At least 86 journalists were killed by Israeli fire in 2025, making it the deadliest year for media workers in more than 30 years, according to a report released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Of the 86 journalists killed, more than 60 percent were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, where UN experts and rights groups have described the situation as a genocide.
In total, 129 journalists were killed worldwide in 2025, the highest figure recorded since CPJ began documenting media fatalities in 1992.
The report states that Israel was responsible for more than two-thirds of those deaths and carried out 38 of the 47 targeted killings classified by CPJ as “murder.” It further noted that Israel has killed more journalists than any other government since CPJ started collecting records.
Beyond Gaza, Israeli air strikes reportedly killed more than 31 journalists in Yemen.
The CPJ cautioned that the true number of journalists killed in Gaza could be significantly higher due to restricted media access and severe humanitarian conditions, adding that the destruction of contemporaneous evidence may mean the full extent of deliberate targeting is never known.
The organisation also rejected as “deadly smears” claims by the Israeli military that some of the journalists killed had ties to armed groups such as Hamas.
Outside Gaza and Yemen, Sudan recorded nine journalist deaths amid its ongoing civil war, Mexico reported six deaths linked to cartel violence, and Ukraine saw four journalists killed during continued Russian military attacks.
The report also highlighted journalist killings in countries including India, citing weak rule of law and unchecked political power. It specifically referenced the killing of freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar in Chhattisgarh, whose mutilated body was discovered in a septic tank weeks after NDTV aired his investigation into alleged corruption in a road development project.
