Committee to Protect Journalists: The Gaza War is the Deadliest War in History for Journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists, based in the United States, announced on Thursday, December 21, that the first ten weeks of the war in Gaza have been the deadliest days in history for journalists, with the highest number of reporters killed while covering this conflict. The committee added: "68 journalists have been killed during the Israel-Hamas clashes, of which 61 were Palestinian, 4 were Israeli, and 3 were Lebanese." Sherif Mansour, the Middle East and North Africa program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, stated: "The Israel-Gaza war is the most dangerous situation we have ever seen for journalists, and the number of casualties clearly indicates this danger." He accused the Israeli army of killing journalists, a claim that Israel has denied, asserting that its forces never target reporters. The Committee to Protect Journalists also noted the heavy bombardment of Gaza, frequent communication cuts, and shortages of food, fuel, and housing, adding that foreign journalists have largely been unable to access the Gaza Strip independently during most of the war. Hamas militants killed at least 1,200 people in a terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, taking around 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly. In response to calls for the eradication of Hamas, Israel launched air, sea, and ground attacks on Gaza. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have listed Hamas as a terrorist organization. The deaths and injuries of two Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza prompted condolences from the White House. Reporters Without Borders noted that the number of journalists killed while working in 2023 has decreased despite the Gaza war.