More journalists killed in Gaza than any conflict since US Civil War

The number of journalists killed in Gaza by Israel is far greater than similar deaths in any armed conflict since the civil war of the US, according to the Watson Institute’s Cost of War project at Brown University, Middle East Eye reported on April 1st.

The Government Media Office in Gaza confirmed that the death toll of journalists covering the conflict has reached 209.

In comparison, the total count of journalists killed in Ukraine since the extensive Russian invasion in 2022 is 19. Since 2014, the Committee to Protect Journalists counts 29 journalists killed in Ukraine from crossfire, dangerous assignments, and other causes.

Written by investigative journalist, Nick Turse, the paper said: “The war in Gaza has, since October 7, 2023, killed more journalists than the US Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, combined.”

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stated that in 2024 alone, Israel accounted for one-third of the 54 journalists killed worldwide. “Palestine is the most dangerous country for journalists,” noted the report published on December 12th, 2024.

The paper followingly declared that experienced foreign correspondents in conflict zones are declining due to long-term changes in the news industry. The rising number of journalist deaths has hindered accesses of reliable information sources.

According to reports, it remains unclear how many of the killed Palestinian journalists in Gaza Israel intentionally targeted. Many fell victim various Israeli bombardments, air strikes and raids, as fellow Palestinians.

However, the RSF has confirmed at least 35 cases of journalists directly targeted for their profession since October 2023.

The paper also said: “It is, quite simply, the worst ever conflict for reporters.”

Middle East Eye, Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs