DayofPal—A new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has ranked Israel as the third worst jailer of journalists worldwide, trailing only China and Myanmar, highlighting a systematic assault on press freedom.
According to CPJ’s annual global prison census, 320 journalists were imprisoned globally as of December 1, 2025, with governments increasingly using detention, legal harassment and violence to silence independent reporting.
Israel’s ranking reflects the widespread detention of Palestinian journalists through arbitrary arrests, administrative detention, and military censorship.
The report noted that many Palestinian journalists are held without charge or trial under administrative detention, a practice widely condemned by human rights groups as a violation of international law.
It also documented the use of vague security charges, prolonged pretrial detention, and denial of legal access.
CPJ further confirmed that Israel continues to bar international journalists from entering Gaza, restricting independent coverage of a war zone where leading legal experts and UN officials have warned of genocide.
Since October 7, 2023, CPJ reported that Israel has arrested more than 90 journalists, while Reporters Without Borders documented the killing of at least 210 journalists during the genocide.
CPJ noted that Israel, despite presenting itself as a democracy, is the only country on the list of worst jailers traditionally considered democratic.
The organization also reported that Israel ranked second globally, after Iran, in allegations of torture and beatings of imprisoned journalists since 1992.
The findings add to mounting international criticism over Israel’s treatment of journalists and its ongoing restrictions on press access to Gaza.
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