Record 129 Journalists Killed in 2025, Israel Responsible for Two-Thirds

The global assault on press freedom reached a devastating new milestone in 2025, as a record 129 journalists and media workers were killed in the course of their work, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The grim statistics reveal that Israeli forces were responsible for two-thirds of these deaths, marking the second consecutive year of unprecedented violence against the press.

The scale of targeted killings is particularly alarming. Israeli forces were responsible for 81% of "intentionally targeted" journalist killings, according to the CPJ report, suggesting a systematic campaign rather than incidental casualties of war. This pattern of violence extends beyond the journalists themselves, with at least 706 family members of Palestinian journalists killed since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.

The targeting appears deliberate and calculated. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate's Freedoms Committee described the attacks as representing "a deliberate strategy rather than deaths as a result of war," noting that Israeli violence against journalists has "evolved to take on a more dangerous and brutal dimension, represented by targeting the families and relatives of journalists, in a clear attempt to turn journalistic work into an existential burden."

Beyond the killings, a separate CPJ investigation documented systematic torture and abuse of Palestinian journalists in Israeli prisons. The report, based on 59 testimonies from released journalists, found that 58 accounts included descriptions of torture and abuse, with systematic beatings, starvation, sexual violence, and medical neglect documented across multiple facilities.

Particularly troubling is that 48 of the detained journalists were never charged with a crime, held under Israeli policies allowing six-month detentions without charge that can be renewed indefinitely. CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah emphasized the implications: "These are not isolated incidents. Across dozens of cases, CPJ documented a recurring set of abuse—from beating to starvation, sexual violence, and medical neglect—directed at journalists because of their work."

The systematic nature of these abuses raises serious questions under international law. The CPJ cited potential violations of the UN Convention Against Torture, to which Israel is a signatory, and Article 79 of the Geneva Convention Protocol, which is specifically intended to protect journalists in conflict zones.

This unprecedented assault on press freedom has profound implications for global journalism and the public's right to information. When journalists face not only the risk of death while reporting but also the targeting of their families and systematic torture in detention, the very foundation of independent reporting crumbles. The chilling effect extends far beyond individual cases, creating an atmosphere where bearing witness to conflict becomes an existential threat not just to journalists but to their loved ones.

The record-breaking death toll of 2025 represents more than statistics—it signals a dangerous erosion of international norms protecting press freedom and the deliberate silencing of voices attempting to document human suffering in conflict zones.

Sources

1. Israel responsible for two-thirds of record 129 press killings in 2025, says CPJ — The Guardian International
2. Israel kills over 700 relatives of Palestinian journalists in Gaza: Report — Yahoo News
3. First-hand reports detail torture of Palestine journalists in Israel prisons — Jurist
4. New report details abuse Palestinian journalists face in Israeli prisons — WESA