Gaza has emerged as one of the deadliest zones for journalists in recent memory, where reporting and documenting the conflict has become a life-threatening act. Since October 2023, more than 246 journalists have been killed, some in their homes and others while performing their professional duties, revealing a systematic campaign to suppress the Palestinian narrative. Far from collateral damage, these attacks are part of a deliberate strategy to prevent the world from seeing the realities of life under occupation.

Ismail Al-Thawabta, Director of the Gaza Government Media Office, described the killings as “an integrated policy to suffocate the Palestinian narrative,” noting that the deliberate targeting of journalists transforms cameras and pens into perceived “weapons” in the eyes of the occupation. Experts say this strategy aims to destroy collective memory and intimidate both journalists and the population, depriving society of vital information and silencing eyewitness accounts.

Academic analysts underline the legal and moral dimensions of these attacks. International humanitarian law classifies journalists as civilians, and deliberately targeting them constitutes a war crime under the Rome Statute and other international instruments. Dr Raed Abu Badawiya, Professor of Law, emphasised that Israel has shifted from portraying journalist deaths as accidents to openly justifying them, making this a declared policy rather than isolated incidents.

Despite growing documentation of these crimes by UN agencies and NGOs, international response remains limited, often reduced to statements of condemnation. Yet every image, testimony, and admission of responsibility strengthens the Palestinian narrative and exposes systematic violations of international law, underscoring the urgent need for accountability.