The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reports that Israeli forces have killed at least 706 relatives of Palestinian journalists in Gaza since October 2023, alleging a deliberate campaign to silence reporting. The Freedoms Committee documents 436 deaths in 2023, 203 in 2024 and at least 67 in 2025, and highlights cases such as the recovery of bodies near Khan Younis. Monitoring groups record nearly 300 media workers killed in Gaza over 26 months, and rights groups say there has been no prosecution of soldiers for these deaths.
Report: Over 700 Relatives Of Palestinian Journalists Killed In Gaza, Syndicate Says
(Al Jazeera)
A report by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate's Freedoms Committee says Israeli forces have killed at least 706 relatives of Palestinian journalists in Gaza since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The committee says these deaths are not incidental but represent a systematic pattern aimed at silencing Palestinian reporting.
Key Findings
The Freedoms Committee's report, released late Saturday, presents a year-by-year breakdown: 436 relatives were killed in 2023, 203 in 2024 and at least 67 so far in 2025. The committee says strikes continued even after many families were forcibly displaced and were sheltering in tents and makeshift camps.
Examples And Impact
The syndicate cited a recent recovery near Khan Younis, where the bodies of journalist Hiba al‑Abadla, her mother and about 15 members of the al‑Astal family were recovered nearly two years after their home west of the city was struck by an aircraft. The report says in some cases entire families have been wiped out, leaving surviving journalists to bear witness to their loss.
“The blood of the journalists’ families will remain a living witness to the crime of trying to silence the Palestinian voice,”
said Muhammad al‑Lahham, head of the Freedoms Committee, who described the pattern of attacks from 2023 through 2025 as evidence of intent to crush independent reporting in Gaza. The committee characterises the trend as a "qualitative shift" from individual targeting to collective punishment intended to intimidate society and "dry up the environment that nurtures the media."
Wider Context
Monitoring groups cited in the report, including the site Shireen.ps (named after veteran Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh), record nearly 300 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza during the 26‑month conflict — an average of about 12 per month. The report also notes a number of high‑profile targeted killings in Gaza over the past year, including Al Jazeera’s Anas al‑Sharif; Israeli authorities have at times said slain individuals had militant ties, a claim disputed by media groups and not publicly corroborated in each case.
Media freedom organisations have condemned the attacks and called for accountability. The Freedoms Committee says no Israeli soldiers have been arrested or charged specifically for the killings of journalists, and it warns that beyond the fatalities there is severe psychological damage: survivors face trauma, family breakdown, crushing guilt and are often forced to flee or suspend their reporting.
Conclusion
The syndicate’s report frames the killings of journalists’ relatives as part of a deliberate strategy to silence Palestinian voices. It calls for independent investigations, accountability and greater protection for media workers and their families.
