Israel behind majority of journalist deaths worldwide, watchdog claims

A media watchdog has claimed that more journalists were killed in 2025 than in any year on record, with Israel blamed for the majority of deaths.

The findings were released in an annual report by the Committee to Protect Journalists, which said at least 129 media workers were killed worldwide last year.

According to the report, Israel was responsible for at least 84 of those deaths - more than two-thirds of the global total.

As reported by Al Jazeera, the watchdog said the year was the deadliest since it began collecting data in 1992.

It also claimed Israel had carried out 38 of the 47 targeted killings recorded globally, incidents the group classifies as murder.

Most of those killed were Palestinian journalists, though the report also said Israeli air strikes hit newspaper offices in Yemen, killing 31 staff members.

The watchdog warned the real toll could be higher, saying press restrictions and the humanitarian situation during the war in Gaza have made investigations difficult and may have concealed further cases.

It added that some evidence may already have been destroyed, because of which full number of journalists deliberately targeted might never be known.

The group also listed several reporters from the network among those it said were killed in Israeli attacks, including journalists struck in a tent used by media workers in Gaza City.

Monitoring site Shireen.ps estimates that nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed since the war began, the report noted.