TEHRAN – Despite the recent Gaza ceasefire, the situation for Palestinian journalists remains tragic. Newsrooms lie in ruins, dozens of reporters are displaced or detained, and access for international media continues to be completely blocked by Israel.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 2024 was the deadliest year ever recorded for the press, with nearly 70 percent of all journalists killed worldwide targeted by Israel in Gaza. Yet, even amid devastation, local reporters persist — documenting the destruction of their own communities while facing constant danger, hunger, and trauma.

In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Sara Qudah, CPJ’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, discusses the grim reality facing journalists in Gaza, CPJ’s ongoing legal push to end Israel’s ban on independent media access, and the organization’s wider mission to secure justice and accountability for the hundreds of journalists killed, injured, or silenced in war zones across the region.

The following is the text of the interview:

With the recent Gaza ceasefire, do you see any improvement in the safety or working conditions of Palestinian journalists on the ground?

While the ceasefire has brought a pause in open hostilities, there is little evidence of any meaningful improvement in safety or working conditions for Palestinian journalists. Unfortunately, despite a ceasefire being in place for nearly a week, many areas remain completely destroyed and inaccessible.

For example, cities like Rafah and Beit Hanoun have been effectively wiped off the map, leaving journalists from those areas either still displaced or in desperate need of housing.

Although seven Palestinian journalists were released from Israeli prisons as part of the ceasefire agreement, broader conditions on the ground have not changed. Israel continues to enforce a ban on international media access, and no new permissions or cases have been granted since the ceasefire.

On October 5, 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) filed an amicus brief in support of the Foreign Press Association’s petition to the Israeli Supreme Court, demanding that Israel immediately allow independent, unrestricted media access into Gaza.

CPJ has explicitly called for Israel to end its blanket ban on independent media access to Gaza, arguing it is unlawful even in wartime and violates Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Additionally, journalists face serious threats from multiple sides. Just days after the ceasefire, journalist Saleh Aljafarawi was shot and killed in Gaza City, reportedly by members of an armed Palestinian group. His death highlights the ongoing risks for journalists even when active hostilities have paused.

Based on CPJ’s data Israel has killed 237 journalists and media workers, of which:

197 were Palestinians in Gaza

31 Yemenis in Yemen

6 Lebanese in Lebanon 

3 Iranians in Iran.

The year 2024 is deadliest year for journalists in CPJ history; almost 70% killed by Israel.

Until this moment, no investigation or justice has yet been launched to hold those responsible for the killing of journalists to account. This ongoing impunity only adds to the climate of danger and fear in which journalists are operating.

In some instances, state actors smear journalists after their deaths, claiming they were militants or affiliated with armed groups — without providing any credible evidence. Beyond documenting casualties, what role does CPJ see for itself in ensuring justice and accountability for the journalists killed during the war?

CPJ sees its role as going far beyond documenting the journalists killed, imprisoned and injured. For CPJ, documentation is just the beginning of a much broader effort to secure justice, protect press freedom, and ensure accountability for those responsible for harming or killing journalists.

CPJ actively challenges policies and actions that enable impunity. For example, in October 2025, CPJ filed an amicus brief with the Israeli Supreme Court in support of a legal petition demanding the Israeli government lift its 741-day ban on international media access to Gaza.

This legal step signals CPJ’s shift from advocacy to direct legal intervention — asserting that denying access to independent media not only violates international law, but also obstructs accountability efforts.

CPJ also serves as a global press freedom watchdog, constantly pressuring governments and international institutions to uphold protections for journalists and to investigate their killings properly.

We frequently call on all parties — state and non-state actors alike — to ensure that journalists are not targeted and that the killing of media workers does not go unpunished. When journalists are killed, CPJ demands credible, independent investigations, rather than silence or impunity.

Additionally, CPJ supports local journalists on the ground by providing emergency funding, safety gear, digital security tools, and psychological support. This direct aid is vital to ensuring that journalists can continue working and documenting events even after attacks on their communities, newsrooms, or families.

