NextFin news, On Monday, September 15, 2025, Irene Khan, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, publicly accused Israel of intentionally killing journalists in Gaza. She stated that this conflict has become the deadliest ever for journalists, with at least 252 Palestinian journalists killed since the outbreak of hostilities on October 7, 2023.
Khan, an independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, made these remarks in Geneva, highlighting that the number of journalists killed in Gaza surpasses the combined fatalities of journalists in World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan. She contrasted this with the 14 journalists killed in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022.
According to Khan, many journalists in Gaza have been deliberately targeted by Israeli forces because of their work exposing alleged atrocities, crimes, and genocide occurring on the ground. She condemned Israeli efforts to delegitimize these journalists by labeling them as terrorists or terrorist supporters, describing such actions as smear campaigns aimed at silencing the truth.
Khan also criticized Israel for blocking all international media access to Gaza, creating an unprecedented information blackout. She called this denial of access to independent international media by a UN member state during a conflict “extremely unusual” and warned that it sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom worldwide.
The UN expert urged the international community to take urgent action to stop Israel before all journalists in Gaza are silenced, emphasizing the critical role of media workers in documenting and reporting on human rights violations.
Israel has responded to incidents involving journalists with varying explanations, sometimes attributing attacks to mistakes and other times accusing targeted individuals of connections to the Hamas militant group, which Israel and other countries designate as a terrorist organization.
This accusation by the UN Special Rapporteur adds to the ongoing international scrutiny of the conflict in Gaza, raising concerns about press freedom, human rights, and accountability in the region.
Sources: Nigerian Bulletin (September 15, 2025), Vanguard News (September 15, 2025), Aftonbladet (September 15, 2025)
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