World
Journalists perish as widespread assault on Gaza continues
By Matt De Vlieger · November 2, 2023
The ongoing Israel-Gaza war has exacted a heavy toll on journalists since the events of October 7 and Israel’s retaliatory strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.
We continue to update based on investigations by the independent Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) which are ongoing regarding reports of journalists and media workers who have been killed, injured, detained, or gone missing due to the war, with hostilities even spreading into neighboring Lebanon.
As of November 1, the statistics regarding journalist casualties are as follows:
at least 33 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead: 28 Palestinians, 4 Israelis, and 1 Lebanese.
8 journalists were reported injured.
9 journalists were reported missing or detained.
Ongoing instances of attacks, arrests, threats, censorship, and the targeting of journalists’ family members.
These are among a total of over 10,000 casualties, which include 8,525 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
Notably, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed Reuters and Agence France Press news agencies that they could not guarantee the safety of their journalists working in the Gaza Strip. This came after the media outlets sought assurances that their journalists would not be targeted by Israeli strikes.
It goes without saying that journalists in Gaza confront exceptionally high risks while covering the conflict, given an Israeli ground assault on Gaza City, devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, and extensive power outages.
CPJ is actively investigating various unconfirmed reports concerning additional journalists who may have been killed, injured, detained, or threatened. They are also looking into damage inflicted on media offices and journalists’ residences.
Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator said:
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties”
He highlighted the immense sacrifices made by journalists across the region to report on this heart-wrenching conflict. Journalists, particularly those in Gaza, have borne an unprecedented toll, facing exponential threats, and enduring the loss of colleagues, families, and media facilities, while often seeking safety without any secure refuge.
The list of journalists affected in this crisis is based on information from CPJ sources in the region and media reports. It comprises all journalists involved in news-gathering activities. While it remains unclear whether all of them were covering the conflict at the time of their casualties, CPJ includes them in the count as their circumstances are under investigation, and the list is regularly updated.