The International Federation of Journalists published an annual “Killed List” – with 122 journalists reportedly killed in 2024, just below the 129 killings of media professionals in 2023 – which was among the worst for journalists since 1990.
As many as 64 of the journalists that were killed were Palestinian, the majority bombed by Israel amid its brutal war on Gaza.
This includes the recent killing of five journalists in central Gaza just after Christmas who were hit by an Israeli air strike whilst working for the satellite channel Al-Quds Today.
They died sleeping in a clearly-marked broadcasting van near al-Awda Hospital, based in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
READ MORE: Five journalists killed in Gaza as Israel ‘targets clearly marked press vehicle’
Since the war’s start on October 7 2023, the number of Palestinian journalists killed has risen to at least 147, making this country one of the most dangerous in the history of modern journalism.
Six Lebanese and two Syrian media professionals were also killed in 2024. Elsewhere in the region, the organisation counted three media professionals murdered in Iraq, including two women on August 23, plus two Kurdish journalists killed in northern Syria on December 19.
Meanwhile, seven journalists were killed in Pakistan, five in Bangladesh, three in India, one in Cambodia and one in the Philippines. The military regime in Myanmar has also killed three journalists this year – while Indonesia and Kazakhstan have each had one death.
Ten journalists were murdered in Africa in 2024 – with Sudan paying the heaviest price with six deaths. In addition, two Somali journalists, a Chadian journalist and a journalist in DR Congo lost their lives this year.
In 2024, the IFJ counted nine deaths in the Americas compared with 30 in 2022 and six in 2023 including five Mexicans, two Colombians and two Haitians.
The war in Ukraine has again claimed victims, with four journalists killed in 2024, compared with 13 in 2022 and four in 2023.
The IFJ also revealed that as of December 31 2024, 516 journalists were in prison – a sharp increase compared with 2023 (427) and 2022 (375). China (including Hong Kong) is the worst offender, with 135 journalists behind bars, ahead of Israel (59 Palestinian journalists) and Myanmar (44).
Séamus Dooley, NUJ Assistant General Secretary said: “The litany of journalists killed in 2024 is profoundly depressing and disturbing.
“The killing of five journalists in Gaza on January 26th is a grim reminder of the contempt with which the provisions of the Genera Convention have been treated by the Israeli government.
“Journalists and media installations are protected under the rights granted to civilians in international law. The right to due process is being swept away as Palestinian journalists are targeted. Simultaneously, independent journalists from outside the region are denied access in what is effectively a war on journalism itself.
“In reviewing the list it is important to consider the many locations across the world where journalism is a dangerous profession and where journalists are regarded as legitimate targets. The NUJ has been to the fore in highlighting the need for global action to defend journalism and the right to seek the truth.
“There is a need for moral leadership by those who claim to cherish democracy and publication of the list underlines in very stark terms the need for a UN Convention on the safety of journalists.”
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said of 2024’s death toll: “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of 122 media professionals killed this year. Behind this high figure, there are 122 truncated stories. To guarantee that the deaths of journalists do not go unpunished and to put an end to this scourge once and for all, we urge UN Member States to take steps to ensure the adoption of a binding Convention on the safety of journalists. Such a Convention would aim to end the journalist’s deaths and injuries that sadly occur every year.”
The full list of those who have died can be downloaded here.