Last year was the deadliest for journalists in recent history, with at least 124 reporters killed – and Israel responsible for nearly 70 per cent of that total, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said, AFP reports.

The uptick in killings, which marks a 22pc increase over 2023, reflects “surging levels of international conflict, political unrest and criminality worldwide”, the CPJ said.

It was the deadliest year for reporters and media workers since CPJ began keeping records more than three decades ago, with journalists murdered across 18 different countries, it added.

A total of 85 journalists died in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, “all at the hands of the Israeli military,” the CPJ said, adding that 82 of them were Palestinians.

“Today is the most dangerous time to be a journalist in CPJ’s history,” said the group’s CEO Jodie Ginsberg. “The war in Gaza is unprecedented in its impact on journalists and demonstrates a major deterioration in global norms on protecting journalists.”

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