Israel Killed 56 Palestinian Journalists in 2025, IFJ: We Have Never Seen Anything Like This
IFJ Warns of “Global Red Alert” for Media Workers Amid Gaza War, Western Impunity, and Escalating Risks in Conflict Zones
Palestine | PUREWILAYAH.COM — At least 128 journalists were killed worldwide in 2025, marking one of the deadliest years on record for the press, according to new data released Thursday by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
More than half of those deaths occurred in West Asia, with occupied Palestine emerging as the single deadliest location for journalists. The IFJ confirmed that ‘Israel’ killed 56 Palestinian journalists in 2025, most of them during its ongoing war on Gaza.
The federation described the figures as evidence of a rapidly worsening global crisis for press freedom, driven by wars, political repression, and entrenched impunity for those who target media workers.
“This is not just a statistic, it’s a global red alert for our colleagues,” said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger.
Gaza: The Deadliest Place on Earth for Journalists
The IFJ said it has never recorded such a high number of journalist killings in such a short period and within such a confined geographic area as in Gaza.
Bellanger stated that the scale and intensity of the killings reflect systematic targeting of media workers amid ‘Israel’s’ military campaign, which continues with full political and military backing from the United States.
“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Bellanger said. “So many journalists killed, in such a small area, in such a short time.”
The IFJ emphasized that Palestinian journalists were not collateral casualties but were operating openly as media workers, many of them killed while reporting from the field or inside their homes.
Global Pattern of Violence Against the Press
Beyond Palestine, journalists were also killed in multiple countries in 2025, including Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, Peru, and India, underscoring the global nature of the threat facing media workers.
The IFJ said most killings occurred in conflict zones or politically volatile environments, where journalists are increasingly treated as legitimate targets rather than protected civilians.
Impunity Enables the Killings
Bellanger directly linked the rising death toll to the absence of accountability, warning that failure to prosecute those responsible has normalized attacks on journalists.
“Without justice, it allows the killers of journalists to thrive,” he said.
The federation has long accused Western powers of selectively defending press freedom while shielding allies — particularly ‘Israel’ — from scrutiny or consequences when journalists are killed.
Record Number of Journalists Imprisoned
In addition to killings, the IFJ reported that 533 journalists are currently imprisoned worldwide, a figure that has more than doubled over the past five years.
The federation said repression, censorship, and criminalization of journalism have intensified alongside armed conflicts and authoritarian governance, often with tacit international approval.
Discrepancies in Global Death Counts
The IFJ noted that its fatality figures are typically higher than those of other organizations due to methodological differences.
For comparison:
Reporters Without Borders reported 67 journalists killed in 2025.
UNESCO recorded 93 deaths.
The IFJ’s total includes nine journalists who died in work-related accidents.
A Profession Under Siege
The IFJ concluded that journalism is facing an unprecedented assault, as wars, foreign interventions, and Western-backed military campaigns turn reporters into frontline targets.
As media workers continue to bear witness under fire, the federation warned that without accountability for ‘Israel’ and its allies, the killing of journalists will remain a deliberate and effective weapon of war. (PW)