Persistence of journalists in the face of unimaginable hardship reflects both deep courage and a profound sense of responsibility.

What are the main challenges CPJ encounters when investigating killings of journalists in active war zones, especially in places where access is severely restricted, such as Gaza?

Investigating journalist killings in war zones like Gaza is extraordinarily difficult, and CPJ faces numerous challenges that make its work both risky and complex.

One of the most pressing obstacles is access — or the lack of it. In Gaza, Israel has maintained a strict ban on international media access for more than two years.

Even during periods of ceasefire, this ban has not been lifted. Without the ability to independently enter the territory, CPJ and other watchdogs struggle to verify incidents on the ground.

We gather direct evidence from eyewitnesses and journalists on the ground but often internet blockade makes it difficult and more time consuming to engage with our sources on the ground.

Internet blackouts and power outages further isolate journalists, disrupting contact with the outside world and making the transfer of data or testimonies slow.

CPJ also faces institutional obstruction. In many cases, authorities — including military forces — refuse to release relevant information about attacks.

There are no public investigations or credible military inquiries. In some instances, state actors attempt to smear journalists after their deaths, claiming they were militants or affiliated with armed groups — without providing any credible evidence.

CPJ then has to carefully examine and refute these claims, often with limited access to counter-evidence.

Finally, CPJ operates under rigorous verification standards. It will not publicly attribute a journalist’s death to a specific actor unless the facts are clear and confirmed by multiple sources. In environments as volatile and restricted as Gaza, meeting these standards takes time and significant effort — and can delay justice.

The resilience of Gaza journalists is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. 

Many media organizations in Gaza have been destroyed or rendered nonfunctional. What impact has this had on Palestinians’ ability to tell their own stories and document the war independently?

The destruction of media organizations in Gaza has had a devastating impact on Palestinian journalists’ ability to tell their own stories and document the war as firsthand witnesses.

With newsrooms bombed, equipment destroyed, and journalists displaced or killed, local media infrastructure has been largely dismantled. This has silenced many voices that are essential not just for local audiences, but for the world’s understanding of what is happening inside Gaza.

Local journalists play a unique and irreplaceable role. They have deep ties to their communities, cultural knowledge, linguistic fluency, and physical access that foreign journalists often lack — when they are even allowed in.

When Palestinian newsrooms are destroyed, this form of grounded, contextual, and community-based journalism becomes almost impossible to maintain.

This destruction has forced many Palestinian journalists into survival mode. Instead of reporting full-time, they are now struggling to find shelter, electricity, or food.

Others have had to stop working altogether, either due to trauma, injury, or the complete loss of their equipment and facilities. As CPJ has documented, some are now operating from tents, others are reporting while starving, and most face the constant threat of death.

Finally, as someone directly involved in documenting these tragedies, how do you personally interpret the resilience of Palestinian journalists who continue to report despite the immense risks?

The resilience of Palestinian journalists in Gaza is nothing short of extraordinary. Even as they face death, displacement, trauma, and loss, many continue to report — not because it is safe, but because it is necessary.

Their persistence in the face of unimaginable hardship reflects both deep courage and a profound sense of responsibility.

For many of these journalists, reporting is not just a job — it’s a form of survival, resistance, and witness. They understand that if they don’t tell the story, it may never be told. They see their role not just as journalists, but as the last line of truth between their people and the rest of the world.

CPJ has shared stories of reporters who continue filing dispatches even after losing their homes, who carry their equipment through rubble, who conduct interviews while grieving their own family members. Some have gone hungry, slept in tents, or worked without any safety gear or secure internet. And yet they keep going — because the truth is too important to leave behind.

This resilience is both heartbreaking and deeply inspiring. It reminds us of the essential role of journalism in documenting human suffering, injustice, and resistance. And it also underscores the urgency of protecting those who risk everything to bring us the truth.

Their bravery demands not only our respect — it demands action. It is not enough to admire their resilience; the international community must ensure that these journalists are protected, supported, and heard.