We had to collaborate to inform the public. Since the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza following Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7, more than 170 journalists and media workers have been killed, including the rising casualties of over 40,000 civilians. The surviving Gazan journalists have long known that their “press” vests do not protect them. Worse, the protective gear might further expose them. Journalists are the witnesses of history. Their presence can prevent war crimes from multiplying with impunity, and let the public in on what is happening on the ground. The Fourth Geneva Convention, ratified by 196 countries—including Israel—stipulates that attacking journalists, or their equipment, if they are not taking part in combat is a violation of international law.
In February 2024, Forbidden Stories, an international network of investigative journalists whose mission is to pursue the investigation of assassinated, imprisoned or threatened journalists, launched the Gaza Project. An unprecedented cross-border investigation into allegations of Israeli forces targeting journalists and press infrastructures in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Gaza Project is unique in bringing together diverse journalists from various nationalities in the name of public interest. “This project was especially important for us, as an act of solidarity with those journalists who paid with their lives, to show the world what is going on in Gaza,” says Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist based in Jerusalem and working for +972 Magazine and Local Call, a publication run by Palestinian and Israeli journalists.
With the collaborative efforts of 50 journalists from 13 newsrooms, the Gaza Project analyzed nearly 100 cases of journalists and media workers killed, injured, or allegedly targeted since Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. The destruction of infrastructure, displacement of journalists, and communication blockages were significant challenges. From targeted attacks to the destruction of buildings known to house media outlets, the Gaza Project uncovers damning evidence against the Israeli government and questions their army’s denials of targeting the press during the war. The consortium interviewed over 120 witnesses and analyzed GPS locations, ballistic trajectories, and chronologies with input from 25 experts, including Earshot. Findings revealed a chilling pattern: 40 journalists were killed at home, 40 worked for Hamas-affiliated media, and 18 were killed, injured, or allegedly targeted by drones. Six media office buildings were destroyed, and at least 14 journalists were wearing press vests when harmed.
We produced two types of articles: investigations into attacks on journalists and media infrastructures, and follow-up reporting on silenced stories.
*Please note that this application is a collective one, and that it encompasses the “first” and “second” chapters of the Gaza Project, published in June 2024 and in March 2025. All articles are available on the project’s page at: forbiddenstories.org/projects_posts/gaza-project/
