Guide

Facts on the Ground: Journalists in Gaza Must Be Protected

Published May 2025

The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) condemns the ongoing violence against Palestinian press workers—including editors, camerapeople, and field reporters—as a direct assault on press freedom and a violation of international law. Among those recently killed by Israel’s military offensive are Yayha Sobeih, Hossam Shabat, Fatima Hossouna, Abed Shaat, Mohammed Mansour, Hilmi al-Faqaawi, and Ahmed Mansour.

AMEJA joins organizations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), and the Freedom of the Press Foundation in calling for the urgent protection of journalists in Gaza.

From October 7, 2023 to May 7, 2025, 176 journalists and media workers have been killed—many while off duty or sheltering with family—making this the deadliest period since CPJ began tracking such data in 1992. CPJ reports it is investigating more than 130 additional cases in Gaza of potential killings, arrests, and injuries, though harsh conditions on the ground complicate documentation.

Despite the danger, Palestinian journalists continue filing reports while facing threats, surveillance, and displacement, providing the world with critical coverage as the Israeli government continues to block international media from unfettered access to the Strip. AMEJA calls for this blockade to end, and for international media to be allowed to freely report from Gaza.

Journalists are under attack. Journalism is under attack. AMEJA urges our colleagues in U.S. newsrooms to commit to fair, rigorous reporting on Gaza; to cover attacks on Palestinian journalists with appropriate urgency; and to join us in calling for upholding international standards for protecting journalists, medical evacuations for the wounded, safe corridors for media, and formal, independent investigations into attacks on press workers. The defense of press freedom must be consistent and universal.

To aid this effort, AMEJA has compiled a fact sheet documenting statistics, quotes from journalists, and analysis from leading nonprofits. All facts and quotes are sourced and linked, primarily from CPJ, RSF, and the United Nations. We encourage journalists, policymakers, and concerned citizens to share these documented facts widely.

Fact Sheet (May 2025)

175+ journalists or media workers have been killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.¹
49+ journalists in Gaza had lost an immediate family member (as of June 2024 analysis).²
11+ journalists in Gaza had lost one or more children.³
661+ family members of journalists had been killed; the surveyed journalist sample was 213.⁴
Almost half of journalists counted by CPJ in June 2024 were killed at home—defying the notion they died in crossfire.⁵
At least 32 journalists were killed while working.⁶
80+ Palestinian journalists have been arrested by Israel.⁷
183+ journalists in Gaza have had homes partially or totally destroyed.⁸
Nearly all journalists killed at home were killed alongside family members.⁹
0 international journalists have been allowed by Israel to independently enter Gaza and freely report.¹⁰
50+ university buildings have been completely destroyed in Gaza;¹¹ 90% of school buildings have been damaged.¹²

Quotes from Palestinian Journalists

“If anything happens to me, remember I am not a number.” — Journalist Hind Khoudary¹³

“The airstrikes weren’t the only danger – being identified as a journalist made me a target. At times, reporting from Gaza felt like a death sentence.” — Journalist Mohammed Mhawish (to AMEJA)

“It's a difficult moment in the life of a Palestinian journalist, when they go to cover an incident for the news and find out that the news is their own family.” — Journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh¹⁴

“As a journalist on the ground [in Gaza] I felt I was navigating a battleground where truth was my weapon but also my vulnerability. No camera lens could shield me from the bombs.” — Journalist Mohammed Mhawish (to AMEJA)

“Why do we wear press vests? Why do we wear helmets? So they can target us?” — Journalist speaking from a hospital bed before his leg amputation¹⁵

Nonprofit Research & Analysis

The ongoing “elimination” of journalists risks a complete media blackout in Gaza.¹⁶
“Rarely have journalists paid such a heavy price” for doing their job as those in Gaza now.¹⁷
Journalists have been killed in offices, the field, homes, camps, near hospitals, and in cars.¹⁸
A horrifying number of journalists have paid with their lives to keep the world informed.¹⁹
These attacks target not only Palestinian press, but the public’s right to information from a key conflict zone.²⁰
CPJ: Israel has smear-campaigned journalists as “terrorists” without credible evidence; this erodes trust and endangers reporters.²¹
At least four ICC complaints have been filed over alleged crimes against journalists in Gaza.²²
CPJ has confirmed at least 17 journalists and 2 media workers were directly targeted and killed by Israeli forces (classified as murders), with 20+ more cases under review.²³
UN OHCHR received reports that journalists clearly marked as press came under attack, suggesting a deliberate strategy to obstruct media.²⁴