Of the 115 journalists killed while on dangerous assignment or murdered since 2024, 86 died in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The Committee to Protect Journalists – an international, independent organization that investigates and documents attacks on the press – classifies journalist deaths as “confirmed” or “work-related” when it determines, through investigation, that a journalist was “murdered in direct reprisal for his or her work,” “killed in combat or crossfire,” or died “while carrying out a dangerous assignment.”
Hazem Helme Abu Anza, a Palestinian-born digital journalist and producer deeply embedded in newsgathering efforts for Palestine, serving diverse audiences across the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates, explains the pressures he faces as he watches his family, friends, and colleagues live through the war, including recent footage of victims, mostly children, missing limbs and other body parts.
“Unfortunately, I cannot comprehend what is happening,” Hazem explained.
“After about 15 months of war – with a brief pause for a few weeks – followed by the halt of food and water supplies for over two weeks, and now the beginning of an even bloodier phase… these are things the human mind simply cannot grasp or imagine,” he said.
“I live outside the affected areas of Gaza, but my father, mother, brothers, and the rest of my family are all in Gaza,” he shared. “There is still a large missile lodged beneath my family’s house after the occupation forces targeted it six months ago.”
Hazem has amassed over 40,000 followers online through his multimedia work, predominantly in Arabic, and more recently in English with support from colleagues. His following spans across the United Arab Emirates, including corporate executives who are now witnessing the conflict through his lens.
Mohammed Umair, CEO and Global Sales Executive in Agritech and AI solutions, based in India but partnering with clients worldwide, emphasises the value of multiplatform and independent media in an increasingly connected world, particularly in relation to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, where most mainstream media struggle to access.
“Mainstream media today is not always as reliable. Many independent and online publications have become trusted sources of information, offering authentic reporting on the ground, capturing human experiences and on-the-ground realities. In Gaza’s case, the most accurate and urgent source of information comes from within Gaza itself, where brave journalists and civilians are live streaming what is effectively a modern-day Holocaust, in real time, in my view,” Mohammed said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), headquartered in New York, began tracking the deaths of media support workers in 2003, acknowledging the essential role they play in the newsgathering process. These individuals include translators, drivers, fixers, security personnel, and administrative staff. CPJ only includes cases where a media worker’s death has been confirmed as directly work-related. Additionally, UNESCO provides the Observatory of Killed Journalists, which offers updated information on journalist killings and judicial status of related cases since 2006.
