History rarely announces the moment when a global norm collapses. It simply erodes, quietly at first, then all at once. The killing of journalists in Gaza marks such a moment—not merely as a tragedy for the profession, but as a rupture in the moral architecture that has long underpinned international order.

By late 2025, nearly 250 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the conflict began in October 2023. That figure alone exceeds journalist fatalities in any single conflict since modern record-keeping began. It surpasses Vietnam, Iraq, Syria and Ukraine combined. The Committee to Protect Journalists confirms that Israel has killed more journalists in this period than any country has since CPJ began tracking press deaths in 1992. The United Nations has described Gaza as the deadliest conflict ever for media workers. Numbers on this scale are not statistical anomalies. They signal structural failure.

The death of Abed Shaat in January 2026 crystallised this crisis. A 30-year-old freelance cameraman working with international media, newly married, clearly marked as press, was killed by an Israeli drone strike while filming an aid convoy. Egyptian authorities confirmed the vehicle bore humanitarian insignia. Palestinian media unions described the incident as part of a systematic pattern. The Israeli military disputed the account, citing a Hamas drone. The dispute itself is revealing. In previous wars, such ambiguity was the exception. In Gaza, it has become routine.

International humanitarian law is unequivocal. Under the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I, journalists are civilians. UN Security Council Resolution 2222 reaffirms this protection. UNESCO has repeatedly stated that the targeting of journalists constitutes a violation of international law. Yet law without enforcement is ritual, not restraint. In Gaza, legal norms appear suspended by military necessity and geopolitical indulgence.

This collapse has implications far beyond Palestine. Journalism is not merely a profession;........

© Middle East Monitor