Gaza Journalists Massacred In The Ongoing War On Truth

The Gaza conflict is not merely a war - it is a systematic war on truth. In a place where truth has become a casualty, journalism stands as both a witness and a target. Israel’s refusal to allow independent media into Gaza, coupled with the killing of hundreds of Palestinian journalists, is not just censorship—it's an orchestrated attempt to erase witness, testimony, and accountability.

In normal times, journalism is a steadying force. But when the witnesses vanish or are silenced, there is only darkness. And in Gaza in 2025, that darkness is deliberate, crushing, and deadly.

From October 7, 2023 to August 2025, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of up to 274 journalists and media workers, of whom 269 were Palestinian—a grim record for modern conflict. This is not random collateral damage; it is a targeting of journalists who embody the public’s right to know what is done in their name. Such a level of destruction surpasses the losses in World Wars I or II, Korea, Vietnam, the Balkan conflicts, and Afghanistan - combined.

A recent Guardian report noted how Israel leverages accusations of “terrorist affiliation” as a justification for targeting reporters, undermining independent voices and layering propaganda atop violence.

Reporters Without Borders, the CPJ, and over 200 news organizations have formally demanded the reversal of these policies: immediate access for international media and protection for Palestinian journalists. Those calls have gone unheeded for more than 20 months.

Israel’s policy isn’t limited to attacks - it extends to banning. Since October 2023, foreign journalists have been barred from entering Gaza, unless under IDF escort where access, movement, and sources are strictly controlled. This blanket ban ensures that only the administration’s narrative shapes the world’s perception.

A journalist from Forward reflected on this, stating, “If there is no free press in Gaza... how are we to believe he's innocent?” - underscoring how credibility is cornered to suppress accountability. ⁷ Meanwhile, Israeli media itself rarely reports on this starvation, reinforcing the censorship from both within and without.

Many of those left to document Gaza have paid with their lives. Among the dead is Anas al-Sharif, a respected Al Jazeera correspondent whose cameras recorded famine, siege, and survival. He was killed in a targeting strike at a media tent near al-Shifa Hospital that also claimed five other media workers. The IDF justified the attack by branding him a Hamas militant, a claim widely rejected by Al Jazeera and press advocates.

This wasn't isolated. CPJ reports 26 journalists were deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli forces - an unequivocal violation of international humanitarian law. Moreover, until August 2025, CPJ documented 192 journalists killed, while IFJ placed the toll at 226, with journalists comprising over 10% of Gaza’s media workforce.

UNRWA has condemned this media blockade as unprecedented, hindering humanitarian understanding and obstructing documentation of potential war crimes.

Even while the world watches in partial darkness, those under siege continue reporting. Amid power cuts, threats, and trauma, Palestinian journalists stand as defiant voices of humanity. International broadcasters such as AFP, AP, Reuters, and the BBC continue to appeal for access, emphasizing the danger of voids unfilled by human witnesses.

The Guardian observes that Israeli narrative control isn’t only in the field - it’s in the newsroom, too. Israeli mainstream outlets largely ignore Gaza's famine. That media silence undermines empathy and fuels desensitization.

Silencing journalists is not merely unethical - it is a war crime. The Geneva Conventions protect civilians and non-combatants, explicitly including journalists. The killing, intimidation, or obstruction of journalists violates these norms.

Prominent war correspondents and international law experts have characterized the Gaza conflict as the worst-ever for the media – not because of the deliberate strategy to suffocate coverage but because of the unfolding violence. The UN Secretary-General and UNESCO have condemned the strikes in the press, while RSF and CPJ have filed complaints to the ICC demanding accountability.

In silencing Gaza’s journalists, Israel isn’t suppressing criticism, it is erasing facts, and records. Without witnesses, accusations become fabrications, and facts become negotiable. The world must not confuse absence of evidence with evidence of absence. As a Guardian writer put it, the killing of these journalists is intended to suppress the credible reporting that contradicts official narratives. With every camera bombed and every correspondent swept away, the façade of legitimacy grows thicker.

The world must act now. Over 1,000 journalists, media professionals, and press freedom advocates from more than 60 countries have signed a petition demanding immediate and unrestricted access for foreign journalists to the Gaza Strip. That there even needs to be a report titled “Freedom to Report,” is visibly redundant. In any effective democracy, reportage of a conflict of this scale would get a fair amount of precedence. Gaza has actually remained closed to international media for a little over 22 months and ranks as a shut-down that is unparalleled in modern warfare.

