“Hecatomb”, “massacre”: two annual reports on journalists killed around the world overwhelm Israel

“A massacre” according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), “a massacre” according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ): the two annual reports of these NGOs attribute a large part of the number of journalists killed in 2024 to the Israeli army.

The RSF report, published Thursday, affirms that “the Israeli armed forces are responsible for the deaths” of 18 journalists between January 1 and December 1, 2024, the date when the count stopped: 16 in Gaza and two in Lebanon . That is a third of the total journalists killed in the exercise of their duties or because of their profession across the world in 2024, or 54 according to this count as of December 1. In its report published Tuesday, the IFJ estimates that more than half of the journalists killed this year worldwide were killed in Gaza (55 out of 104).

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If the number of journalists killed in Lebanon in the RSF report seems much lower than the count carried out in recent months by The Orient-The Day, this is because the organization only gathers for its report information on the deaths, detention and kidnapping of journalists “which are a direct result of their journalistic work”, and professionals who “fall within the scope of its mandate” . RSF does not take into account journalists who belong to channels or media affiliated to political parties. Of the at least nine journalists identified in our count as having been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon in 2024, only two fall within RSF’s criteria: Ghassan Najjar and Mohammad Reda, of the al-Mayadeen channel, killed on the night of October 25 in Hasbaya in South Lebanon. The third journalist killed that night, Wissam Kassem, was a cameraman for al-Manar, officially linked to Hezbollah, and was therefore not counted. The other journalists identified were apparently not killed, according to our information, because of their journalistic work.

Complaints to the ICC

The figures also differ between RSF and the IFJ due to a disagreement over the method of calculation. RSF only lists journalists for whom it has “provenly established that they were killed because of their activity”, and not “those targeted for reasons independent of their profession or for whom the link with their work was not could not be confirmed.

Beyond the figures, the two NGOs agree on the observation. “Palestine is the most dangerous country for journalists, recording a higher death toll than any other country for 5 years,” assures RSF, whose headquarters is in Paris.

In total, “more than 145” journalists have been killed by the Israeli army since October 2023 in Gaza, including “at least 35 in the exercise of their duties”, according to the NGO. These figures increase to 155 and 40 respectively if we include Lebanon, adds RSF, which deplores “an unprecedented massacre”. The organization has filed four complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “war crimes committed against journalists by the Israeli army”.

“Journalism is threatened with disappearance in the Gaza enclave,” Anne Bocandé, editorial director of RSF, told AFP. She points to a “black-out” which has “multiple dimensions”: in addition to “the abuses committed directly against journalists”, Gaza remains “forbidden to access for more than a year”, with “entire areas which are not no longer accessible at all and we don’t know what’s going on there.”

Administrative detention

Anthony Bellanger, general secretary of the IFJ, based in Brussels, denounces “the massacre which is taking place before the eyes of the whole world in Palestine”. “Many journalists are targeted” deliberately, he said.

Commenting on the figures released by the two organizations, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said: “We reject these figures, we do not believe they are correct.” “We know that most journalists in Gaza are likely operating under the auspices of Hamas and that until Hamas is destroyed, they will not be allowed to report information freely,” he added. Israel “obviously does not target journalists,” insisted Mr. Mencer.

According to RSF, the places where the most journalists were killed in 2024 after Gaza are Pakistan (7), Bangladesh (5) and Mexico (5). In addition to the journalists killed, RSF also lists those who are imprisoned. There were 550 worldwide as of December 1 (compared to 513 last year). The top three countries which imprison the most are China (124 including 11 in Hong Kong), Burma (61) and Israel (41), which “has systematized administrative detention”, according to RSF.

In addition, 55 journalists are currently being held hostage, two of whom were kidnapped in 2024. Nearly half (25) are in the hands of the Islamic State group. Finally, 95 journalists are missing, including four new ones in 2024.

In 2023, the number of journalists killed worldwide stood at 45 as of December 1 according to RSF (and 55 according to the final toll for the whole year).