Palestinian journalist Sami Shehadeh, wounded in an Israeli strike, lies on the floor at Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 12. (Photo: Reuters/Doaa Rouqa)

Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has taken an unprecedented toll on Gazan journalists since Israel declared war on Hamas following its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

As of February 20, 2025, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 170 journalists and media workers were among the more than tens of thousands killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992.

Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, famine, the displacement of 90% of Gaza’s population, and the destruction of 80% of its buildings. CPJ is investigating more than 130 additional cases of potential killings, arrests and injuries, but many are difficult to document amid these harsh conditions.

“Since the war in Gaza started, journalists have been paying the highest price – their lives – for their reporting. Without protection, equipment, international presence, communications, or food and water, they are still doing their crucial jobs to tell the world the truth,” said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna in New York. “Every time a journalist is killed, injured, arrested, or forced to go to exile, we lose fragments of the truth. Those responsible for these casualties face dual trials: one under international law and another before history’s unforgiving gaze.”

Journalists are civilians and are protected by International Law. Deliberately targeting civilians constitutes a war crime. In May, the International Criminal Court announced it was seeking arrest warrant applications for Hamas and Israeli leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

To date, CPJ has determined that at least 11 journalists and two media workers were directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders: Issam AbdallahHamza Al DahdouhMustafa ThurayaIsmail Al GhoulRami Al Refee, Ghassan Najjar, Wissam Kassem, Mohammed Reda, Ayman Al Gedi, Faisal Abu Al Qumsan, Mohammed Al-Ladaa, Fadi Hassouna, and Ibrahim Sheikh Ali.

CPJ is still researching the details for confirmation in at least 20 other cases that indicate possible targeting.

Two journalists were killed and three were injured in Gaza in the days surrounding the war’s one-year anniversary on October 7, prompting CPJ to renew its call for an end to impunity in Israel’s attacks on journalists.

As of February 20:

CPJ is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists’ homes.

The list of killed journalists documented in our database includes names based on information obtained from CPJ’s sources in the region and media reports. It includes all journalists* involved in news-gathering activity. It is not always immediately clear whether all of these journalists were covering the conflict at the time of their deaths, but CPJ has included them in its count as it investigates their circumstances.

The list is being updated on a regular basis, with names being removed if CPJ confirms that those members of the media were not working journalists at the time they were killed, injured, or went missing. 

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials have repeatedly told media outlets that the army does not deliberately target journalists. It also told agencies shortly after the war started that it could not guarantee the safety of journalists. CPJ has called for an end to the longstanding pattern of impunity in cases of journalists killed by the IDF.    

United Nations experts have raised concerns over the killings of journalists, saying in a February statement that they were “alarmed at the extraordinarily high numbers of journalists and media workers who have been killed, attacked, injured and detained in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, particularly in Gaza, in recent months blatantly disregarding international law.”

The lists below detail those injured and missing in the Israel-Gaza war:

INJURED

CPJ is aware that dozens of Palestinian journalists were injured during the war. CPJ counts the journalists cases it was able to document, and continues to investigate other cases.

November 28, 2024

Talal Al Arrouqi

Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Talal Al Arrouqi
Al Jazeera Mubasher’s Talal Al Arrouqi (Photo: Courtesy of Talal Al Arrouqi)

Al Arrouqi, a 31-year-old Palestinian correspondent for the privately owned Qatari-based broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher, was injured by Israeli airstrikes on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza while reporting on ambulances rescuing injured people, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

“At around 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, the ambulance service received a report that there were a number of residents trapped in an area north of the Nuseirat camp due to Israeli gunfire and shelling of their homes,” he said, adding that he headed out with the ambulances once the shelling subsided.

“When we arrived at the location, we were directly shot at by Israeli drones, as well as shells from Israeli tanks, several times. I took cover at the entrance to a house, and the shooting continued several times. We changed our hiding place every time, until the Israeli tanks fired a shell at us that fell around us,” he said.

“I flew 2 meters [2.2 yards] away from my hiding place because of its force. I was injured in my right hand and leg by shrapnel from the shell, as well as my head,” he said.

Al Arrouqi said several paramedics were injured but a wounded ambulance driver took him to the camp’s Al-Awda Hospital.

“I lost consciousness due to the injury, and I woke up in the hospital’s emergency department. I am still receiving treatment,” he said.

Al Arrouqi is one of six Al Jazeera journalists accused by the IDF of being members of militant groups. Al Jazeera and CPJ condemned the allegations as unfounded.

Al Arrouqi denied the allegations, adding, “The occupation fights anyone who carries a camera and covers the image of the bombing. They noticed the presence of journalists in the area, so they opened fire and shelled directly [on us].”

Al Arrouqi was also injured on October 31, 2024.

November 19, 2024

Hossam Shabat

Shabat, a 23-year-old Palestinian reporter and photographer for Qatari-based Al Jazeera Mubasher, was injured on the evening of November 19, 2024, when an Israeli airstrike hit a house in the Al-Basra neighborhood in southern Gaza, according to footage and reports by his outlet and Shabat, who spoke to CPJ. 

