Israel killed over 170 journalists, several missing in Gaza: IFJ

At least 173 journalists and media workers have been killed since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, according to a report released Thursday by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

The organisation warned that the toll continues to rise, with multiple journalists injured and others reported missing amid ongoing hostilities.

The IFJ report highlights that eight journalists were killed in just the last two months, five in June and three more in July, underscoring the extreme danger faced by media professionals in the region.

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The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) has also raised alarm over the fate of two journalists, Nidal Al-Wahidi from Al-Najah TV and Haitham Abdel Wahed from Ain Media, who went missing on October 7 while covering fighting near the Beit Hanoun checkpoint close to the Israel-Gaza separation fence. 

However, Al-Wahidi’s family later confirmed that he had been detained by the Israeli army, though his current condition and whereabouts remain unclear.

In addition to the human toll, Israeli airstrikes have also devastated media infrastructure across Gaza.

Over the course of one weekend, airstrikes partially or completely destroyed the offices of several major media outlets, including Al-Ayyam newspaper, Gaza FM radio (located in Palestine Tower), Shehab News Agency, and Ma’an News Agency, whose headquarters were severely damaged in the flattening of Al-Watan Tower.

Read: 85 journalists killed in 2024 by Israel: CPJ

Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary of the IFJ, called on all parties involved in the conflict to uphold international laws that protect journalists.

“Media workers in areas of armed conflict must be treated and protected as civilians and allowed to perform their work without interference,” Bellanger said. “There is intense and deeply concerned interest in this conflict all around the world, but people will only be able to understand what is really going on if journalists are allowed to do their work.”