Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Israeli Strikes Reach From Gaza to South Lebanon as Press Freedom Group Labels Israeli Army “Worst Enemy of Journalists”
The global toll on journalists has reached alarming levels, with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announcing that 67 media professionals were killed worldwide over the past year, nearly half of them in Gaza, where the organization says Israeli forces are responsible for an unprecedented wave of deaths.
In its annual assessment, RSF stated that 29 journalists and media workers were killed in the Palestinian territories in the last year alone while on duty, bringing the total number of journalists killed since October 2023 to more than 220. The organization described the Israeli army as “the worst enemy of journalists,” citing systematic targeting, lethal strikes, and a pattern of attacks that it says violates international norms protecting the press.
The grim assessment comes as Israeli military operations continue across multiple fronts despite a formal ceasefire in Gaza. On the sixtieth day of the truce, Israeli forces carried out strikes beyond their designated operational zones inside the Gaza Strip, resulting in deaths and injuries, according to local authorities. The renewed bombardments further destabilized areas already devastated by months of warfare and raised questions about the durability of the ceasefire arrangement.
Tensions also surged in the occupied West Bank. Israeli troops conducted raids in several locations, sparking confrontations in the aftermath of the killing of a Palestinian man in Qalqilya. In the town of al-Ram, near Israel’s separation barrier, others were reported injured during clashes that followed an Israeli incursion.
Meanwhile, the conflict’s northern dimension intensified as the Israeli military announced new strikes in southern Lebanon. A statement issued Monday said Israeli forces targeted a Hezbollah training compound as well as several military sites, including a launch point allegedly used by the group’s elite Radwan Force. The escalation adds to fears of a broader regional confrontation as cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah continues at a pace not seen since 2006.
The simultaneous flare-ups in Gaza, the West Bank, and southern Lebanon, underscore the fragile state of regional security and the limited effectiveness of ceasefire measures in containing hostilities. For journalists attempting to cover these developments, the dangers have become increasingly acute. RSF’s latest figures highlight a level of risk unmatched in any other conflict zone, prompting renewed calls from rights groups and international organizations for stronger protections and independent investigations into journalist deaths.
As violence persists across multiple fronts, the death toll among civilians, journalists, and combatants continues to rise, and international pressure mounts for accountability, transparency, and adherence to humanitarian law.
