Flak jackets and cameras are placed on the bodies of journalists killed in Gaza. (Photo by Reuters)

The Government Media Office in Gaza says at least 56 journalists have lost their lives in 2025 while performing their professional duties across the war-battered coastal region, taking the death toll to 275 since the beginning of the genocidal Israeli war in early October 2023.

The Office reported that the fate of three journalists remains unknown, while more than 420 journalists sustained injuries of varying severity while covering events, underscoring the significant dangers encountered by Palestinian media workers.

Furthermore, 50 journalists faced arrest and torture, blatantly disregarding international laws and conventions designed to safeguard journalists in times of armed conflict. This highlights a deliberate effort to suppress the free Palestinian narrative.

The Office highlighted that these numbers reflect an intentional effort to target Palestinian journalists. It stated that Israeli forces aim to suppress the truth through acts of killing, intimidation, and detention, constituting significant breaches of humanitarian standards and international law.

According to the statement, Palestinian journalists have persistently upheld their fight for awareness and dignity. They have served as truth-tellers, revealing Israeli violations to the world, even as Israel continues its efforts to suppress information and manipulate reality.

These statistics were revealed ahead of Palestinian Journalist Appreciation Day, observed annually on December 31. This day pays tribute to the unwavering champions of truth, who have courageously and diligently carried out their professional and national duties, often in the face of immense challenges, standing at the forefront to promote justice and support the Palestinian cause.

The Government Media Office emphasized that this year`s commemoration takes place under exceptional and unparalleled conditions, marked by a two-year campaign of genocide carried out by Israeli forces against the Palestinian people. This has been compounded by the deliberate targeting of journalists and media outlets in a desperate effort to suppress independent voices and distort the truth on the international stage.

With Israel continuing to block foreign journalists from entering Gaza, Palestinian reporters remain the only direct sources of information from within the conflict zone.

The Federation of News Agencies of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has voiced serious concern over the ongoing targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces.

The federation stated that the events unfolding in Gaza represent a blatant breach of international laws and standards. These actions are accompanied by Israeli measures against press and media freedom, aiming to suppress the truth, silence dissent, cover up daily violations, and obstruct the dissemination of information to the global audience.

The Israeli regime has killed at least 71,266 Palestinians, mainly women and children, in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the health ministry of Gaza.