News Center- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has published the initial findings of its 2024 annual report on journalists and media workers killed in the line of duty to mark International Human Rights Day on 10 December.

As of 10 December 2024, 104 journalists, including 12 women, had been killed worldwide, more than half of them in Gaza, Palestine (55), according to the initial annual report of the IFJ.

“By 2023, the IFJ had documented 129 deaths, including 14 women, one of the deadliest years for journalists since the IFJ began publishing its list of journalists killed in 1990,” the IFJ said. “2024 was another particularly deadly year for journalists and media professionals.”

The war in Gaza and Lebanon once again highlights the massacre suffered by Palestinian (55), Lebanese (6) and Syrian (1) media professionals, representing 60% of all journalists killed in 2024. Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, the number of Palestinian journalists killed has risen to at least 138, making this country one of the most dangerous in the history of modern journalism, behind Iraq, the Philippines and Mexico.

“These sad figures show once again how fragile is press freedom and how risky and dangerous is the profession of journalism,” said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger. “The public's need for information is very real at a time when authoritarian regimes are developing all over the world. Greater vigilance on the part of our profession is required. We urge the Member States of the United Nations to take action to ensure the adoption of a binding convention on the safety of journalists, so as to put an end to the deaths and injuries that occur every year.”