"CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties."
Ed. Note: At the time of publishing this piece, we at IFEX are bearing witness to the atrocious escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel. In this worrisome context, we express our firm solidarity with IFEX members MADA, 7amleh, I’Iam and Visualizing Impact, and with our colleagues throughout the region, as the consequences of the conflict spread beyond their borders.
This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 12 October 2023.
The Israel-Gaza conflict has taken a severe toll on journalists since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on the militant Palestinian group, launching strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip.CPJ is investigating all reports of journalists killed, injured, detained or missing in the conflict. In the first six days of fighting, at least 10 journalists were killed, two were missing and two injured. In the same period, the conflict claimed at least 2,700 lives on both sides and resulted in many thousands of injuries.
Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict amid repeated Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications and extensive power outages. Nine Palestinian journalists have been confirmed dead as of October 12; one Israeli journalist has been confirmed killed and one reported missing in the first six days of the conflict.
“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. “Millions across the world are counting on reporters in the region to provide accurate information about the conflict. Journalists, like all civilians, must be respected and protected.”
The list published here includes names based on information obtained from CPJ’s sources in the region and media reports. It is being updated on a regular basis.
Journalists reported killed, missing, injured or detained:
October 12, 2023
KILLED
Ahmed Shehab
A journalist for Sowt Al-Asra Radio (Radio Voice of the Prisoners), Shehab, along with his wife and three children, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that struck his house in Jabalia, located in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and the London-based news website The New Arab.
October 11, 2023
KILLED
Mohamed Fayez Abu Matar
Abu Matar, a freelance photojournalist, was killed during an Israeli airstrike in Rafah city, in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate and to the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency Wafa.
October 9, 2023
KILLED
Saeed al-Taweel
Al-Taweel, editor-in-chief of the Al-Khamsa News website, was killed when Israeli warplanes struck an area housing several media outlets in Rimal district in western Gaza, specifically targeting the Hiji building, according to the U.K.-based newspaper, The Independent, the Qatari-owned English-language news channel Al Jazeera English, and the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency Wafa.
Mohammed Sobh
Sobh, a photographer from “Khabar” News Agency, also was killed in the Rimal district air strike, according to the news reports.
Hisham Alnwajha
Alnwajha, a journalist at the “Khabar” news agency, also was reported killed in the same bombing that took the lives of Al-Taweel and Sobh.
October 8, 2023
KILLED
Assaad Shamlakh
Shamlakh, a freelance journalist, was killed along with nine members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on their home in Sheikh Ijlin, a neighborhood in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the Beirut-based nonprofit research and advocacy organization, The Legal Agenda (LA), and BBC Arabic.
October 7, 2023
KILLED
Yaniv Zohar
Zohar, an Israeli photographer working for the Israeli Hebrew-language daily newspaper Israel Hayom, was killed during a Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel. Israel Hayom and Israel National News reported that his wife and two daughters also died in the attack. Israel Hayom editor-in-chief Omer Lachmanovitch told CPJ that Yaniv was working on that day.
Mohammad Al-Salhi
Al-Salhi, a photojournalist working for the Fourth Authority news agency, was shot dead near a Palestinian refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency Wafa, and the Journalist Support Committee (JSC), a nonprofit which promotes the rights of the media in the Middle East.
Mohammad Jarghoun
Mohammad Jarghoun, a journalist with Smart Media, was shot while reporting on the conflict in an area to the east of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian press freedom group MADA and the JSC.
Ibrahim Mohammad Lafi
Ibrahim Mohammad Lafi, a photographer for Ain Media, was shot and killed at the Gaza Strip’s Erez Crossing into Israel, according to MADA and JSC.
DETAINED
Nidal Al-Wahidi
Palestinian photographer from the Al-Najah channel was reported missing by MADA. Later, Al-Wahidi’s family informed the media that the journalist had been detained by the Israeli army.
MISSING
Haitham Abdelwahid
Palestinian photographer from the Ain Media agency was also reported missing by MADA.
Roee Idan
The Israeli Ynet photographer, whose wife was killed, was reported missing and his family fears he was taken hostage along with his 3-year-old daughter. CPJ confirmed that he was working on the day his family was attacked.
INJURED
Ibrahim Qanan
Qanan, a correspondent for Al-Ghad channel, was injured by shrapnel in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to MADA and JSC.
Firas Lutfi
Police assaulted Lufti, a correspondent with privately owned Sky News Arabia, along with other Sky News journalists in the southern city of Ashkelon, according to members of the television crew. Lutfi said Israeli police aimed rifles at his head, forced him to remove his clothes, confiscated the team’s phones, and made them leave the area under police escort.
