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Current humanitarian situation in Gaza (mid‑2025)

Casualties: Since the war began in October 2023, the Gaza Ministry of Health, as reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), records over 60 000 Palestinians killed and more than 150 000 injured as of August 2025.

Displacement: More than 760 000 people have been forced to move within Gaza since the cease‑fire collapsed in March 2025, with fresh displacement orders issued in July 2025 affecting large parts of north Gaza, Gaza City and Deir al-Balah.

Aid access: Humanitarian deliveries remain severely constrained. In July 2025, only 31 % of 225 planned aid movements were fully facilitated; the rest were denied, impeded, or withdrawnunrwa.org. UNRWA staff have been barred from entering the Strip since March 2025, leaving roughly 12 000 UNRWA employees to operate under extreme restrictions

Food insecurity & famine: The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) declared famine in the Gaza Governorate in August 2025. The World Food Programme estimates ≈62 000 metric tons of food are needed each month for basic needs, yet only about 54 000 metric tons have been delivered through UN mechanisms between May and August 2025

Health & medical care: Hospitals and field clinics are overwhelmed. The Red Cross reports more than 21 mass‑casualty events since late May 2025, with thousands treated for gun‑shot wounds and malnutrition. Supplies are critically low, and many patients are collapsing from severe dehydration and starvation.

Living conditions: Temperatures have surged above 40 °C (104 °F), exacerbating dehydration risks. Many families live in tents or makeshift shelters with limited water, sanitation, and electricity. Reports describe children digging through trash for food and widespread emaciation

Security threats: Humanitarian workers continue to face lethal attacks. In August 2025, 11 incidents targeting convoy guards resulted in at least 46 Palestinian deaths, highlighting the danger of delivering aid

Overall picture: Gaza remains in a deep humanitarian crisis marked by massive loss of life, widespread displacement, acute food scarcity, collapsing health services, and persistent barriers to aid delivery. The situation is volatile, with frequent violent incidents further endangering civilians and aid workers.

Current state of journalism in Gaza (mid‑2025)

Press access blocked: For almost two years, Israel and Egypt have denied foreign journalists independent entry to Gaza, allowing only tightly controlled military embeds. This limits on‑the‑ground reporting to a handful of accredited crews and heavily curated footage.

High casualty toll: Since the war began, at least 192 journalists and media workers have been killed across Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and Lebanon. The figure includes freelancers, local reporters and staff of major news agencies.

Targeted attacks & accusations: Israeli forces have repeatedly labeled some Gaza journalists as “terrorists,” leading to targeted killings (e.g., Al Jazeera’s Ismail al‑Ghoul in July 2024, AP freelancer Mariam Dagga in August 2025) and threats against their families.

Starvation & displacement of reporters: Many journalists trapped in Gaza face the same humanitarian hardships as civilians—severe food shortages, lack of water, and repeated displacement. Newsrooms have warned that staff are “increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families”.

International pressure: A coalition of 27 countries (including the UK, Germany, Australia, Ukraine) has called on Israel to lift the press blockade and protect journalists operating in Gaza. Press‑freedom groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Media Freedom Coalition have issued urgent statements condemning the targeting and urging safe access.

Local media resilience: Despite the constraints, Al Jazeera reports that its correspondents remain the “sole international media outlet” still reporting from northern Gaza, documenting the humanitarian crisis under firealjazeera.com. Local freelance journalists continue to file stories for agencies like the Associated Press, Reuters, and AFP, often at great personal risk.

Emerging advocacy strategies: Organizations (e.g., Columbia Journalism Review, Freedom of the Press Foundation) are exploring new tactics—legal challenges, coordinated international advocacy, and rapid‑response funding—to protect Gaza journalists and push for independent access.

Summary:
Journalism in Gaza is operating under extreme duress: access is heavily restricted, journalists face lethal threats and starvation, and the death toll among media workers is among the highest globally. International bodies are pressing for immediate access and protection, but on‑the‑ground reporting remains limited to a few embedded or local reporters who continue to document the crisis despite grave personal risk.

Below is a consolidated list of journalists who have been reported killed in the Gaza conflict – from the start of the war in October 2023 up to the most recent incidents in August 2025. The names are drawn from several reputable monitoring projects (CPJ, IFJ, the Gaza Media Center) and from news reports that published the latest confirmed deaths.

Date (approx.) Journalist(s) Outlet / role Source
 26 Dec 2024 Ayman Al‑Jadi – reporter for Al‑Quds Today TV journalist

 2 Jan 2025 Hassan Al‑Qishawi – freelance photo‑journalist Independent

 3 Jan 2025 Areej Shaheen (W) – freelance photographer Independent

 3 Jan 2025 Omar Al‑Derawi – journalist (no outlet listed)

 10 Jan 2025 Saed Abu Nabhan – journalist for Al‑ghad TV & freelance for Anadolu Agency TV & wire

 15 Mar 2025 Mahmoud Islim Al‑Basos – freelance photographer

 24 Mar 2025 Hossam Shabat – journalist for Al Jazeera Mubasher TV

 7 Apr 2025 Hilmi al‑Faqaawi – journalist killed when a media tent was set ablaze outside Nasser Hospital (reported by multiple outlets)

 13 May 2025 Hassan Islayeh – photo‑journalist (treated for injuries from 7 Apr strike, later died)

 16 Apr 2025 Fatima Hassouna – Palestinian photo‑journalist killed in an Israeli strike on her home in Gaza City

 8 Apr 2025 Two journalists from Palestine Today News Agency killed in a press‑tent strike near Nasser Medical Complex (one later died of wounds) Agency staff

 25 Aug 2025 Mohammad Salama – Al Jazeera cameraman (killed in double‑tap strike on Nasser Hospital) TV

 25 Aug 2025 Hussam Al‑Masri – contractor for Reuters (killed in same strike) Wire

 25 Aug 2025 Mariam Abu Dagga – freelance journalist for the Associated Press (killed) AP

 25 Aug 2025 Moath Abu Taha – freelance journalist (killed)

 25 Aug 2025 Ahmed Abu Aziz – freelance journalist (killed)

 10 Aug 2025 Anas Al‑Sharif – Al Jazeera journalist (assassinated in media‑tent strike outside Al‑Shifa Hospital) TV

 10 Aug 2025 Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, Moamen Aliwa – colleagues of Al‑Sharif killed in the same strike Various

 Various (2024‑2025) Total reported deaths – monitoring groups list between 189 (CPJ) and 274 (aggregated sources) journalists killed in the conflict up to 11 Aug 2025

How the numbers are tracked
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) maintains a continuously updated database; as of September 2025 it recorded 189 journalist deaths.
The Gaza Media Center and other Palestinian media groups count ≈238 deaths, while the UN Human Rights Office cites ≈247 deaths.
An aggregation of CPJ, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and other sources puts the figure at 274 journalists killed by 11 August 2025

What this means:
The conflict has become the deadliest for journalists in modern history – more media workers have been killed here than in any other war since the 20th century began.
Deaths include local freelance reporters, foreign correspondents, camera operators, and support staff who were often working from makeshift media tents or hospitals.
Many of the most recent fatalities (August 2025) occurred in the “double‑tap” strike on Nasser Hospital, a pattern that has drawn strong condemnation from the UN, press‑freedom NGOs and numerous governments.
Note: This list reflects the journalists whose deaths have been publicly reported and verified by the cited sources. The true total may be higher, as some casualties go unrecorded in the chaotic environment of an active conflict zone.

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