Listen To This Story

Two days after Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) killed five journalists in a targeted strike, one of whom it claimed to be a Hamas cell leader, the State Department’s annual report on human rights practices in countries across the globe almost completely omitted the extreme danger that journalists covering the war in Gaza face.

“The Union of Journalists in Israel received reports of five journalist detentions and 13 physical attacks by security forces against journalists during the year,” the document stated. 

Apart from a single sentence pointing out that non-governmental organizations and journalists reported that the Israeli government restricts press coverage and limits certain forms of expression related to the war in Gaza and sentiments expressing sympathy for Palestinians, that is the only reference to journalists in the document.

By any measure, that is a far cry from the reality on the ground.

For example, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) lists 85 journalists and media workers who were killed in Israel and the “Occupied Palestinian Territory” in 2024, and the organization says that 10 of them were murdered.

In addition, the group says that Israel routinely labels the journalists it kills as “terrorists” without providing evidence, and issued a report stating that this practice precedes the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. 

By comparison, the 2023 report, which cites CPJ as a source, noted that 77 journalists and media workers had been killed in the weeks following the October 7 terrorist attack from Hamas on Israel. Seventy-two of them were Palestinians, two Israelis, and three from Lebanon. 

The document covering 2023 also stated that CPJ was concerned that Israel is targeting journalists and their families, and detailed the government’s censorship operation. 

None of this information was included in the document released on Tuesday, which was roundly criticized for taking it easy on President Donald Trump’s allies, such as Israel or El Salvador, while judging countries that are standing up to him, like Brazil, more harshly. 

Overall, the State Department report looked very different this year than previously. It was not only released several months behind the normal schedule but also much lighter on details. 

As a result, congressional Democrats called out the administration for turning it into a political document. 

“By deliberately watering down or cutting factual reporting on global human rights violations — from denial of fair trial and inhumane prison conditions to restrictions on freedom of expression — the State Department under Secretary [Marco] Rubio has shamelessly turned a once-credible tool of US foreign policy mandated by Congress into yet another instrument to advance MAGA political grievances and culture war obsessions,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (NY), the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.