At least 20 Palestinian journalists martyred in Israel’s war on Gaza Strip : Watchdog

At least 20 Palestinian journalists have so far been martyred in Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza Strip, a watchdog says.

In a report on Wednesday, the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that since the onset of Israel’s brutal war on the densely-populated coastal enclave on October 7, at least 20 Palestinian Journalists had been martyred.

“Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict in the face of a ground assault by Israeli troops, devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, and extensive power outages,” the CPJ further said.

Eight journalists have also been wounded and three others either reported missing or detained, added the watchdog, without providing further details on their identities.

The CPJ stressed that the toll was based on its “preliminary investigations” and that it is further investigating unconfirmed reports of other journalists being assassinated, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened.

“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties. Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heartbreaking conflict. All parties must take steps to ensure their safety,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s West Asia and North Africa program coordinator.

Separately on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported that one of its Gaza-based reporters, Wael Dahdouh, lost his family members in Israel’s airstrikes on the impoverished sliver, where shortages of food, water, and medicine threaten the lives of Gazans and hospitals are overwhelmed amid incessant Israeli bombings.

“Al Jazeera’s brave veteran journalist Wael Dahdouh’s wife, son, and daughter were martyred in an Israeli airstrike which targeted a shelter house they had fled to. Wael received the news while on air covering the nonstop Israeli strikes on Gaza,” said Al Jazeera’s Managing Editor Mohamed Moawad in a post on X.

As of Thursday, Israel’s airstrikes and missile attacks have massacred 7,165 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 18,000 others.