UN report says Israel's Gaza journalist attacks may amount to 'media genocide'

A report presented by the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories to the General Assembly concluded that nearly 300 journalists had been killed in Gaza since October 2023 and that some Israeli practices could be described as 'media genocide'.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, presented the General Assembly with a report titled “Truth Under the Rubble: Media in the Time of Genocide”, in which she said some Israeli practices against journalists could be described as “media genocide”.

The report says nearly 300 journalists have been killed and more than 400 injured since October 2023. It also says that 710 relatives of journalists were killed and the homes of more than 150 journalists were destroyed. By October 2025, 150 media offices and 81 percent of Gaza’s communications infrastructure had been destroyed, while more than 100 journalists had been abducted or detained.

Palace of Nations in Geneva

The report said journalists were accused of belonging to a “Hamas network” before being targeted. It also criticized Western media outlets and social media platforms for restricting Palestinian voices.

The report recommended establishing an independent mechanism affiliated with the General Assembly to collect evidence of crimes committed against journalists. It called on Israel to halt the attacks, release those detained arbitrarily and allow international media to enter Gaza.