‘Past 3 weeks deadliest period for journalists’: Press group

The Committee to Protect Journalists says the past three weeks have been the deadliest on record for journalists covering conflict since the organisation started tracking in 1992.

The organisation said in a statement on Friday (October 27) that at least 29 journalists have died covering the Israel-Hamas war since it ignited on October 7, including 24 Palestinians, four Israelis and 1 Lebanese. Additionally, 8 other journalists were reported injured and 9 were reported missing or detained.

CPJ also criticized the cutting of communications services in the Gaza Strip, warning that the blackout is also a “news blackout” that has compromised the public's ability to “know and understand what is happening in this conflict.”

“This can lead to serious consequences with an independent, factual information vacuum that can be filled with deadly propaganda, dis- and misinformation,” it said.

The organisation stressed that journalists are civilians that must be respected and protected in accordance with international humanitarian law, adding that “deliberately targeting journalists or media infrastructure constitutes possible war crimes.”