Mohamed Al-Masry (left) and Hossam Shabat, reporters for Al Jazeera Mubasher, were injured on November 19, 2024, when an Israeli airstrike hit a house in the Al-Basra neighborhood in southern Gaza. (Photo: courtesy of Hossam Shabat)
Mohamed Al-Masry (left) and Hossam Shabat, reporters for Al Jazeera Mubasher. (Photo: Courtesy of Hossam Shabat)

Shabat told CPJ he was on his way to report about a house, which Israeli forces had previously bombed, with Mohamed Al-Masry, one of the channel’s camera operators. Shabat said both journalists were wearing “Press” vests and traveled in a car marked with press insignia.

“We drove our car behind the civil defense vehicle to the site of the bombing. When we arrived and entered the house, we were surprised that it was targeted again and bombed by Israeli warplanes,” Shabat told CPJ, adding that the strike killed one of the civil defense workers. 

Shortly after the attack, Shabat posted details on social media, saying he was “deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.” Shabat told CPJ he believed the bombing could have been intentional and linked to accusations made by Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

On October 23, the IDF accused Shabat and five other Palestinian journalists working with Al Jazeera in Gaza of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

CPJ has denounced and called for a halt to Israel’s practice of making unsubstantiated allegations as a means of justifying its killing and wider mistreatment of journalists and media workers.

Shabat and Al-Masry were treated for bruising on their backs at a hospital but were discharged due to the high number of injured people. 

Mohamed Al-Masry

Al-Masry, a 20-year-old Palestinian camera operator for Qatari-based Al Jazeera Mubasher, was injured on the evening of November 19, 2024, when an Israeli airstrike hit a local house in the Al-Basra neighborhood in southern Gaza, according to footage and reports by his outlet and Hosaam Shabat, a reporter and photographer for the outlet, who spoke to CPJ. 

Shabat told CPJ that the pair were on their way to report about a house that Israeli forces had previously bombed. Shabat said both journalists were wearing “Press” vests and traveled in a car marked with press insignia.

“We drove our car behind the civil defense vehicle to the site of the bombing. When we arrived and entered the house, we were surprised that it was targeted again and bombed by Israeli warplanes,” Shabat told CPJ, adding that the strike killed one of the civil defense workers. 

Shortly after the attack, Shabat posted details on social media and said he was “deliberately targeted by Israeli forces.” Shabat told CPJ he believed the bombing could have been intentional and linked to accusations made by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 

On October 23, the IDF accused Shabat and five other Palestinian journalists working with Al Jazeera in Gaza of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

CPJ has denounced and called for a halt to Israel’s practice of making unsubstantiated allegations as a means of justifying its killing and wider mistreatment of journalists and media workers.

Shabat and Al-Masry were treated for bruising on their backs at a hospital but were discharged due to the high number of injured people.

November 9, 2024

Samer Zaneen

BBC freelancer Samer Zaneen
BBC freelancer Samer Zaneen (Photo: Courtesy of Samer Zaneen)

Zaneen, a 34-year-old Palestinian freelance journalist, who works for the U.K.’s BBC radio and television, and Yemen Today’s Abdul Hadi Farahat were both injured by Israeli bombing of tents in the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, and the journalists, who spoke to CPJ.

Zaneen told CPJ that he was displaced at the beginning of the war from his home in the northern town of Beit Hanoun to Deir al-Balah.

“At around 1:45 pm on Saturday afternoon, Israeli aircraft suddenly targeted a tent for displaced people inside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital… We [journalists] work in a tent next to it. We heard the sound of an explosion and fire,” Zaneen said.

“The fire entered our tent and devoured it. I was in the tent with my colleague Abdul Hadi Farahat and a number of journalists at the time,” he said.

“I was injured by the shelling, with some bruises and shrapnel in one of my feet. I was admitted to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after the injury, received treatment and was discharged the same day,” Zaneen said.

Abdul Hadi Farhat

Yemen Today's Abdul Hadi Farahat
Yemen Today’s Abdul Hadi Farahat (Photo: Courtesy of Abdul Hadi Farahat)

Farhat, a 28-year-old Palestinian correspondent for Yemen Today television channel, was injured along with the BBC’s Samer Zaneen by Israeli bombing of tents in the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the Palestinian press freedom group MADA, and the journalists, who spoke to CPJ.

Farhat said he moved to the hospital compound after fleeing his home in Jabalia camp in northern Gaza at the start of the war.

“There were no less than six journalists with us in the tent… when the shelling occurred. We found shrapnel flying at us as the tent was torn apart and the fire engulfed it, while the remains of the martyrs and wounded were scattered on our bodies,” Farhat told CPJ.

“We miraculously survived the shelling, and I suffered severe bruises on my feet as a result of the force of the missile and the falling remains and shrapnel,” he said, adding that he was treated at the hospital and discharged later that day.

November 5, 2024

Rabie Al-Munir

Al-Munir, a Palestinian camera operator for the Qatari-funded Al-Araby TV, was shot in the abdomen while reporting on an Israeli military operation in Qabatiya, south of the West Bank city of Jenin, according to media reports. Video footage showed Al-Munir being treated in Jenin’s Ibn Sina hospital

Al-Araby TV reporter and witness Ameed Shehade told the local online outlet Al-Jarmaq News that the journalists were visible to the nearby Israeli soldiers who “fired directly at us.” Al-Munir was wearing his “Press” vest, which reduced the severity of the injury, and his condition was stable, he added. 

