NEW YORK, Monday, November 6, 2023 (WAFA) - The Israeli war on the Gaza Strip started on October 7 has taken a severe toll on journalists, today said the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

It said it is investigating all reports of journalists and media workers killed, injured, or missing in the war, including those hurt as hostilities spread to neighboring Lebanon.

As of November 6, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 36 journalists and media workers were among an estimated 11,000 killed by Israel since the war began on October 7.

“Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict in the face of an Israeli ground assault on Gaza City, devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, and extensive power outages,” it said.

CPJ said that 36 journalists and media workers were confirmed dead, eight were reported injured, three were reported missing, and eight were reported arrested, in addition to multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.

It said it is also investigating numerous unconfirmed reports of other journalists being killed, missing, detained, hurt, or threatened, and of damage to media offices and journalists’ homes.

“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator. “Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heart-breaking conflict. Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.”

M.K.