A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record for press fatalities since the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) began tracking such data over three decades ago. According to the CPJ’s annual report released on February 25, approximately two‑thirds of those deaths were attributed to Israeli fire, driven largely by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and other regional hostilities.
Of the 129 deaths recorded, 86 journalists and media workers were killed by Israeli fire, the majority of them Palestinian reporters covering frontline events in Gaza, where journalism is extremely hazardous due to combat operations and restrictions on independent foreign media access. Israel has repeatedly denied that its military deliberately targets journalists, asserting that its forces only engage combatants and that operating in active conflict zones inherently carries risks for media personnel.
The CPJ report highlights that more than three‑quarters of all press deaths in 2025 occurred in conflict settings globally, underscoring escalating dangers for journalists covering wars and violent unrest. The organisation also documented an increase in drone‑related killings of press members, with dozens of journalists killed by aerial strikes in conflict zones, including Gaza, Yemen, Sudan and Ukraine.
CPJ Chief Executive Officer Jodie Ginsberg warned that the rising toll on journalists not only reflects intensifying violence worldwide but also threatens the public’s access to reliable information, stating, “We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.” The report further criticised prolonged impunity for attacks on reporters, noting few transparent investigations and no accountability in many of the killings documented in 2025.
The findings have renewed calls from international press freedom advocates and rights groups for stronger protections for journalists in conflict zones and more robust mechanisms to investigate and prosecute crimes against members of the press.