Previously, on May 6, Shehade and Al-Munir were shot at by Israeli soldiers while covering an operation in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

October 31, 2024

Talal Al Arrouqi

Al Arrouqi, a 31-year-old Palestinian correspondent for the privately owned Qatari-based broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher, was injured by an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ. The privately owned Al-Ghad TV correspondent Mahmoud Al Louh was injured in the same strike.

Al Arrouqi told CPJ that “at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Israeli airstrikes targeted three homes in the area north of Nuseirat camp in central Gaza … I went with the ambulance to cover the incident with my colleague Mahmoud Al Louh.

“When we arrived at the site, the situation was difficult due to the bombing and the lack of electricity. Residents were pulling out the dead and wounded. Minutes later, Israeli airstrikes targeted another home next to the three targeted homes, which resulted in the injury of my right foot, as a result of flying stones and shattered glass, as well as bruises all over my body because the force of the explosion threw me to another place.”

Al Arrouqi said that after about 15 minutes of being trapped under the debris, he was transferred to al-Awda Hospital but soon left because it was overwhelmed by an influx of dozens of dead and injured patients. He did not seek further medical treatment.

Al Arrouqi is one of six Al Jazeera journalists accused by the IDF of being members of militant groups. Al Jazeera and CPJ condemned the allegations as unfounded.

Mahmoud Al Louh

Al Louh, a 34-year-old Palestinian correspondent with privately owned Al-Ghad TV was injured by an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist who spoke to CPJ. Talal Al Arrouqi, correspondent for the privately owned Qatari-based broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher, was injured in the same strike.

“I was injured as a result of the shelling that occurred while I was reporting, with bruises all over my body,” Al Louh told CPJ, adding that he sought treatment at Al-Awda Hospital but quickly left as it was full of casualties from the strike.

October 25, 2024

Hassan Hoteit

Hoteit, a Lebanese camera operator for the media production company Isol, told CPJ that his hip was broken when an Israeli airstrike hit a compound housing 18 journalists in south Lebanon’s Hasbaya area. Two other journalists were injured and three were killed in the attack, which Lebanon described as a “war crime.”

Hoteit told CPJ that he received surgery in the capital Beirut, was hospitalized for a week, and required bed rest for a month.

Zakaria Fadel

Fadel, a Lebanese assistant camera operator for the media production company Isol, told CPJ that he was injured, without providing further details, when an Israeli airstrike hit a compound housing 18 journalists in south Lebanon’s Hasbaya area. Two other journalists were injured and three were killed in the attack, which Lebanon described as a “war crime.”

Ali Mortada

Mortada, a Lebanese camera operator for the Qatari-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera, told CPJ that his shoulder was broken when an Israeli airstrike hit a compound housing 18 journalists in south Lebanon’s Hasbaya area. Two other journalists were injured and three were killed in the attack, which Lebanon described as a “war crime.”

October 14, 2024

Mohammed Abu Armana

Mohammed Abu Armana
Mohammed Abu Armana (Photo: Courtesy of Mohammed Abu Armana)

Abu Armana, a 37-year-old Palestinian journalist, was injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Mawasi, west of ​​Rafah city in southern Gaza, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

“A number of displaced citizens in the Mawasi area, west of Rafah city, called the ambulance and told them that there was a martyr [fatality] and injuries in the area. And based on that, they headed there and I was with them to document the event,” Abu Armana told CPJ.

“When we arrived at the scene, we were surprised by a new Israeli target [strike] next to us, with a missile from an Israeli drone and four shells from a tank. And I sustained a minor injury to my left hand, as did three paramedics,” he said.

Safenaz Al-Louh

Al-Louh, a 33-year-old Palestinian journalist who freelances with multiple outlets including the Gaza-based Al-Elamya News and the Qatari-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher, was injured when Israeli airstrikes hit tents for displaced people in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The airstrike caused a huge fire, killing at least four people.

“At around 2 a.m., we were surprised by Israeli warplanes bombing the tents of displaced people inside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital,” Al-Louh told CPJ. “As a result of the presence of cooking gas cylinders used by the displaced inside their tents, the bombing led to their explosion and the flames engulfed more than 30 tents.” 

“I suffered burns to my left hand and foot while I was filming the event as the gas cylinders exploded,” said Al-Louh, who received treatment at the hospital.

Despite her injury, Al-Louhh has continued to report from Gaza with her left hand in a bandage.

She has given numerous interviews from Gaza during the war, including for Egyptian public broadcaster ETC TV and Ramallah-based Basma Radio.

October 9, 2024

Tamer Lubbad

Lubbad, a 37-year-old Palestinian correspondent for the Hamas-owned Al-Aqsa TV, was injured when an Israeli drone strike landed near him and his colleague Mohammed Al-Tanani as they were covering an Israeli siege on Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza. Camera operator Al-Tanani was killed.

Both men were wearing “Press” vests and helmets and were clearly identifiable as journalists, according to video footage and Lubbad, who spoke to CPJ.

“We went to monitor and cover the situation after we learned that the Israeli occupation forces are besieging the Jabalia camp and its residents,” Lubbad told CPJ via messaging app. “We reached the closest area to the camp — and the area was not dangerous — where we did a report. After finishing it and as we were leaving the area at about 4:30 p.m., a drone fired missiles that hit Mohammed directly, which immediately killed him.”

