DUBAI: The Committee to Protect Journalists is investigating “all reports of journalists killed, injured, detained, or missing in the war, including those hurt as hostilities spread to neighboring Lebanon.”
The war has taken a severe toll on journalists and other media staff with the CPJ’s preliminary investigation revealing that, as of Oct. 31, at least 31 journalists and media workers were killed since the war began on Oct. 7.
Journalists that have been confirmed killed include 26 Palestinians, four Israelis, and one Lebanese, with reports of eight injured, and nine missing or detained, according to the CPJ.
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator.
The organization is also investigating unconfirmed reports of other reporters being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists’ homes.
Mansour added: “Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats.”
The Israel Defense Forces told news agencies Reuters and Agence France-Presse that it cannot guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli bombardment and siege since Oct. 7.
“The IDF is targeting all Hamas military activity throughout Gaza,” the IDF letter said, adding that Hamas deliberately put military operations “in the vicinity of journalists and civilians.”
“Under these circumstances, we cannot guarantee your employees’ safety, and strongly urge you to take all necessary measures for their safety,” the IDF letter concluded.
