Israel emerged as world’s leading jailers of journalists

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has found that Israel was one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists in 2023.

The press freedom watchdog published its annual snapshot of jailed journalists on Thursday.

Israel emerged as one of the world’s leading jailers of journalists in 2023, according to the report, with the number of reporters behind bars soaring after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Israel was the joint sixth biggest jailer of journalists in 2023, alongside Iran.

There were 17 Palestinian reporters held in Israeli jails as of December 1, the CPJ said. By comparison, the previous year one Palestinian reporter was held in an Israeli prison, according to the New York-based non-profit group.