“The missile cut through his lower half and I was hit by shrapnel behind my left shoulder and shrapnel next to my colon,” he said, adding that it took two hours for the ambulance to arrive because of “repeated and deliberate” gunfire from Israeli forces.

“I received first aid in the ambulance. And at the General Service Hospital in Gaza City, an operation was performed to extract the shrapnel and I am staying there to complete the treatment,” he said.

Fadi Al Wahidi

Al Wahidi, a Palestinian camera operator for the Qatari-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera was critically injured in the neck by a bullet fired from an Israeli reconnaissance aircraft while Al Wahidi and correspondent Anas Al-Sharif were covering an Israeli siege on northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp. Both men were wearing “Press” vests and clearly identifiable as journalists.

“I was with my colleague, cameraman Fadi al-Wahidi, at the end of al-Jalaa Street, north of Gaza City, where we were in an area completely far from the areas of operations of the Israeli occupation forces. We had with us the external live broadcast vehicle to transmit the news,” Al-Sharif told CPJ via phone from Gaza City.

“The place was originally full of residents. Suddenly, while we were filming the events and after we had also finished a live segment on the channel, an Israeli reconnaissance drone fired at us.”

“After the shooting, we tried to move to another safer place and hide from any danger, but a bullet from the plane hit our colleague Fadi Al-Wahidi in the neck, which led to his complete paralysis. He is now lying in the Al-Ahli Hospital in a very critical condition, and in urgent need of travel for treatment outside the Gaza Strip to receive medical care.” 

“This incident marks yet another grave violation against journalists in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been increasingly hostile toward media workers,” Al Jazeera said. “The deliberate targeting of journalists is a flagrant violation of international laws protecting the press and humanitarian workers in war zones.”

October 7, 2024

Ali Al-Attar

Al-Attar, a 27-year-old Palestinian journalist and Al Jazeera Arabic camera operator, was severely injured when an Israeli airstrike hit a tent for displaced people in front of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, according to Al Jazeera and Al-Attar’s cousin Ahmed Maqat, who spoke to CPJ.

Al Jazeera posted a video showing Al-Attar being helped up from his bed and given first aid after some of the shrapnel from the 3 a.m. strike landed on a tent for Al Jazeera reporters.

“Ali was immediately admitted to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, and then transferred to the intensive care unit at the Gaza European Hospital south of Khan Yunis. He did not undergo any surgery because he is suffering from internal bleeding and he is still in a semi-coma,” Maqat told CPJ.

Al Jazeera said on Wednesday that pieces of shrapnel pierced Al-Attar’s skull, causing bleeding that resulted in a coma, and that his condition was deteriorating. Medics in Gaza were unable to treat him due to the lack of medical resources amid the ongoing war.

Al-Attar’s colleagues have called on the international community to facilitate his evacuation in order to save his life.

October 1, 2024

Ahmed Al-Zard

Al-Kofiya TV's Ahmed Al-Zard
Al-Kofiya TV’s Ahmed Al-Zard (Photo: Courtesy of Ahmed Al-Zard)

Al-Zard, a 33-year-old Palestinian camera operator and producer for the local Al-Kofiya TV, was injured and four family members were killed when Israeli aircraft bombed the house where they were staying in the village of Ma’an, east of Khan Yunis, the journalist told CPJ.

“At around 9 p.m., we began hearing very intense and rapid sounds of bombing. Minutes later, the house was bombed over our heads by Israeli warplanes without any warning. It turned out that the occupation had stormed the area and besieged it,” Al-Zard told CPJ.

“We were 13 people in the house. I was immediately injured, along with eight others. My brother, my uncle, his wife, and their daughter were martyred. We remained trapped until the Israeli occupation withdrew at 4:30 a.m.,” he added.

“I was hit by shrapnel all over my body, in my back, spleen, stomach, knees, hands, and head. I am currently suffering from internal bleeding. I am being treated at the European Gaza Hospital, southeast of Khan Yunis, with ongoing tests to determine what surgeries I need,” he said.

Ahmed said he fled his home in Gaza City at the beginning of the war and reported from southern Gaza. His family joined him in July but his father, who had cancer, died on the journey.

September 12, 2024

Mahmoud Issa Abu Shirby

Mahmoud Issa Abu Shirby
Mahmoud Issa Abu Shirby (Photo: Courtesy of Mahmoud Issa Abu Shirby)

Shirby, a 33-year-old Palestinian journalist for the Qatari-funded broadcaster Al-Araby TV and Palestine Today, was severely injured when Israeli airstrikes bombed his aunt’s house in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

“All of my family were forced to flee to areas in the southern Gaza Strip after Israeli threats at the beginning of the war. Only my cousin and I remained in Gaza City,” he told CPJ.

“On Thursday, Israeli warplanes targeted it with a direct missile, killing my aunt’s husband, his brother, and his brother’s children. I was also injured. I saw myself burning in the rubble and shrapnel from the missile eating away at my body.”

“I was critically injured by the bombing. My left foot was amputated, and I suffer from wounds, abrasions, and laceration in my right foot … in addition to severe burns on my chest, abdomen, and hands. I lost all sight in my left eye and 60% in my right eye,” he said.

Shirby told CPJ in February 2025 that he was admitted to Gaza City’s Ahli-Baptist Hospital where he was still receiving treatment, more than four months later. The journalist said it was the twelfth time that he had been injured during the war but the first time that the seriousness of his injuries had stopped him from working.

