Israel’s War on the Press: The Deadliest Assault on Journalists in Modern History
August 14, 2025
In just 22 months, Israel has killed more journalists than died in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including Cambodia and Laos), the Yugoslav Wars, and the Afghanistan War — combined.
This is not hyperbole. It is the documented, devastating reality of press freedom in Gaza today.
A Toll That Outpaces Decades of Global Conflict
Over the 22 years of war and conflict in Iraq, 285 journalists and media workers lost their lives. That number, spanning two decades of insurgency, occupation, and sectarian violence, is almost identical to Israel’s tally in less than two years.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, at least 238 journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023. Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill recently reported that the real number has already surpassed 240. The full truth may not be known for years, as countless victims remain trapped under rubble, unnamed, or uncounted.
A Long-Standing Policy of Targeting the Press
Killing journalists to silence reporting is not a new policy for Israel’s military. In 2022, IDF soldiers shot Al Jazeera correspondent and U.S. citizen Shireen Abu Akleh in the head while she covered a raid in Jenin. She was clearly identified as press, wearing a protective vest, and standing with other reporters. Multiple investigations concluded her group was directly targeted.
Since 1993, Israel has killed at least 300 journalists and media workers. The Committee to Protect Journalists ranks Israel second in the world — behind only Haiti — for failing to punish those responsible for journalist murders. That is not a coincidence; it is a reflection of impunity.
As one observer put it: “You only target journalists when your enemy is the truth.”
The U.S. Connection: Money, Politics, and Silence
In the United States, this assault on the press is aided by political lobbying and media complicity. AIPAC spends millions each year to protect Israel from accountability. Allied media watchdog groups pressure U.S. newsrooms to downplay or ignore the story entirely. At the same time, Israel bars independent foreign reporters from entering Gaza, ensuring that coverage is filtered and controlled.
The result is a deadly combination: bombs paid for with U.S. tax dollars killing reporters, while American politicians — many of whom take AIPAC’s money — remain silent. Every member of Congress who accepts those checks is complicit in this cover-up.
Why This Matters for Democracy Everywhere
Targeting journalists is not only a crime under international law — it is an attack on the very principle of a free press. If governments can murder reporters without consequence, then the truth itself becomes a casualty. This is not just a Gaza story. It is a warning to journalists everywhere: if the international community tolerates this, no press corps is safe.
The fight for press freedom in Gaza is a fight for the survival of truth worldwide. And as long as politicians keep taking money from those who enable these killings, the cycle of silence and violence will continue.
