Gaza Journalists: 262 Palestinian journalists killed since war began, media office says

The figures were released on Saturday to mark the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian Journalists. The media office said 26 of those killed were women and accused Israeli forces of conducting a sustained campaign against Palestinian journalists and media organisations.

The office also said Israeli forces had arrested 50 journalists and media workers since the start of the war, with 23 still in detention. It called for international organisations and journalists’ groups to provide greater legal and on-the-ground protection for Palestinian media workers.

According to the statement, losses to Gaza’s media sector have exceeded $800 million.

The office said 12 print-media offices, 23 digital-media offices, 12 local radio stations and 16 television and satellite channels had been completely or partially destroyed. It also reported damage to 27 printing presses and the offices of five press-freedom organisations.

It appealed to the United Nations, the International Federation of Journalists, the Federation of Arab Journalists and other international bodies to intervene and help protect Palestinian journalists.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate has also reported a figure of 262 Palestinian journalists and media workers killed since October 2023, including 261 in Gaza and one in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian official news agency WAFA.

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The Committee to Protect Journalists, which maintains its own database and methodology for documenting journalist deaths, said earlier this week that it had completed a comprehensive review of journalists and media workers killed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory between October 2023 and August 2026. The organisation said the review resulted in some individuals being removed, reinstated or reclassified in its records.

Gaza’s Government Media Office said the wider conflict has killed nearly 74,000 Palestinians and injured about 175,000 since October 2023, while extensive damage has been inflicted on civilian infrastructure.

It also said that, despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, Israeli airstrikes and gunfire had continued in Gaza, killing 1,408 Palestinians and injuring 4,916 others, including journalists. These figures were provided by the Gaza media office and have not been independently verified.

Israel has rejected allegations that its forces deliberately target journalists, saying its military operations are directed at armed groups. Reports of journalist deaths and the circumstances surrounding individual incidents remain subject to differing accounts and, in some cases, independent investigation.

The latest figures highlight the continuing risks faced by Palestinian journalists working in Gaza, where media workers have operated amid airstrikes, displacement, damaged facilities and disrupted communications.