NEW YORK – The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has declared 2025 the deadliest year on record for the media, with a staggering two-thirds of the fatalities directly attributed to Israeli military action in Gaza.
In a damning report released Wednesday, the New York-based watchdog documented the deaths of 129 journalists and media personnel globally. The overwhelming majority of those killed were Palestinian reporters targeted by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, the CPJ stated.
“Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” said Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ Executive Director. “Attacks on the media are a leading indicator of attacks on other freedoms, and much more needs to be done to prevent these killings and punish the perpetrators. We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.”
The report highlights a disturbing trend in modern warfare: the use of drones for targeted assassinations. According to the CPJ, 39 journalists were killed by unmanned aerial vehicles last year, including 28 reporters in Gaza who were killed by the Israeli military.
While the report notes that over 75% of journalist fatalities occurred in conflict zones, the scale of the killings in Gaza represents a stark anomaly. By comparison, nine journalists were killed in Sudan and four in Ukraine during the same period.
“The numbers were still very low compared to Israel, which remains a significant exception,” the report added.
A Culture of Impunity
The CPJ’s findings paint a picture of systematic violence against the press, fueled by what it describes as a “persistent culture of impunity.” The committee stated that there have been virtually no transparent investigations into the 47 cases of targeted killings of journalists in 2025, and “no one has been held accountable in any of the cases.”
The organization warned that the failure of governments—in this context, Israel—to safeguard the press or bring perpetrators to justice “establishes the foundation for more murders, even in nations not engaged in conflict.”
The CPJ is now calling for an international investigative task force and targeted sanctions to ensure justice for the perpetrators of these crimes.
The report comes despite a ceasefire that has been in effect in Gaza since October 10, 2025. The truce halted an Israeli offensive that has killed over 72,000 people, primarily women and children, since October 2023. However, Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that Israeli forces have continued to violate the truce with shelling and gunfire, killing an additional 615 Palestinians.
The latest figures bring the total number of journalists and media workers killed in Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave since October 2023 to more than 270.
