Reporters Without Borders says Israeli forces killed 29 Palestinian journalists in Gaza, accounting for 43% of the 67 journalists killed worldwide this year.
PARIS: Israel was responsible for nearly half of all journalists killed worldwide this year, according to Reporters Without Borders.
The media freedom group’s annual report states Israeli forces killed 29 Palestinian reporters in Gaza, accounting for 43% of the 67 journalists killed globally in 2025.
RSF said this makes Israeli forces “the worst enemy of journalists” for the third consecutive year.
The deadliest single attack was a “double-tap” strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on August 25, which killed five journalists.
Two contributors to Reuters and the Associated Press were among those killed in that attack.
Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, nearly 220 journalists have died, based on RSF data.
The Israeli military told AFP it “does not deliberately target journalists” and noted the inherent risks of active combat zones.
It also claimed there have been “dozens of examples of journalists who are active in terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip.”
Foreign reporters remain largely unable to enter Gaza independently, except on tightly controlled Israeli military tours.
RSF’s report also highlighted Mexico as experiencing its deadliest year in at least three years, with nine journalists killed.
Ukraine and Sudan followed as other dangerous countries for reporters, with three and four journalists killed respectively.
The global death toll of 67 is below the average of around 80 killed per year since 2003.
RSF editorial director Anne Bocande noted a growing tendency to “smear” journalists to justify targeting them.
“These are not stray bullets. This is a deliberate targeting of journalists because they inform the world about what’s happening on the ground,” she said.
The report also documented journalists imprisoned for their work, with China, Russia, and Myanmar as the most repressive countries.
As of December 1, 2025, a total of 503 journalists were detained across 47 countries. – AFP
