BRUSSELS, October 7, 2026 (WAFA) – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Wednesday that over a three-year period, Israel has killed hundreds of journalists and media workers in Gaza with total impunity in what has been the deadliest period in the history of journalism. Dozens more have been injured and some are still missing.
The IFJ called on journalists’ unions and associations worldwide to encourage their respective governments to allow Gazan journalists to receive medical treatment abroad.
It revealed that three years after Israel’s genocidal aggression began, over 74,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to official medical sources. Furthermore, civilians are facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with more than 2.1 million people displaced, according to UNRWA. A recent UN assessment has revealed that the destruction of buildings in Gaza has risen by almost 10% since the truce was reached in October 2025.
The IFJ demanded that the Israeli occupation government facilitate humanitarian evacuations and grant foreign reporters independent access to Gaza.
Highlighting the cases of journalists in need of medical care, the IFJ said that photojournalist Mohammed Fayeq Abu Mustafa has been paralysed from the waist down for over a year following an attack on journalists near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. He has had seven surgical operations and urgently needs to be evacuated in order to receive medical treatment.
It noted that the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) has documented dozens of cases to raise awareness of the need for specialised medical care and evacuation for treatment abroad.
IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: “International solidarity is vital at this time. As journalists, we must stand together and support one another.”
He pledged journalists’ unions and associations to put pressure on their governments to allow injured and sick Gazan journalists to receive medical treatment abroad. “We urgently call on our affiliates to press their governments to receive Gazan journalists and media workers in order to provide those in need with immediate medical treatment.”
The IFJ also noted that the PJS has identified a clear trend in which journalists’ lives are directly targeted, rather than them being merely harassed or arrested.
The IFJ data speaks for itself. Since the war began on 7 October 2023, the Israeli military government has killed over 212 journalists and media workers in Gaza. Dozens more have been injured and some are still missing in Gaza.
The IFJ reiterated that “deliberately targeting and assassinating non-combatants, including journalists, constitutes a war crime.”
It noted that it was working with the PJS and its legal team to ensure accountability. Together, since October 2023, they have been gathering evidence about Palestinian journalists being targeted by Israeli forces in order to lodge a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
It added that since 7 October 2023, “Israeli authorities have refused to grant journalists independent access into Gaza, and only local journalists are able to report on the reality on the ground.”
The IFJ, alongside its affiliates and several press freedom organisations, reiterated its call on the Israeli government to lift the media blockade and to stop infringing the public’s right to know.
The IFJ said that together with its affiliates across the world, they continue to show their unwavering solidarity with Gazan journalists through the IFJ’s International Safety Fund as well as by organising rallies and fundraising events. In September, the IFJ-affiliated National Writers Union (NWU) donated 3,000 US dollars to the PJS through a fundraising campaign.
It also noted that together with the PJS, it has established a network of Media Solidarity Centers in Khan Yunis, Deir al Balah and Gaza City, made possible by unions and organisations, including Canadian and Norwegian union solidarity as well as UNESCO. These media hubs offer journalists a safe working space with free internet connection and electricity, and serve as places of mutual support and solidarity to keep the Gazan journalism community united.
“With reduced donations, the centres are at real risk of closure, which would cut off journalists from a vital working and meeting hub,” it concluded.
K.F.
