Twenty-nine Palestinian journalists were killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF<\/a>) during the reporting period, alongside what RSF calls “a whole strategy” by Israeli authorities that has severely restricted reporting on the conflict.<\/p>\n The NGO’s director Thibaud Bruttin told RFI that the pattern of deaths in Gaza cannot be dismissed as the tragic fallout of war.<\/p>\n “There has been a whole strategy that has been put in place since October 2023,” he explained.<\/p>\n “First, there has been the decision to block the entry of Gaza to international journalists. Second, there has been a unit set up within the Israel Defence Forces to smear Palestinian journalists\u2026 and then we\u2019ve seen massive strikes against journalists, which have been actually claimed as targeted strikes by the IDF.”<\/p>\n Protesters hold a banner reading ‘Gaza, let the internationals journalists enter’ in Paris, 20 November 2025. AP – Christophe Ena <\/p>\n RSF says nearly 220 journalists have been killed since the Gaza war began in late 2023. Of those, the organisation believes 56 have been deliberately targeted.<\/p>\n Bruttin stressed that RSF is not including people loosely associated with Hamas in that count, as some Israeli officials have claimed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about journalists \u2013 reporters who have been working, some of them for years, with respected international outlets \u2013 and these independent reporters have been deliberately targeted by the IDF.”<\/p>\n The report also highlights one of the deadliest attacks on media workers this year \u2013 a so-called \u2018double-tap\u2019 strike<\/a> on a hospital in south Gaza on 25 August, which killed five journalists, including contributors to news agencies Reuters and the Associated Press.<\/p>\n French unions take Israel to court for restricting media access to Gaza<\/a><\/p>\n Information blackout <\/p>\n A key concern for RSF is the ongoing block on independent media access to Gaza. Foreign reporters can only enter on tightly controlled military tours, despite sustained calls from media groups and press freedom organisations.<\/p>\n The Foreign Press Association<\/a> in Israel has taken the matter to court, challenging the IDF\u2019s decision to deny access.<\/p>\n Bruttin said the case has reached a critical point. “There has been an intermediary decision by the Supreme Court… and we\u2019re expecting any time in the coming weeks a decision which should, we hope, enable the press to enter.”<\/p>\n He added that a combination of the restrictions and IDF smear campaigns has cooled global solidarity with Palestinian journalists.<\/p>\n “The smear campaign \u2026 has had an impact on the solidarity among the profession,” he said. “It has been very hard to attract the attention of news media globally, and these news media outlets have been very timid in voicing concern over the fate of Palestinian journalists.”<\/p>\n But the scale of the recent strikes appears to have shifted sentiment. According to Bruttin, the deadly attacks of 10 and 25 August prompted \u201can uptick in the interest of media around this\u201d, allowing RSF to launch a major drive<\/a> on 1 September that \u201cblew away the smear campaign of the IDF\u201d.<\/p>\n With a fragile ceasefire now in place, he hopes momentum will grow around reopening access to Gaza and restoring independent reporting.<\/p>\n ‘Nowhere in Gaza is safe’ says RFI correspondent amid call for global media access<\/a><\/p>\n Beyond the Middle East <\/p>\n While Gaza dominates the headlines, RSF\u2019s report shows that the risks for journalists are a global concern.<\/p>\n Mexico remains one of the world\u2019s most perilous environments for reporters, despite government pledges of greater protection. Nine journalists were killed there in 2025 \u2013 the deadliest year in at least three years.<\/p>\n Bruttin warns that the danger is spreading across Latin America<\/a>. \u201cThe phenomenon has extended beyond the borders of Mexico,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen journalists killed in Honduras, in Guatemala, in Peru, in Ecuador, in Colombia.\u201d<\/p>\n Around a quarter of all journalists killed this year were in Latin America, with many targeted by cartels, narco-traffickers and armed groups. This trend, he said, is \u201cvery concerning\u201d and presents a serious challenge for governments attempting to safeguard reporters.<\/p>\n Sudan and Ukraine also continue to be among the most dangerous places from which to report, with conflict making journalists prime targets on all sides.<\/p>\n Global press freedom at ‘tipping point’, media watchdog RSF warns<\/a><\/p>\n Journalists detained <\/p>\n Alongside killings, RSF\u2019s report documents a surge in the number of journalists imprisoned for their work.<\/p>\n As of early December, 503 journalists were behind bars in 47 countries. China tops the list with 121 detained, followed by Russia with 48 and Myanmar with 47.<\/p>\n Bruttin believes the international community can do far more to secure the release of detained reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to effectively, deliberately campaign for the release of journalists,\u201d he said. He pointed to the case of Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, who was released as part of a prisoner swap<\/a> with Russia. \u201cIf governments prioritise the release of journalists, they can meet success.\u201d<\/p>\n He expressed particular concern for the 26 Ukrainian journalists detained by Russia, many \u201coutside of any legal framework\u201d.<\/p>\n He told RFI that Ukraine has the ability to prioritise their release through prisoner exchanges, citing a recent precedent in which RSF helped confirm proof of life for a detained Ukrainian reporter, forcing Russia to acknowledge holding him. \u201cHe was part of one of the latest prisoner swaps,\u201d Bruttin noted.<\/p>\n![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AP25324454697399.jpg\")
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