The Israeli government has enforced a near-total media blackout. The reasons for this are clear. Since the war began, at least 1,139 people have been killed in Israel, including 695 civilians during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7. By August 2025, more than 61,000 Palestinians had been killed, most of them civilians: children, doctors, humanitarian workers, and UN staff. Entire neighbourhoods were destroyed. Not only is there reliable evidence that famine is being weaponized, alongside come mounting allegations of war crimes. And only because of access to hard facts, these are numbers that diminish the reality by a wide margin. When the rubble is cleared, those numbers would be a discomfiture.

For the time being the world must make-do with understated press releases, government updates, or second-hand reports. On-the-ground verification by independent international journalists has been denied outright. Even after foreign media were finally granted access to cover the Oct. 7 attacks, Gaza remains impenetrable. The Israeli government has made its position clear: foreign journalists cannot report freely from inside the territory. The guilt is palpable.

The Gaza war can easily be earmarked as the most lethal war for journalists. With nearly 200 killed - the devastating majority of them being Palestinians. Despite excruciating conditions, peril, starvation, fatigue, and anguish, Palestinian journalists continue to report with astonishing valour and competence. Indeed, it must be recognized that they are leaving behind footprints on the way to making history.

The problem is that they are left to fend for themselves against the odds. To leave them alone is not the point. They cannot be replaced because it is only they who know the terrain. International journalists must stand with them and to help safeguard a varied, self-determining, and confirmable record of events.

Gaza is witnessing a humanitarian blackout. It is also coping with a cowardly information blackout. This blackout violates the public’s right to know and diminishes journalism’s essential function by an editorial audit to hold power liable. A blockade on these lines will send If this blockade on truth persists, it will convey a treacherous indicator to governments everywhere: that press freedom can be suspended during war, and that suppression and narrative regulation are acceptable tools of state policy.

This trend is now assuming global proportions wherein governments adopt global censorship and repression of the press as a legitimate throttling of news that they would rather guard as undisclosed. Gaza is the most urgent case, but it is not the only one. It represents the sharpest edge of a broader threat: the silencing of journalists, the criminalization of truth, and the creeping normalization of secrecy over scrutiny.

If the democratic world is serious about defending press freedom, it cannot look away from Gaza. To defend access is to defend access everywhere. War zones are where journalism is critical to the truth. This is not a political act. It is conveniently labelled as activism. As UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez witnesses: “The right to freedom of opinion and expression provides the international legal basis for uncensored and unhindered news media and the right of journalists to work safely and without fear. International humanitarian law is also applicable to the safety of journalists in the occupied Palestinian Territory.

The safety and legal protection of Palestinian journalists must be a priority. They face immense risks, including physical attacks and legal restrictions, while reporting in conflict zones. International law and humanitarian principles require their protection as civilians, and their work is vital for documenting events and holding power accountable.

Journalists in war zones (and specifically with reference to Gaza) have legal protections:

• Under international law, journalists are considered civilians and are entitled to protection during armed conflict.
• Deliberate attacks on journalists are prohibited under international humanitarian law.
• The right to freedom of expression, including freedom of the press, is a fundamental human right.
• Perpetrators of attacks on journalists must be held accountable, and impunity for such acts must be addressed.
• International news organizations need access to Gaza to report on the situation, but they should also prioritize the safety of their Palestinian colleagues.
• Journalists need safe working conditions, including access to protective equipment and secure locations for reporting.
• The international community must actively support Palestinian journalists through humanitarian aid, security measures, and advocacy.
• There have been numerous reports of journalists being deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.
• Journalists face restrictions on their movement, making it difficult to report from different areas.
• International media organizations have limited access to Gaza, relying heavily on Palestinian journalists for coverage.
• There is a lack of accountability for attacks on journalists, which emboldens further violence.

The international community must exert pressure on all parties to respect the safety and rights of journalists by strengthening mechanisms to investigate and prosecute attacks on journalists. There must also be provisions made for financial and logistical support to Palestinian journalists and media organizations.

The Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols provide specific protections for journalists in conflict zones, requiring them to be treated as civilians. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court also criminalizes attacks against civilians, including journalists, who are not participating in hostilities. The principle of distinction, a cornerstone of IHL, requires parties to a conflict to differentiate between combatants and civilians and to only target combatants.

Intentionally targeting journalists undermines the ability of the public to access information about conflicts and can have a chilling effect on reporting. While journalists are protected, they may still be affected by military operations. However, attacks must adhere to the principles of proportionality and precaution, meaning the incidental harm to civilians (including journalists) should not be excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage.

‘If the truth is the blade of grass pushing through the ruins, journalists are its fragile stalk. To kill them is to kill what remains of democracy and justice. And without that, we - each of us - are unmoored from the light. ‘

Ranjan Solomon is an activist and columnist. The views expressed here are the writer’s own.

Cover Photograph: Killed -Mariam Dagga was a visual journalist who freelanced for the AP during the war in Gaza. Instagram