New york city: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that 129 journalists and media personnel died in the line of duty last year, marking a record high. Two-thirds of these deaths have been attributed to actions by Israel.
According to Thai News Agency, the CPJ's annual report, released yesterday, revealed that this is the second consecutive year on record for the number of journalists killed. The report also stated that Israel was responsible for two-thirds of these deaths, with 86 journalists killed in 2025 alone. Most of those killed were Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The report also highlighted the death of 31 media staff members in an attack on a Houthi media center in Yemen, marking it as the second deadliest attack on journalists ever recorded by the CPJ.
The CPJ reported that Israel is responsible for 81 percent of the 47 killings classified as intentional or murder. However, they noted that the actual figure might be higher due to limitations in accessing and verifying information in Gaza.
The Israeli military did not respond to requests for comment. In past statements, Israel maintained that its forces in Gaza only targeted armed militants, acknowledging that operations in combat zones carry inherent risks. Israel admitted to attacking a media center in Yemen in September, classifying it as a Houthi propaganda facility.
Israel has, on several occasions, admitted to targeting journalists in Gaza, alleging connections to Hamas, but has not provided verifiable evidence for these claims. International news organizations have denied any ties between the deceased journalists and the militant group. The CPJ described Israel's accusations as serious smear campaigns.
Beyond Gaza and Yemen, Sudan recorded 9 journalist deaths, Mexico had 6, Ukraine experienced 4 deaths due to Russian attacks, and the Philippines reported 3 journalist deaths.