The Pak Global Pakistan:
In 2025, at least 84 media workers and journalists were killed by Israel, making it the deadliest year ever recorded for news media workers worldwide. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) revealed these findings in its annual report released on Wednesday, highlighting a “persistent culture of impunity” surrounding attacks on the press by Israel’s military.
Out of a total of 129 media worker deaths globally—the highest since CPJ began tracking in 1992—more than two-thirds were caused by Israeli forces. Most of the victims were Palestinian journalists, but Israeli airstrikes also killed 31 staff members at Yemeni newspaper offices.
Israel was responsible for 38 of the 47 targeted killings worldwide, acts classified by CPJ as “murder.” The report states, “Israel has now killed more journalists than any other government since CPJ began collecting records in 1992.” It also warns that the actual number of Palestinian journalists targeted could be higher due to press restrictions and the difficulty of conducting investigations amid ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Among the victims were five Al Jazeera journalists, including Anas al-Sharif and Hossam Shabat, who were killed in Israeli strikes. Since the outbreak of the war, nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed by Israeli forces, according to Shireen.ps, a monitoring site named after veteran correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces in 2022.
While Israel has acknowledged some journalist deaths, it has accused them of links to armed groups—a claim their employers and CPJ have strongly rejected as “deadly smears.”
Beyond Gaza and Yemen, the report noted 9 journalists killed in Sudan amid civil war, 6 in Mexico due to organized crime violence, and 4 Ukrainian journalists killed by Russian military attacks.
The CPJ report underscores the urgent need for protecting journalists operating in conflict zones and calls for accountability to end the rampant targeting of media workers.