A new report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described Gaza as the  world’s deadliest zone for journalists due to Israeli attacks, saying “journalists do not just die — they are killed,” for doing their work.

According to RSF, 67 journalists were killed worldwide over the past year, and 53 of them were murdered by military or criminal groups.

The most shocking figure in the report concerns Gaza, where 43% of all journalists killed globally were slain by Israeli armed forces.

RSF described Gaza as the epicentre of the crisis, where reporters have been killed in their homes, in the streets, while filming, and even alongside their families. Many of the victims were wearing press vests or clearly identifiable as journalists. These deaths were not accidental, but the result of “criminal practices” by military actors.

RSF’s Director General Thibaut Bruttin emphasised that journalists were not collateral damage: “They were killed, targeted for their work.”

RSF stressed that killings are deliberate acts intended to silence witnesses and prevent documentation of abuses.

RSF condemned the growing “hatred of journalists” fueled by armed forces, governments, and criminal organizations. This hatred, the group warned is not organic — it is often manipulated, encouraged, or strategically deployed by those in power to delegitimize the press and justify violence against it.

The report also highlighted a collapse in international protection systems meant to safeguard journalists in conflict zones. RSF accused global institutions of failing to uphold their responsibilities, pointing to a “decline in the courage of governments” unwilling to challenge powerful military actors.

“This is where impunity for these crimes leads us,” Bruttin said. “International organisations are no longer able to ensure journalists’ right to protection in armed conflicts.”

“Key witnesses to history have gradually become collateral victims, inconvenient eyewitnesses, bargaining chips, pawns in diplomatic games, men and women to be ‘eliminated’,” Bruttin added. “No one gives their lives for journalism — it is taken from them.”

RSF’s findings serve as an urgent call for accountability, stronger protections, and a global recommitment to safeguarding the press — especially in Gaza, where journalists are being killed at an unprecedented rate.