Annual report cites Gaza conflict as deadliest for media
A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, with two-thirds of the deaths attributed to Israel. The Committee to Protect Journalists disclosed this shocking information in its annual report released today.
The New York-based press freedom organization said this marked the second consecutive year that journalist killings reached a record high. According to the report, Israeli fire killed 86 journalists, mostly Palestinians in Gaza. The toll also includes 31 media workers killed in a September strike on a Houthi media center in Yemen, which CPJ described as the second deadliest attack on journalists it has documented.
Moreover, CPJ said Israel accounted for 81% of the 47 killings it classified as deliberate murders. However, it added that the actual number could be higher due to verification challenges in Gaza, where foreign journalists are barred entry.
Israel’s military maintains that its forces target only combatants and operate under complex battlefield conditions. It acknowledged striking the media center in Yemen, calling it a propaganda arm of the Houthis. In several Gaza cases, Israel said slain journalists had links to Hamas but did not release verifiable evidence. International news organizations rejected those claims, while CPJ described the allegations as “deadly smears.”
In response, the Israel Defense Forces strongly rejected the report’s findings, stating it does not intentionally harm journalists and accusing CPJ of drawing predetermined conclusions.
The report noted that at least 104 journalists died in conflict zones, including Sudan, Mexico, Ukraine, and the Philippines. Meanwhile, Russia denied deliberately targeting journalists, and Ukraine denied targeting Russian reporters.
Among those killed was Reuters journalist Hussam al Masri, who died in August during Israeli fire near Nasser Hospital. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a “tragic mishap.”