September 3, 2024

Mohammad Mansour and Ayman al-Nubani

Mohammad Mansour, a Palestinian photographer with the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA, was shot in the left arm while covering an Israeli military operation in the Palestinian village of Kafr Dan, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) northwest of the West Bank city of Jenin. Video footage of the incident shows that Mansour was driving a car marked “Press” and wearing a protective vest marked “Press.”

Ayman Al-Nubani, a WAFA photographer, was hit by shrapnel in his left arm in the same incident. He told the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate that Israeli forces used live gunfire against seven journalists in “Press” vests riding in three “Press” cars.

“We narrowly escaped death. Had we not sped up a little, they would have killed us. It was a direct assassination attempt,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the Israeli soldiers “started shooting at us directly.”

Al-Nubani said that Israeli forces obstructed the ambulances that were taking the injured to Jenin’s Ibn Sina Hospital and forces surrounding the hospital questioned them.

August 26, 2024

Mohammed Al-Za’anin

Al-Za’anin, a 40-year-old Palestinian journalist who works as a camera operator for the Turkish-owned TRT Arabic broadcaster, was injured when shrapnel from a missile struck his left eye after an Israeli strike on a house next to the TRT temporary office located in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip. Al-Za’anin’s assistant, Mohammed Karajah, was also injured in the incident, according to multiple media reports and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

The office is currently located in a warehouse facing Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.

Al-Za’anin has been a camera operator and a photographer for 19 years. He was on assignment in the south of the Gaza strip in the early days of the war and remained there as a displaced person when the war unfolded.

“We were near Nasser Hospital when an Israeli warplane struck near us,” Al-Za’nin told CPJ by phone. “I was injured by shrapnel that penetrated my left eye and has not yet come out, and my assistant, Mohammed Karajah, was injured by shrapnel in his left leg. The doctors were able to remove it and he left the hospital.”

Al-Za’anin said that he walked on foot after his injury to Nasser Hospital because of its proximity to the office, and that he is still being treated there after undergoing surgery, but told CPJ he needs an operation outside Gaza to extract the shrapnel due to the lack of capabilities in the strip.

The Turkish foreign ministry posted on X about the incident, saying “the attacks on TRT members in Gaza are an Israeli effort to cover up the truth, with its hands stained with blood. We stand with all members of the press who are working with all their might to make Israel’s cruelty known to the world. We extend our best wishes to the TRT members and the TRT family who were injured in the latest attack.”

Mohammed Karajah

Karajah, a -32-year-old Palestinian media worker who works as an assistant photographer for the Turkish-owned TRT Arabic broadcaster was injured by shrapnel from Israeli missiles when an Israeli airstrike hit a nearby house to the TRT temporary office located in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, according to multiple media reports and his colleague Mohammed Al-Za’anin, who was also injured and spoke to CPJ.

“We were near Nasser Hospital when an Israeli warplane struck near us,” Al-Za’nin told CPJ by phone. “I was injured by shrapnel that penetrated my left eye and has not yet come out, and my assistant, Mohammed Karajah, was injured by shrapnel in his left leg. The doctors were able to remove it and he left the hospital.”

Karajah was displaced from the Bureij Palestinian refugee camp east of the central Gaza Strip to the neighboring city of Deir al-Balah.

The Turkish foreign ministry posted on X about the incident, saying “the attacks on TRT members in Gaza are an Israeli effort to cover up the truth, with its hands stained with blood. We stand with all members of the press who are working with all their might to make Israel’s cruelty known to the world. We extend our best wishes to the TRT members and the TRT family who were injured in the latest attack.”

August 18, 2024

Salma Al Qaddoumi

Al Qaddoumi, a freelance Palestinian journalist, who works with multiple outlets including the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, Al Jazeera, and AFP news agency, was injured when an Israeli tank fired towards a group of journalists reporting in the Hamad city area, northwest of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to news reports. Freelance journalist Ibrahim Muhareb was also killed in the incident.

The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate posted a description by journalist Rasha Ahmed of the incident. Ahmed said she was one of five journalists on assignment together when a military tank suddenly advanced from the Al-Hawz area in the northwestern part of Hamad city and opened heavy fire on them. Some reporters lay on the ground for more than five minutes due to the intense gunfire, until they were “miraculously” able to get out. Al-Qaddoumi also tried to run, unaware that her back was injured, but fell to the ground. Ahmed and another journalist Saeed Al-Lulu rescued Al-Qaddoumi and found a cart and then a car to transport her to hospital, the PJS report said.

On August 19, Al-Qaddoumi told CPJ by phone that the group of journalists reported from “a place far from the presence of tanks” but “a number of tanks suddenly appeared in the area after filming had ended.”

“The tanks fired shells and bullets at us, and Ibrahim was hit directly. He asked me to help him leave the place, and I went with one of the displaced people in the area to rescue him, but the tanks fired more shells and bullets at us. At that moment, I was hit in the back by two (pieces of) shrapnel, either from the shells or the bullets. I then lost consciousness and found myself in the hospital,” she told CPJ.

Sami Barhoom

Barhoom, a Palestinian correspondent for the Turkish state-owned broadcaster TRT Arabic was injured by shrapnel from Israeli sniper bullets when he and a colleague were reporting in southern Gaza, according to news reports and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate.

