IFJ: 104 Journalists Killed Worldwide, Over Half in Israel's Gaza Genocide
Gaza (Quds News Network)- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released a report on Tuesday, describing 2024 as a "particularly bloody year" with 104 journalists and media workers killed worldwide, more than half of them in Gaza due to Israeli attacks.
According to the IFJ's annual report, as of December 10, 2024, 104 journalists have been killed worldwide since January 1, with more than half of them in Gaza.
IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger described 2024 as "one of the worst years" for media professionals. He condemned the "massacre taking place in Palestine before the eyes of the entire world."
According to the federation, the Israeli assaults in Gaza and Lebanon once again highlights the massacre suffered by Palestinian (55), Lebanese (6) and Syrian (1) media professionals, representing 60% of all journalists killed in 2024.
Since the start of the Israeli war on 7 October 2023, the number of Palestinian journalists killed has risen to at least 138, making Palestine one of the most dangerous in the history of modern journalism, behind Iraq, the Philippines and Mexico.
On 10 December 2024, the IFJ counted 520 journalists in prison, representing a sharp increase compared with 2023 (427) and 2022 (375).
With 135 journalists behind bars, China - including Hong Kong - remains the world's biggest prison for media professionals, ahead of Israel (59 Palestinian journalists) and Myanmar (44).
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, 192 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks since the start of the ongoing Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.
Israeli forces desecrated hundreds of graves on Monday, exhuming and examining the remains of around 250 Palestinians in an attempt to recover the body of an Israeli soldier held in Gaza, in a blatant violation of the sanctity of the dead.
Israel said on Monday that reopening the Gaza–Egypt Rafah border crossing does not guarantee journalists will be allowed into the Palestinian enclave, as Israel has barred foreign media from entering Gaza since the start of the genocidal war in October 2023.