By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Israeli army was behind one-third of all unnatural journalist deaths globally in 2024, according to a report released Thursday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
The RSF's annual report on the state of press freedom highlighted the alarming risks faced by journalists worldwide. It revealed that 550 journalists were detained, 55 held hostage, and 95 reported missing this year.
A total of 54 journalists were killed in 2024, the highest figure in the past five years, with most deaths occurring in conflict zones. Of those, one in three were killed during Israeli bombardments, including 16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon.
Since October 2023, more than 145 journalists have been killed in Gaza, with at least 35 deliberately targeted or killed while on duty by Israeli forces, the report stated.
RSF said it has compelling evidence that dozens of journalists in Gaza and Lebanon were targeted due to their profession, adding that it has submitted four war crime complaints against the Israeli army to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Israel has also emerged as the world’s third-largest jailer of journalists this year, according to the report.
Commenting on the killings, RSF Director-General Thibaut Bruttin said: “Most of these reporters’ identities were easily verifiable, and their status should have offered them protection. Yet, they were killed in deliberate attacks by Israel, ignoring international conventions.”
Bruttin also criticized the ban on foreign media entering Gaza, describing it as a critical blow to press freedom. “In 2024, Gaza became the most dangerous place for journalists, where even the practice of journalism faces the threat of extinction,” he said.