Reuters published a report indicating that the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists stated that the first ten weeks of Israel’s war on Gaza were the bloodiest war ever for journalists, with the largest number of journalists killed in one year recorded in one place. 

Most of the journalists and media workers killed as a result of the war were Palestinians, 61 journalists out of 68. The report stated that the committee is “particularly concerned about the existence of a clear pattern of targeting journalists and their families by the Israeli army.”

An Israeli army spokesman said that the forces do not target journalists, according to what Reuters reported.

The committee's data also showed that four Israeli and three Lebanese journalists, including Reuters video journalist Issam al-Abdullah, were killed between October 7 and December 20.

The committee stated that it would continue to investigate the circumstances of the killing of all journalists. It said that these efforts in Gaza were hampered by the destruction of large areas and the killing of family members of journalists, who often represent sources for investigators to look into how journalists were killed.

The committee is a non-profit organization that advocates freedom of the press around the world.

The committee said that the press in Gaza was severely restricted under the weight of intense Israeli bombardment, with frequent communications outages and shortages of food, fuel and shelter, adding that foreign journalists were unable to independently access the Strip for most of the war.

According to Reuters, Sherif Mansour, program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists in the Middle East and North Africa, said, “The Israel-Gaza war is the most dangerous situation we have seen for journalists, and these numbers clearly show that.” He continued, "The Israeli army killed more journalists in ten weeks than any other army or entity killed in one year. With every journalist killed, the war is difficult to document and to understand further."

A report issued by the committee, last May, concluded that Israeli soldiers killed at least 20 journalists in the last twenty-two years and that no one was ever charged or held accountable.

A Reuters investigation earlier this month concluded that an Israeli tank crew killed Al-Abdullah and wounded six journalists by firing two shells in quick succession from Israel while the journalists were filming a cross-border bombing.

Gaza health officials say that nearly 20,000 Palestinians have since been confirmed killed as a result of Israeli attacks, and thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble.