“Never abandoned my people”: the last message from Hossam Shabat, the young reporter murdered by Israel Exactly one year ago, Al Jazeera journalist Hossam Shabat was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. He was 23 years old and left a chilling testimony prepared in anticipation of his death: “Every day was a struggle for survival… but I never abandoned my people. ” His legacy became a symbol of a war that has turned journalistic coverage into a death sentence, as documented by various international organizations.
Shabat was one of at least five Al Jazeera journalists killed by Israeli attacks in 2025, including Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal. By December of that year, the assault by the Zionist state of Israel had resulted in the deaths of at least 270 journalists and Palestinian media workers in Gaza, a number that has been increasing, according to records from the network itself and organizations advocating for press freedom. Israel and the murder of journalists A report from Al Jazeera published in August 2025 described the war against Gaza as “the deadliest conflict for journalists.
” According to the Costs of War project at Brown University, more reporters have died in Gaza since October 7, 2023, than in the American Civil War, World War I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the wars in former Yugoslavia, and the post-9/11 conflict in Afghanistan combined. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted that 2024 was the deadliest year for the press, with over 120 fatalities, while in the early months of 2025, more than 50 journalists had already been killed in Israeli attacks. Al Jazeera condemned the targeted killings of its journalists, emphasizing that attacking reporters constitutes a war crime and that these attacks violated international norms.
Each month, the outlet reported, 13 journalists were killed in Gaza. The count conducted by the site Shireen. ps —which honors Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, killed by Israeli forces in 2022— raised the number to over 270 media workers who died in 22 months of war.
The international community, including groups advocating for press freedom, expressed outrage at what they termed systematic crimes. CNN team attacked On Saturday, March 28, 2026, a CNN team was attacked by IDF soldiers while documenting the establishment of a checkpoint near the village of Taysir in the Jordan Valley. According to footage aired by the channel, Israeli soldiers stated they were setting up the checkpoint as “revenge” for the death of 18-year-old Yehuda Sherman in an attack in the West Bank.
The incident raises alarms about the increasing violence against the press in occupied territories.