Committee to Protect Journalists says unprecedented number of journalists killed in Gaza violence

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has warned that the violence since 7 October has been the deadliest four-week period for journalists covering conflict since they began documenting such fatalities in 1992.

As of Monday, the organisation said 36 journalists and media workers had been confirmed dead, the vast majority Palestinian, as well as four Israelis and one Lebanese.

Sherif Mansour, the CPJ's Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator, told Middle East Eye that many of those killed were local freelancers without the protection provided by large media outlets or foreign passports.

He said that the Israeli army needed to make their rules of engagement more transparent, as many of the journalists in Gaza "may not have the option to avoid combat situations".

"Of course the toll is heartbreaking and unfortunately it is paid by, and continues to be paid by, Palestinian journalists who face an outsized risk," he explained.

"This is a sacrifice that should not be made easily."