The Government Media Office in Gaza announced that 56 Palestinian journalists have been killed so far in 2025 while carrying out their professional duties, underscoring what it described as a systematic campaign to silence the Palestinian narrative amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

In a statement released ahead of Palestinian Journalist Appreciation Day, observed annually on December 31, the office said the latest deaths bring the total number of journalists killed since the start of Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people to 275.

The Media Office revealed that the fate of three journalists remains unknown, raising concerns they may be forcibly disappeared or buried under rubble following Israeli attacks. At the same time, more than 420 journalists have been injured to varying degrees while covering events, highlighting the extraordinary dangers faced by Palestinian media workers operating under relentless bombardment.

The statement also documented that at least 50 journalists have been arrested and subjected to torture, in what the office described as a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and international conventions that guarantee protection for journalists during armed conflicts.

According to the Government Media Office, these figures are not incidental but reflect a deliberate policy of targeting Palestinian journalists and media institutions. The office accused Israeli forces of attempting to silence the truth through killing, intimidation, arrest, and torture in order to suppress documentation of crimes committed against civilians in Gaza.

“This systematic targeting aims to eliminate the free Palestinian narrative and prevent the world from witnessing the reality of the crimes being committed,” the statement said, stressing that such actions constitute serious violations of international law.

Despite the risks, the office said Palestinian journalists have remained steadfast in their mission, continuing to report from the front lines under siege, bombardment, and extreme deprivation.

“They have been the truth-tellers who exposed Israeli crimes to the world,” the statement noted, adding that Israel has repeatedly sought to distort facts and erase reality from the global consciousness.

The statistics were released ahead of Palestinian Journalist Appreciation Day, which honors media workers who have upheld their professional and national responsibilities with courage and integrity. This year’s commemoration, the Media Office said, comes under unprecedented and exceptional circumstances.

For the second consecutive year, Palestinian journalists are marking the occasion amid what the office described as an ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, accompanied by a systematic assault on journalists, media offices, and press infrastructure.

The statement concluded that the targeting of journalists reflects a broader attempt to erase truth, suppress free voices, and prevent accountability, even as Palestinian reporters continue to stand on the front lines to defend truth, justice, and the Palestinian cause at immense personal cost. (ILKHA)