The Israel-Gaza conflict has unleashed hostility, new censorship measures, and deadly physical risk, making reporting on the war exceptionally challenging, with little sign of abating at a time when it is critical for facts to shed light in the fog of war.
The escalating conflict has resulted in the deadliest two-week period for journalists since Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) began tracking in 1992. CPJ has now documented 27 journalists killed in the war as of October 26, the vast majority of whom are Palestinian.
Other journalists report being assaulted, arrested, threatened, and targeted with cyberattacks and censorship, both in Israel and the two Palestinian territories, Gaza and the West Bank.
Beyond the deaths, censorship measures have included:
* A BBC Arabic team was dragged from their vehicle, searched, and held at gunpoint by police in Tel Aviv, despite their vehicle being marked “TV” and presenting their press cards to police.
* An Israeli columnist and journalist went into hiding after his home was attacked by a mob of far-right Israelis after he expressed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
* Israeli officials threatened to close Al-Jazeera’s local offices, and Israel Defense Forces ordered the West Bank-based J-Media Agency to shut down, stating that its closure was necessary for “the sake of the security of the State of Israel and for the safety of the public and public order.”
