Guterres said “journalists must be able to perform their essential work without interference, intimidation or harm,” describing the ban on international journalists from accessing Gaza as “unacceptable.”
Israel’s killing of 260 media professionals in its two-year military assault on Gaza was brought into the spotlight at the UN on Monday and described as “the deadliest conflict for journalists in decades.”
The conversation “could not be more timely, nor more necessary,” Melissa Fleming, head of the Department of Global Communications (DGC), said, according to a UN News report. The DGC organized the 2025 United Nations International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East.
Over 260 media workers have been killed in Gaza in the last 2 years, making it the deadliest conflict for the press in decades.
“Journalists must be able to perform their essential work without interference, intimidation or harm,” says @antonioguterres.https://t.co/JJ5yVpx7GQ pic.twitter.com/ulwd0gpepJ
— United Nations (@UN) December 1, 2025
“This seminar is inviting us to consider how journalism in Israel and Palestine, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, has become both a battleground and a lifeline,” she said.
Clear ‘Rules of War’
Fleming read a message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said that “journalists in Gaza have been facing the same risks and realities as the people they cover – including displacement, famine and death.”
He said that since October 7, 2023, “more than 260 media workers have been killed there, making this the deadliest conflict for journalists in decades.”
A Crime against Truth: Israel’s Slaughter of Journalists Can’t Go Unpunished
Guterres added that “The rules of war are clear: Civilians and civilian infrastructure are not a target.”
“Journalists must be able to perform their essential work without interference, intimidation or harm. This includes the unacceptable ban that prevents international journalists from accessing Gaza,” he stressed.
‘Fulfill Our Duty’ – Wael Al-Dahdouh
In a video message, Wael al-Dahdouh, chief of the Gaza bureau of the Al-Jazeera network, recalled that following the October 7 operation, the enclave was isolated and water supply, electricity, communications and the internet were cut off, the report stated.
Despite the situation, al-Dahdoud said, “There were so many responsibilities that we felt towards you, towards the whole world.
Al Jazeera’s journalists risk everything to cover Israel’s war on Gaza, led by bureau chief Wael al Dahdouh who continues reporting even after losing his closest family.
Watch the film, The Price of Truth EP 1: https://t.co/RzNXyvB5R7 pic.twitter.com/xSPp3sbtBV
— Al Jazeera World (@AlJazeeraWorld) November 10, 2025
“Because we realized that if we did not fulfill our duty with our will, even if the cost is our lives, then the world will not see what is happening to two million people in this area as a result of the Israeli genocide.”
‘Most Documented’ Genocide
The Permanent Observer of the Observer State of Palestine, Riyad Mansour, saluted “the courageous Palestinian journalists in Gaza”, saying, “thanks to them, this genocide in Gaza has become the most documented in history.”
The report stated that Mansour appealed for participants to put pressure on Israel to allow the entry of foreign reporters.
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“We should ask ourselves why Israel is not allowing foreign aid into Gaza. Don’t accept their security pretext. Foreign journalists were allowed in every war zone except Gaza,” he said.
UN Security Council Resolution
In another video message, Nasser Abu Bakr, Chairman of the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, said the organization and the International Union of Journalists are ready to cooperate with the Secretary-General in submitting a report detailing the crimes perpetrated against journalists in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
He stressed that the time has come to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2222 (2015), which condemns impunity for crimes against journalists, the report added.
The Israeli Plot to Assassinate Al-Jazeera: A New Front in the War on Palestinian Journalism
“We want this resolution to be implemented on the occupation, and those in the occupation State to be held accountable for these crimes against our journalists,” he stated.
He said that more than 255 journalists were killed in Gaza, representing 18 percent of the overall number in the Strip, with more than 500 more wounded. In addition, Israel arrested over 200 others who were subjected to extreme torture in prison, while relatives of journalists were also killed or targeted, the report stated.
Total Death Toll
Starting on October 7, 2023, the Israeli military, with American support, launched a genocidal war against the people of Gaza. This campaign has so far resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 Palestinians, with more than 170,000 wounded. The vast majority of the population has been displaced, and the destruction of infrastructure is unprecedented since World War II. Thousands of people are still missing.
‘Calculated Intent’ – Report Says 44 Gaza Journalists Killed in Displacement Tents
In addition to the military assault, the Israeli blockade has caused a man-made famine, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians—mostly children—with hundreds of thousands more at risk.
Despite widespread international condemnation, little has been done to hold Israel accountable. The nation is currently under investigation for genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
(PC, UN News)
No SH!T, Dick Tracy! Stop talking about it and do something you fraud! the UN is just as useless and impotent as the Israeli Jewish Nazis. And obviously the UN is part of the problem, or they would have ejected the US, and Wasrael years ago.
More lip service! Kick “Israel” from the UN!