Reporters Without Borders: 67 journalists killed worldwide in 2025

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced in its annual report released on Tuesday that 67 journalists were killed in 2025 while carrying out their duties or as a direct result of their work, noting that armed conflict zones remain the most dangerous places for journalists worldwide — with the Gaza Strip at the top of the list.

According to the report, nearly half of the victims were killed in Gaza by Israeli forces. The organization linked the rise in deaths to the “criminal practices” carried out by both regular and irregular armed forces, as well as organized crime groups, stressing that “journalists do not die — they are killed.”

Arrests and disappearances

RSF reported that 503 journalists remain detained in 47 countries, including 121 in China, 48 in Russia, and 47 in Burma. The number of journalists listed as missing reached 135, while 20 others were classified as kidnapped — most of them in Syria and Yemen.

The report noted that wide areas of Syria under the control of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham after the fall of the Ba’athist regime continue to witness the detention of several journalists. The organization called for their immediate release and for an end to what it described as “abusive practices.”

The deadliest conflicts

According to the organization, the Israeli army was “the worst enemy of journalists” during the year, with 29 media-affiliated journalists killed inside the Palestinian territories over 12 months amid repeated accusations of deliberate targeting. Israel denies the accusations, claiming that most of those killed were “Hamas operatives.”

The organization also documented killings of journalists in Mexico, Ukraine, and Sudan, noting that the majority of victims had been covering local conflicts or issues related to organized crime, and had received direct threats.

UNESCO’s tally

In a related context, UNESCO reported a higher death toll for journalists in 2025, documenting 91 killings worldwide so far.