Israel responsible for two-thirds of record 129 journalist deaths in 2025, CPJ says

A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, with Israel responsible for two-thirds of the global total, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported Wednesday. The New York-based press freedom organization described 2025 as the deadliest year for journalists, with the majority of victims being Palestinian reporters killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

Drones and Conflict Zone Deaths

CPJ noted a significant increase in drone strikes targeting journalists, with 39 reporters killed by unmanned aircraft last year—including 28 Palestinian journalists in Gaza killed by the Israeli army. More than three-quarters of all journalist deaths occurred in conflict zones. Nine journalists were killed in Sudan and four in Ukraine during 2025, though CPJ noted these figures "were still very low compared to Israel, which remains a significant exception."

Culture of Impunity

"Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever," said CPJ Executive Director Jodie Ginsberg. "Attacks on the media are a leading indicator of attacks on other freedoms." The committee warned that rising journalist deaths are "fueled by a persistent culture of impunity," with virtually no transparent investigations conducted into the 47 cases of targeted killings in 2025. "No one has been held accountable in any of the cases," CPJ stated, warning that continued failure to protect the press "lays the groundwork for more killings, including in countries not at war."

Call for International Action

CPJ called for radical reform in how governments investigate journalist killings, proposing an international investigative task force and targeted sanctions to bring perpetrators to justice. The report comes as Gaza's Health Ministry reports more than 72,000 Palestinians killed—mostly women and children—and over 171,000 injured in Israel's two-year offensive since October 2023. A US-backed ceasefire took effect October 10, but Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations, killing at least 615 and injuring over 1,600, according to Gaza officials. Israel has also intensified assaults in the occupied West Bank, killing at least 1,112 Palestinians and wounding about 11,500 during the same period.