Nearly 300 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since October 2023, while more than 400 others have been wounded, according to Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967. Presenting her report to the UN General Assembly, Albanese argued that the killing of journalists, restrictions on information and the circulation of distorted accounts of the conflict have combined to obstruct scrutiny of Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
“Genocide is never sustained by killing alone. It requires destroying the conditions in which killing can be seen, documented, remembered and judged,” Albanese told the Assembly. She described the systematic destruction of the media’s public function as “mediacide”, arguing that the elimination of witnesses and the control of information have helped shield alleged crimes from public and legal scrutiny.
The report characterises the conflict as the deadliest for journalists and media workers in recorded history. It states that around 70 journalists were killed in reprisal for their work, while approximately 710 relatives of journalists have also been killed. More than 100 media workers have been detained, many of whom were allegedly subjected to brutal torture. Most of Gaza’s communications infrastructure has been destroyed, further restricting the ability of journalists to gather information and report events.
Albanese said Israel had justified attacks on journalists by branding them “terrorists”, including after their deaths. The report finds that the documented acts constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, and argues that the systematic elimination of witnesses may provide evidence relevant to establishing genocidal intent. These are findings and legal assessments advanced in the Special Rapporteur’s report.
The risks faced by journalists extend beyond the immediate threat of death or injury, Albanese said. Reporting on the destruction of their communities can expose journalists and their families to danger, yet Palestinian media workers have continued documenting the conflict. “Journalists in Gaza know that documenting the destruction of their own society may cost them their lives, and their families. Yet they keep reporting,” she said.
Restrictions on reporting are not confined to the battlefield. According to the report, Israeli military censorship reached record levels in 2024 and 2025, when nearly 2,400 articles were banned and more than 11,000 were redacted. Foreign journalists remain barred from entering Gaza, while critical media outlets have also been banned. These restrictions limit independent access to information from the territory, where the destruction of communications infrastructure has already severely affected the flow of news.
The report also identifies government communications and domestic broadcasting as part of the wider information environment surrounding the war. It states that the Israeli Government spent approximately US$50 million on advertisements denying famine. Albanese also cited Israeli broadcasters who called for Gaza to be “wiped off the face of the earth” and described Palestinians as “a cancerous growth” that “must be eradicated”.
She argued that such statements cannot be treated simply as expressions of opinion when they call for the destruction of a population. “When broadcasters call for a people’s annihilation and the State rewards rather than prosecutes them, that is not free speech. It is incitement to genocide, in defiance of a binding order of the International Court of Justice,” Albanese said.
The report extends its criticism beyond Israel, arguing that influential Western media organisations have contributed to the distortion of information about the conflict. Albanese said some outlets had reproduced Israeli narratives, amplified unverified claims, omitted historical context and disregarded relevant legal frameworks. The report presents these practices as contributing to an information environment in which Palestinian experiences and evidence of alleged violations receive inadequate scrutiny.
Digital platforms also come under criticism for their handling of content related to Palestine. According to Albanese, platforms have suppressed tens of millions of Palestinian posts while allowing anti-Palestinian hate and profiting from state propaganda. The report argues that technology companies have responsibilities extending beyond the neutral distribution of material published by governments and other actors.
“Media and technology companies are not passive conduits. In the face of genocide, due diligence is not optional,” she said, calling for greater accountability over the role of communications companies in the circulation, restriction and visibility of information about Gaza.
Albanese urged the General Assembly to take action to preserve evidence of crimes, including those committed against journalists. She called on states to prosecute attacks on the press, co-operate fully with the International Criminal Court and press for the release of detained journalists. She also demanded that Israel admit international media to Gaza and rescind censorship measures.
The report places the preservation of evidence at the centre of its call for accountability, arguing that attacks on journalists threaten not only individual lives but also the material through which violations can be documented and assessed. “Accountability depends on the survival of the record,” Albanese told the Assembly. “Palestinian journalists have paid with their lives to keep that record alive. The world owes them its protection – and immediate, principled action.”
