Israel linked to most 2025 journalist killings: CPJ

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 25 February 2026 |  JP Global Monitoring

A CPJ report says 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the highest annual toll on record. Israel was responsible for the majority of these deaths in Gaza, with drone strikes involved in many of the fatal attacks across multiple conflicts.

Summary

NEW YORK — A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, making it the deadliest year on record for the press, according to a new report released Wednesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The total surpasses all previous annual tallies since CPJ began systematically documenting journalist deaths in 1992. It also marks the second consecutive year in which global journalist fatalities reached historic highs, underscoring what the organization described as a worsening environment for media workers worldwide.

Israel accounts for the majority of deaths

CPJ said Israel was responsible for roughly two-thirds of the global total in 2025, with most of those killed being Palestinian journalists and media workers in Gaza. The group stated that the Israeli military had carried out more targeted killings of journalists than any other government military on record, according to its methodology.

Over three-quarters of all journalist deaths in 2025 occurred in conflict zones. While fatalities in Ukraine and Sudan increased slightly compared to the previous year, CPJ recorded four journalist deaths in Ukraine and nine in Sudan, far fewer than those documented in Gaza.

The report identified a sharp rise in the use of drones in fatal attacks on journalists. CPJ documented 39 cases in which drones were implicated, including 28 killings attributed to Israeli military operations in Gaza and five linked to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. In Ukraine, four journalists were killed by Russian military drones, the highest annual drone-related toll there since 2022.

Impunity fuels global crisis

CPJ classified 47 of the 2025 killings as targeted murders, the highest number of deliberate killings of journalists for their work in the past decade. According to the organization, no perpetrators have been held accountable in any of these cases to date.

The group said the lack of transparent investigations and prosecutions contributes to a broader culture of impunity that enables further violence against journalists, including in countries not formally at war.

In Mexico, CPJ recorded at least six journalist killings in 2025, despite the existence of a federal protection mechanism intended to safeguard media workers. In the Philippines, three journalists were shot dead during the year, with only one case resulting in an arrest. CPJ also documented journalist killings in India.

CPJ further reported that journalists covering corruption and organized crime in Asia and Latin America were particularly vulnerable. In Saudi Arabia, columnist Turki al-Jasser was executed in 2025 after seven years in detention, according to the organization.

WHY THIS MATTERS: The record death toll highlights escalating risks for journalists operating in conflict zones and fragile democracies. For Pakistani newsrooms, the findings underscore the importance of safety protocols, conflict reporting training, and sustained advocacy for accountability mechanisms to deter violence against the press.

ATTRIBUTION: Information in this report is based on the 2025 annual journalist fatalities data published on February 25, 2026, by the Committee to Protect Journalists.

PHOTO: People light candles at a vigil in Mexico City on August 12, 2025, following the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and five other journalists killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. (AP/Eduardo Verdugo/Circulated by CPJ)