“I was on a field mission to prepare a report with camera operator Hazem al-Baz about the cemeteries being full and the lack of graves to accommodate the martyrs in the Austrian neighborhood northwest of Khan Yunis,” Barhoom told CPJ by phone. “We finished and headed to another mission near Hamad city, west of Khan Yunis, at exactly 2:00 p.m.”

“Although the car was marked “Press” and “TV” and we were (both) wearing a “Press” jacket and helmet, we were surprised by direct fire on our car … The first shot hit the right door of the car, so I knew it was a targeted attack because the gunfire was hitting the sand very heavily,” he said, referring to the desert sand they were driving over.

“We tried to get out of the car to hide, but as soon as we tried to get out of it, the bullets hit the front window of the car at the level of our heads, and it was clear that the target was to kill,” he said.

Musa, a 20-year-old Palestinian volunteer reporter for the local social media-based Watan Media Agency, was injured by Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

Barhoom said the pair managed to get out of the car, which was hit by five bullets, and took cover in a nearby shelter for an hour until it was safe to leave. In April, Barhoom was one of four journalists injured by Israeli shelling while reporting in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. His TRT Arabic colleague Sami Shehadeh lost a leg in the incident.

Volunteer reporter Mohammed Abu Musa
Volunteer reporter Mohammed Abu Musa (Photo: Courtesy of Mohammed Abu Musa)

August 9, 2024

Mohammed Abu Musa

“A house in the village of Ma’in in Khan Yunis was targeted by Israeli airstrikes, so I went to cover [it],” he said. “The targeting was repeated again, which resulted in me being injured by shrapnel in my right foot.”

Musa said he was admitted to Nasser Hospital for treatment for nine days.

July 27, 2024

Youssef al-Firani

Local news agency director Yousef Al-Firani
Local news agency director Yousef Al-Firani (Photo: Courtesy of Yousef Al-Firani)

Al-Firani, a 23-year-old correspondent and director of the local social media-based outlets Watan Media Agency and Al-Quds News Network, was injured by Israeli airstrikes on a school housing displaced people in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah city, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

“The Israeli air force bombed the school gate with four missiles. The intensity of the bombing caused me to fly a distance from where I was standing. I was injured in the head, and I suffered several shrapnel wounds and bruises all over my body, including my back, pelvis, and left knee,” al-Firani told CPJ, adding that he was treated at the city’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and discharged later that day.

July 22, 2024

Mohammed Al Zanin

Al Zanin, a 44-year-old camera operator for the local Palestine Media Production company, was injured by Israeli airstrikes while covering the displacement of people near the southern city of Khan Yunis, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

Palestine Media Production Company's Mohammed Al Zanin
Palestine Media Production Company’s Mohammed Al Zanin (Photo: Courtesy of Mohammed Al Zanin)

“I went to cover areas east of Khan Yunis when the Israeli occupation asked its residents to evacuate. At 10:30 a.m., the Israeli Air Force bombed one of the residents’ homes near the Bani Suhaila roundabout while I was covering the displacement operations, which resulted in injury to both my feet,” said Al Zanin, who was himself displaced from northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun earlier in the war.

“The injury was shrapnel in the right and left feet. I was transferred to Nasser Medical Complex, west of the city, where I received treatment. After 28 days, I was treated again and underwent a cleaning operation on my right foot to remove shrapnel. I am still taking painkillers and antibiotics,” he told CPJ on October 15, 2024.

July 20, 2024

Mahmoud Akki

Akki, a 34-year-old Palestinian camera operator for the Qatari-based broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher, sustained shrapnel injuries in his right arm during an Israeli strike on central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, according to the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

“After I learned that the Israeli occupation threatened to bomb one of the Ain Jalut Towers in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday, I went to the place to cover the shooting. I arrived and set up the camera away from the tower. I had just finished and retreated a little when the Israeli warplanes suddenly bombed the tower,” he told CPJ.

“The shrapnel penetrated my hand and lodged in it, damaging the ligaments and nerves. I am still suffering from it and I am experiencing severe pain,” he told CPJ on October 9, 2024.

Akki said he sought treatment at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah.

“I stayed there for only one day because there was no treatment available and there were not enough beds. In addition, I was supposed to receive physical therapy and painkillers, but I did not receive any because they were not available in the Strip as a result of the war,” he said.

May 21, 2024

Amro Manasrah

Manasrah, a freelance photographer working with the local Palestine Post outlet and the regional Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen broadcaster, was hit in the back by an Israeli  bullet that ricocheted off the wall next to him as he and other journalists were reporting on an Israeli operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestine Post, Al Jazeera, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ.

Manasrah, who was wearing a press vest, told CPJ via phone call after he was hospitalized, that the bullet hit a wall next to him and ricocheted, hitting him in the back. Manasrah said that only journalists were in the area and were visible to IDF soldiers. Manasrah was later released from the hospital on the same day.

Journalist Obada Tahayneh, a freelance reporter for Qatari-owned Al Jazeera Mubasher who was at the scene, told CPJ over the phone that “there were approximately 20 journalists present at the scene, only 150 meters away from IDF soldiers. Seven of us moved towards the nearby hospital, when we heard shots fired. We ran and hid next to a wall, and shortly after I saw Manasrah on the ground.” Tahayneh added that he is still “in shock” from being so close to the shooting and witnessing Manasrah’s injury.

