher due to the challenges in verifying information caused by restricted access in Gaza.
Israel’s military says its troops in Gaza target only combatants, but operating in combat zones carries inherent risks.
Israel acknowledged targeting the media centre in Yemen in September, describing it at the time as a propaganda arm of the Houthis.
In several cases, Israel has acknowledged targeting journalists in Gaza it said had links to Hamas, without providing verifiable evidence.
International news organisations have strongly denied that slain reporters had links to militants. The CPJ called such allegations by Israel “deadly smears”.
A statement from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it “strongly rejects” the claims presented in the CPJ report.
“The IDF does not intentionally harm journalists or their family members,” it said.
“The report is based on general allegations, data of unknown origin, and predetermined conclusions, without considering the complexity of combat or the IDF’s efforts to mitigate harm to non-combatants.”
Most journalists killed in connection with conflict
Israel does not permit foreign journalists to enter Gaza, so all the media workers killed there were Palestinians.
The CPJ report said the “Israeli military has now committed more targeted killings of the press than any other government’s military on record”, noting that the CPJ started collecting data more than three decades ago.
Its report said at least 104 of the 129 journalists killed died in connection with conflicts.
Apart from Gaza and Yemen, the deadliest countries for journalists include Sudan, where nine were killed, and Mexico, where six died.
Four Ukrainian journalists were killed by Russian forces and three journalists died in the Philippines, it said.
Russia’s embassy in Washington did not respond specifically to the CPJ report, but referred to past Russian Foreign Ministry statements accusing Ukraine of responsibility for the deaths of more than 60 individuals working in Russian media since 2014.
Russia has previously denied deliberately targeting journalists and Ukraine denies targeting Russian reporters.
Those killed in Gaza last year included Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri, killed by Israeli fire in August while operating a live video feed at the enclave’s Nasser Hospital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he regretted the attack, which also killed four other journalists, as a “tragic mishap”.
The Israeli military had said it targeted a Hamas camera, but a Reuters investigation found the device belonged to Reuters.
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