Israel responsible for nearly half journalist killings in 2025: RSF report

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that Israel was responsible for nearly half of the journalists killed this year across the world. In its annual report released on Tuesday (Dec 9) on violence against journalists, the international organisation said that 43 per cent of the journalists slain in the last 12 months were killed in Gaza by Israeli armed forces. The report also added that reporters were also targeted in Ukraine, where the Russian army continues to target foreign and Ukrainian journalists, and in Sudan, which has emerged as a deadly war zone for news professionals. A total of 67 journalists were killed across the world for their work in the last 12 months.

According to the RSF report, since October 2023, the Israeli military has killed nearly 220 journalists. It added that “at least 65 of whom were slain either due to their work or while they were working.”

Highlighting deadly crimes against journalists across the world, RSF said, “Journalists do not just die – they are killed. The number of murdered journalists has risen again, due to the criminal practices of military groups — both regular and paramilitary — and organised crime. At least 53 of the 67 media professionals killed over the past year are victims of war or criminal networks.”

The report also mentioned that out of 503 journalists detained globally, 20 were imprisoned in Israel as of December 1, 2025. World’s largest prison for reporters emerged in China, with 121 journalists in jail, followed by Russia (48) and Myanmar (47). RSF stated that most foreign journalists were detained by Russia (26).

RSF stated that most foreign journalists were detained by Russia (26). Following Moscow, Israel is the second country to imprison the largest number of foreign reporters. “As of 1 December 2025, 20 Palestinian journalists are behind Israeli bars, 16 of whom were arrested over the past two years in Gaza and the West Bank,” the report said.

Mexico witnessed an alarming spike in journalist murders in 2025, for which organised crime groups are responsible, becoming the second most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Nine reporters were killed in the country this year, while 28 are missing.

Meanwhile, Syria has the highest number of missing journalists. As per RSF, “37 journalists are currently missing in Syria. Many were held hostage by ISIS or imprisoned by Bashar al-Assad, but the downfall of these two regimes has not yet led to the recovery of these journalists.”

The report added that 20 journalists are currently held hostage worldwide, with seven taken by Houthi rebels in Yemen.