April 12, 2024

Sami Shehadeh, cameraman, TRT Arabic injured by an Israeli shell while reporting in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which led to the loss of his right leg.

Sami Barhoom, TRT Arabic reporter, injured by an Israeli shell while reporting in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Ahmad Harb was on duty for Al Arabiya TV at the time of the incident and was injured by the Israeli shell.

CNN stringer Mohammad Al-Sawalhi was struck by shrapnel, resulting in a slight injury to his right hand and bruising on his left leg.

March 31, 2024

Freelance photojournalist Ali Hamad, whose back was hit with missile shrapnel in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.

Freelance photojournalist Saeed Jars, whose knee was hit by shrapnel in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.

Freelance photojournalist Naaman Shteiwi suffered minor facial injuries in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.

Zain Media cameraperson Mohammed Abu Dahrouj was seriously injured in the leg in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.

Freelance photojournalist Nafez Abu Labda suffered a leg injury in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.

Al-Aqsa photographer Ibrahim Labad suffered leg injuries in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.

Al Jazeera photographer Hazem Mazeed, who suffered leg injuries in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.

Freelance photojournalist Magdi Qaraqea was also injured in the attack in an attack on Al-Aqsa hospital, according to CPJ sources. Those sources did not specify his injuries.

January 7, 2024

Hazem Rajab, injured by the same strike that killed Mustafa Thuraya and Hamza Al Dahdouh on January 7, 2024.

Amer Abu Amr, injured in an Israeli strike on January 7, 2024, several minutes before the one that killed Thuraya and Al Dahdouh.

Ahmed al-Bursh, injured in an Israeli strike on January 7, 2024, several minutes before the one that killed Thuraya and Al Dahdouh.

December 23, 2023

Khader Marquez

Marquez, a cameraman for Lebanon’s Hezbollah-owned TV channel Al-Manar was injured after shrapnel from an Israeli missile hit his car on the Khardali road of south Lebanon, injuring his left eye, according to Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, who was with Marquez, posted about the incident on social media, and spoke to the privately-owned Beirut-based Al-Jadeed TV. The incident also was reported by the privately owned Lebanese Annahar newspaper, the Beirut-based press freedom group SKeyes, the National News Agency, and multiple news reports.

December 19, 2023

Islam Bader

Bader, a Palestinian reporter and presenter for the Hamas-funded Al-Aqsa TV channel, and a contributor to multiple media outlets including the Qatari-funded Al-Araby TV, was injured in the right shoulder and hip in an Israeli airstrike on Block 2 of the Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, on December 19, according to the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Araby TV, and Palestine TV. His colleague Mohamed Ahmed was injured in the same strike. A video posted by Al Jazeera shows the two journalists being treated in Jabalia medical center after the attack. Another video posted by the local Palestine Post website shows Bader and Ahmed lying on the floor of the medical center frowning in pain.

Bader told Al-Araby TV that he was injured by three pieces of shrapnel in his shoulder, and hip.

Bader and Ahmed are among the few journalists still reporting from northern Gaza.

Mohamed Ahmed

Ahmed, a Palestinian reporter for the pro-Hamas Shehab agency and photographer for the Hamas-funded Al-Aqsa TV channel, was injured in the left thigh in an Israeli airstrike on Block 2 of Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, on December 19, according to the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Araby TV, and Palestine TV. His colleague Islam Bader was injured in the same strike. A video posted by Al Jazeera shows the two journalists being treated in Jabalia medical center right after their injury. Another video posted by the local Palestine Post website shows Bader and Ahmed lying on the floor of the medical center frowning in pain.

December 16, 2023

Mohamed Balousha

Balousha, a reporter for the Emirati-owned Dubai-based Al Mashahd TV, was shot in the thigh while reporting on the war from northern Gaza on December 16, 2023. According to his outlet Al Mashhad, Al Jazeera, and the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, the bullet was fired by an Israeli sniper. Balousha said in a video about his injury that he lost consciousness for about 30 minutes after “six hours of agony” and was roused by the nuzzling of cats he was feeding before the shooting. Al Mashhad said that Israeli forces intercepted the ambulances sent to evacuate him, delaying his transfer to a hospital for treatment.

In late November, Balousha broke a story that four premature babies left behind at al-Nasr Children’s Hospital died and their bodies had decomposed after Israel forced the staff to evacuate without ambulances. Balousha accused Israel of directly targeting him. “I was wearing everything to prove that I was a journalist, but they deliberately targeted me, and now I am struggling to get the treatment necessary to preserve my life,” he told The Washington Post.

December 15, 2023

Wael Al Dahdouh

The Gaza bureau chief for Al Jazeera, Al Dahdouh was injured by a drone strike while covering the aftermath of nightly Israeli strikes on a UN school sheltering displaced people in the center of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, according to reports by their Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, and Reuters. Dahdoh was hit with shrapnel in his hand and waist and treated at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. His colleague, camera operator Samer Abu Daqqa, was killed in the same strike.

Mustafa Alkharouf

Alkharouf, a photographer with the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency, was covering Friday prayers near Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem on December 15 when a group of Israeli police and soldiers attacked him, according to Anadolu Agency, footage shared by The Union of Journalists in Israel, and the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency WAFA. Soldiers initially brandished their weapons at Alkharouf, punched him, and then threw him to the ground, kicking him. Alkharouf sustained severe blows, resulting in injuries to his face and body, and was transported by ambulance and treated at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem.

