Killing of journalists in Gaza, Middle East highlighted on International Day to End Impunity

On Sunday, the world marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, following a year of increased atrocities committed against media personnel in conflict zones.

The UN-recognised international day serves to highlight the precarious conditions journalists worldwide are faced with, particularly crimes committed against them. It was adopted in 2013 by the UN General Assembly, after lobbying from civil society groups.

The UN encourages journalists, news organisations, and NGOs protecting media workers to highlight the plight of journalists in conflict zones, and to urge government action on such on 2 November each year.

Several UN-affiliated individuals issued statements on the matter. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: "Impunity anywhere is not only an injustice to the victims and their families – it is an assault on press freedom, an invitation to further violence, and a threat to democracy itself."

"All governments must investigate every case. Prosecute every perpetrator. And ensure that journalists can do their jobs freely everywhere," he added.

UNESCO’s Tawfik Jelassi stressed that journalists are in need for protection for "the survival for open societies," and such commemorations weren’t merely acts of "professional solidarity" between colleagues.

"When journalists are secure, truth is secure. And then truth is secure, democracy thrives," he said.

Volker Turk, the UN’s human rights chief, highlighted the lack of accountability when journalists are killed or wounded.

"In roughly nine out of ten cases, killers of journalists go unpunished," Turk said: "These are not numbers, but a measure of how far we have allowed indifference to spread."

Although the year hasn’t ended yet, 2025 has been among the deadliest periods on record for journalists globally, as conflict and war have ravaged the Middle East region this year.

The war-battered Gaza Strip, in particular, has been described as a "graveyard for journalists," due to Israel’s persistent attacks against media workers amid the war in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel’s war in Gaza, which was launched in October 2023, has been named by global journalist organisations and the UN as the deadliest conflict for media personnel on record. At least 248 journalists have been killed in the past two years in Gaza.

2025 saw Israel kill some of the most high-profile journalists covering the war in Gaza, including Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Anas al-Sharif, who was killed in August, Al Jazeera Mubasher correspondent Hossam Shabat, killed in March and photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in April.

Other well-known journalists killed by Israel include Hassan Aslih, Mohammed Salama, and Mariam Abu Dagga. At least 78 Palestinian journalists from Gaza have been killed in 2025 so far.

Salah al-Jaafari, another prominent journalist and social media personality, was also killed in Gaza by armed militias, following tensions that ensued between Hamas and rival clans shortly after the latest ceasefire in the territory was announced.

Israel's impunity hasn't been limited to Palestinian journalists in Gaza. Israeli weaponry killed journalists in Yemen, Iran, and Lebanon in its wider attacks on the region’s countries.

In Yemen, Israel’s attack on a newspaper complex for the Saba News Agency killed at least 35 professionals, in what was described as the second deadliest attack on journalists ever recorded.

At least 12 journalists were killed in Iran by various Israeli airstrikes during the 12-day war, which erupted in June.

In February of this year, Ahmed Farhat of Nabaa TV was killed by an Israeli strike on his car in southern Lebanon.

Media workers have also been injured and threatened by Israel amid the war in Gaza and its spillover in the region.

Dangers faced by journalists in wide MENA region

Elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa, journalists in Tunisia under President Kais Saied have also been targeted by arrests and travel bans. On Friday, authorities ordered the suspension of the Nawaat journalists' group, which runs one of the country’s leading independent investigative media outlets.

In Iraq, Kurdish journalist Sherwan Sherwani was handed a third jail sentence in August by a court in Erbil over an apparent "threat" he made to a prison officer.

Meanwhile, in war-ravaged Sudan, journalists are faced with perilous conditions as fierce battles between the RSF paramilitaries and the Sudanese army continue.

According to Reporters Without Borders, at least 546 journalists and media workers remain imprisoned worldwide. Additionally, journalists continue to be faced with threats, harassment both online and in person, as well as abusive lawsuits and pursuit of their families, simply due to their profession.

As 2025 nears its end, journalists remain faced with impunity in all four corners of the globe, while NGOs continue to press for accountability and for better protection for media professionals worldwide, especially in active war zones.

"When journalists are silenced, we all lose our voice," the UN said to mark the day.