The cost of reporting a war

To be a journalist in a war zone has always carried risk. But in today’s conflicts, that risk is no longer incidental, it is increasingly deliberate. Over the past three years, the war in Gaza and the wider region has become one of the deadliest periods for journalists in modern history. Those tasked with documenting events, verifying facts and showing the world what is happening on the ground have themselves become targets.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 200 journalists and media workers in Gaza, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Many of them were Palestinian reporters working for local and international outlets, often reporting from the very communities under attack. Among the most widely known cases is Shireen Abu Akleh, the veteran Al Jazeera correspondent who was shot and killed in the West Bank in May 2022 while clearly identified as press. Investigations by outlets such as BBC News and The New York Times found that she was likely killed by Israeli fire.
Since then, the list has grown. Wael Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, has not been killed but has endured unimaginable loss, his wife, children and other relatives were killed in Israeli strikes while he continued reporting. His son and colleague, Hamza Dahdouh, was later killed in January 2024 while travelling in a clearly marked press vehicle. Another Al Jazeera journalist, Ismail Abu Omar, was seriously injured in a drone strike in February 2024, losing a leg.
These are not isolated incidents. They point to a pattern in which journalists are not simply caught in crossfire but are repeatedly targeted and harmed while performing their duties. Journalists wear press vests, travel in marked vehicles and coordinate their movements precisely to avoid being mistaken for combatants. Yet they continue to be struck.
The situation is not only confined to Gaza. In Lebanon, where tensions have escalated alongside the broader genocide, journalists are also paying the price. Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was recently killed in a strike, becoming the ninth journalist killed in Lebanon this year alone. Her death prompted a strong response from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who stated: “Israel deliberately targets journalists in order to conceal the truth about its crimes against Lebanon,” calling such actions “war crimes.”
Reports surrounding Khalil’s death suggest that she had received direct threats prior to being killed. According to media accounts, she was warned to leave southern Lebanon or face decapitation. The implication of these warnings is clear: journalists operating in these regions are being pressured, intimidated and sometimes killed.
Israel has constantly denied the fact that they target civilians, schools, hospitals and journalists, stating that when civilians are killed, it is because Hamas uses them as human shields. However, as seen time and time again and with the amount of people killed since 2023, that is not the truth. Hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure have been and continue to be destroyed.
Information is power. When journalists expose civilian casualties, destruction of infrastructure or violations of international law, they challenge official narratives. The Israeli government seeks to control how their actions are perceived, both domestically and internationally. In this context, independent reporting becomes inconvenient and dangerous for the narrative they would like to portray.
Under international law, journalists are considered civilians and are protected as such. Targeting them is prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. Yet the repeated killing of journalists suggests that these protections are not being upheld in practice. Human rights organisations, including Reporters Without Borders, have warned that impunity for attacks on journalists is increasing, particularly in conflict zones.
The argument that such deaths are accidental becomes harder to sustain over time. Modern military technology allows for highly precise targeting. Drones, surveillance systems and advanced intelligence capabilities make it possible to identify individuals and locations with a high degree of accuracy. When journalists are repeatedly struck despite being clearly identifiable, the line between accident and intent becomes harder to believe.
Steve Sweeney, Lebanon bureau chief for the Russian news channel RT, who survived an Israeli strike last month, said: “This is what Israel is trying to do. It’s trying to prevent the truth from being reached by a much, much wider audience to see the war crimes that are being carried out (in Lebanon) on a daily basis.”
For journalists on the ground, the consequences are immediate and personal. Reporting becomes not just a professional duty, but a life-threatening decision. Each assignment carries the risk of injury or death. Yet many continue to work, driven by a commitment to truth and a belief that the world must bear witness to what is happening.