November 18, 2023

Mohamed Al Sawaf

Mohamed Al Sawaf, an award-winning Palestinian film producer and director who founded the Gaza-based Alef Multimedia production company, was injured in an Israeli airstrike on his home in Shawa Square in Gaza City. The airstrike killed 30 members of his family, including his mother and his father, Mostafa Al Sawaf, who was also a journalist, according to the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, Anadolu Agency, and TRT Arabic.

Montaser Al Sawaf

Montaser Al Sawaf, a Palestinian freelance photographer contributing to Anadolu Agency, was injured in the same Israeli airstrike that injured his brother, Mohamed Al Sawaf and killed their parents and 28 other family members, according to the Anadolu Agency, the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, and TRT Arabic.

November 13, 2023

Issam Mawassi

Al Jazeera videographer Mawassi was injured after two Israeli missiles struck near journalists in Yaroun in southern Lebanon covering clashes, which also resulted in damage to the journalists’ cars in the area, according to multiple media reports, some of which show the journalists live on air the minute the second missile hit the area. CPJ reached out to Mawassi via a messaging app but didn’t receive any response.

October 13, 2023

Thaer Al-Sudani

Al-Sudani, a journalist for Reuters, was injured in the same attack that killed Abdallah near the border in southern Lebanon, Reuters said.

Maher Nazeh

Nazeh, a journalist for Reuters, was also injured in the same southern Lebanon attack.

Elie Brakhya

Brakhya, an Al Jazeera TV staff member, was injured as well in the southern Lebanon shelling, Al Jazeera TV said.

Carmen Joukhadar

Joukhadar, an Al Jazeera TV reporter, was also wounded in the southern Lebanon attack.

Christina Assi

Assi, a photographer for the French news agency Agence France-Press (AFP), was injured in that same attack on southern Lebanon, according to AFP and France 24.

Dylan Collins

Dylan Collins, a video journalist for AFP, was also injured in the southern Lebanon shelling.

October 7, 2023

Ibrahim Qanan

Qanan, a correspondent for Al-Ghad channel, was injured by shrapnel in the city of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to MADA and JSC.

CPJ safety advisories

As we continue to monitor the war in Israel/Gaza, journalists who have questions about their safety and security can contact us emergencies@cpj.org.

For more information, read:

These are available in multiple languages, including Arabic.

MISSING

October 7, 2023

Nidal Al-Wahidi

Nidal Al-Wahidi, a cameraman and photographer in Gaza for the Nablus-based Palestinian broadcaster An-Najah Nbc Channel, went missing near the Erez crossing, known in Gaza as the Beit Hanoun crossing, while reporting on Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 according to news reports, the Palestinian press freedom organization MADA, and a video interview with his father, Suhail Al-Wahidi, on Qatari-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera Mubasher. 

On assignment? Yes

Haitham Abdelwahid

Haitham Abdelwahid, a cameraman and video editor for Ain Media, a Gaza production company, went missing near the Erez crossing, known locally as the Beit Hanoun crossing, while reporting on Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, according to news reports, his employer, and the Palestinian press freedom organization MADA.

On assignment? Yes

Clarifications and corrections:

*Definition of a journalist: CPJ’s research and documentation covers all journalists, defined as individuals involved in news-gathering activity. This definition covers those working for a broad range of publicly and privately funded news outlets, as well as freelancers. In the cases CPJ has documented, multiple sources have found no evidence to date that any journalist was engaged in militant activity.

CPJ’s global database of killed journalists and media workers includes only those confirmed to have been killed in connection with their work or where it is unclear whether their death was work-related (motive unconfirmed.) Our research is ongoing and we remove names from our list if we determine that a person either was incorrectly identified as a journalist or could not have been working at the time of their death.    

CPJ has removed a Palestinian man, Mohamed Khaireddine, from its database. Khaireddine was previously identified as a journalist, but his family later clarified that he was neither a journalist nor a media support worker.  

CPJ has removed six other Palestinian journalists from its database that were found not to be journalists or media workers: Bahaa Okasha, Salma Mkhaimar, Ahmed Fatima, Mohamed Al Jaja, Assaad Shamallakh, and Mohamed Fayez Abu Matar. 

CPJ has removed two Israeli journalists, Shai Regev and Ayelet Arnin, from its database after their outlets confirmed that the journalists were not on assignment to cover the music festival, nor were they in a position to begin reporting on the attack by Hamas militants that killed them on October 7. CPJ’s global database of killed journalists includes only those who have been killed in connection with their work or where there is still some doubt that their death was work-related.

After receiving reports that Palestinian journalist and presenter Alaa Taher Al-Hassanat may have survived the attack thought to have killed her, CPJ has removed her name from its database pending further investigation.

On February 6, 2024, Canadian-Palestinian journalist Mansour Shouman was found alive after being reported missing more than two weeks before. We have removed him from our list of missing journalists.

According to CPJ’s research, Israeli journalist Oded Lifschitz wasn’t working when he was taken as a hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023. CPJ removed his name from the list of missing journalists after contacting the family.

This text has been updated to add detail about the funding of Al-Aqsa TV channel and the editorial stance of Shehab agency.