DayofPal—Israel killed more journalists in 2025 than any other country on record, according to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
This markes 2025 the deadliest year for media workers since the organization began documenting such deaths in 1992.
In its annual report published on February 25, 2026, CPJ said at least 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, with 84 of those deaths attributed to Israeli attacks.
The watchdog described a “persistent culture of impunity” surrounding attacks on the press by Israel’s army.
CPJ found that Israel accounted for more than two-thirds of all journalist fatalities last year and was responsible for 38 of the 47 targeted killings classified globally as “murder”.
Most of those killed were Palestinian journalists reporting from Gaza.
The report also noted that Israeli air strikes killed 31 media staff working in Yemeni newspaper offices, expanding the geographic scope of the casualties beyond Gaza.
“Israel has now killed more journalists than any other government since CPJ began collecting records in 1992,” the organislzation said, warning that the true number could be higher due to restricted access, ongoing attacks, and difficulties in conducting independent investigations.
Among those listed as deliberately targeted were five journalists affiliated with Al Jazeera, including correspondent Hossam Shabat and reporter Anas al-Sharif, who were killed in separate Israeli strikes in Gaza.
CPJ described accusations by Israeli authorities alleging ties between some journalists and armed groups as “deadly smears,” noting that such claims were rejected by employers and lacked substantiated public evidence.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed, according to Shireen.ps, a monitoring platform named after veteran Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in 2022.
Outside Gaza and Yemen, Sudan and Mexico recorded the next highest numbers of journalist deaths in 2025, with nine and six fatalities respectively. Four Ukrainian journalists were also killed in Russian military attacks, CPJ said.
Press freedom advocates warn that the unprecedented toll underscores growing risks facing journalists in war zones and raises urgent questions about accountability and the protection of media workers under international law.
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