129 Journalists Died in 2025, Most Killed in Israeli Attacks
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) recorded 129 journalists and media workers killed throughout 2025, making it the deadliest year for the global press. Approximately two-thirds of the victims were reportedly killed in attacks by the Israeli military.
In its annual report released on Wednesday (25/2/2026), CPJ stated that this record occurred for the second consecutive year, with Israel again being cited as responsible for the majority of journalist deaths.
“This is the second consecutive year that killings of journalists have reached record highs,” CPJ wrote, as quoted by Reuters, Thursday (26/2/2026).
CPJ recorded 86 journalists killed by Israeli fire in 2025. The majority of the victims were Palestinians in Gaza. In addition, 31 media workers died in an attack on a Houthi media center in Yemen, which CPJ called the second deadliest attack ever documented by the organization.
Israel is also said to be responsible for 81% of the 47 cases of targeted killings of journalists that CPJ classified as deliberate killings. The committee assessed that the actual number could be higher due to access restrictions that made the verification process difficult in Gaza.
In response to the report, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it strongly rejects CPJ’s findings.
“The IDF does not intentionally harm journalists or their family members. This report is based on general accusations, data of unclear origin, and predetermined conclusions, without considering the complexities of the fighting or the IDF’s efforts to minimize civilian casualties,” the IDF said in a statement.
CPJ also highlighted that Israel did not allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza, so all media workers who died in the region were Palestinians. The report stated that since it began collecting data more than three decades ago, the Israeli military has now recorded more targeted killings of journalists than any other government military.
Globally, 104 of the 129 journalist deaths in 2025 were directly related to conflict. In addition to Gaza and Yemen, the deadliest countries for journalists included Sudan (nine victims) and Mexico (six victims). Ukraine recorded four journalists killed by Russian forces, while the Philippines recorded three victims.
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not respond specifically to the CPJ report, but referred to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry accusing Kyiv of being responsible for the deaths of more than 60 Russian media workers since 2014. Russia denies targeting journalists, while Ukraine also denies targeting Russian journalists.