Israel Identified as World’s Leading Killer of Journalists in 2025

Out of 67 media workers killed while performing their duties in 2025, 43% died in Gaza. Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, officially designated the Israeli military as the year's "worst enemy of journalists." The organization’s 2025 Round-up emphasizes that these individuals were not mere collateral damage, but were specifically targeted for their professional activities.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government was labeled a "Press Freedom Predator," joining the ranks of Myanmar’s military junta and Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The RSF report highlights a systematic campaign to discredit Palestinian reporters by framing them as terrorists to justify their deaths. Beyond lethal force, Israel currently ranks as the world’s second-largest jailer of foreign journalists, with 20 Palestinian reporters held in custody. RSF director general Thibaut Bruttin warned that the failure of international bodies to enforce protections has created a climate of impunity, noting that the global decline in government courage has left journalists vulnerable to becoming pawns in diplomatic and military conflicts.