The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called for an investigation following reports on the war in Gaza by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reuters and Agence France-Presse suggesting the strike that killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six others was a “a deliberate assault by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on civilians, which constitutes a war crime.”

CPJ also said there has been “a deadly pattern of IDF force that killed 20 journalists over the last 22 years” with no accountability.

The IDF had not responded to a request for comment at press time.

As of December 11, at least 63 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Israel-Gaza war, according to CPJ sources and media reports, the vast majority of them (56) Palestinians and the vast majority of those in Israeli airstrikes.

CPJ says it cannot confirm that all the deaths cited occurred during the conduct of their journalistic mission but inludes them while it investigations the circumstances. It also points out that as of December 11, 11 journalists were reported injured, three were missing and 19 had reportedly been arrested.

“Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said. “Many have lost colleagues, families, and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.”

The death toll of members of the media killed in the Hamas-Israeli war continues to climb, including a journalist who had reported on killings in previous Israel-Palestine conflicts.

As of November 27, at least 57 journalists and media workers have been killed, on top of the harassment, detentions, disruption of communications and other obstructions to reporting in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel and elsewhere.

That is according to the Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ), which is basing its numbers on both published reports and the testimony of sources in the region.

Of the dead, 50 were Palestinian, four Israeli, and three Lebanese. In addition, 11 journalists have been injured, three are reported missing and 19 have been arrested.

A list of the dead, most of whom were killed in airstrikes, is here. 

Among those killed in airstrikes was press freedom advocate Bilal Jadallah, director of Press House-Palestine and a contributor to CPJ’s work, the group said, notably a report released back in May, Deadly Patterns, about the killing of journalists by Israeli military personnel.

“His killing leaves a gaping hole in the media landscape in Gaza where journalists are in severe peril as they cover the war that has claimed the lives of dozens of their colleagues,” CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator Sherif Mansour said. 

CPJ called for an investigation into Jadalla’s killing. The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate says it believed it to be a targeted killing. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) was reportedly undertaking its own investigation.

As of November 7, the Israeli-Gaza war has become the deadliest month for journalists covering conflicts since the Committee to Protect Journalists started keeping such records in 1992.

At least 37 journalists and media workers have been killed since the conflict began on October 7, according to CPJ.

Of those, 32 were Palestinian, four were Israeli and one was Lebanese. In addition, eight journalists have been injured, three have been reported missing and nine have reportedly been arrested.

CPJ said the death toll comes on top of “multiple assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship and killings of family members.”

CPJ says the Israeli government has said that during the new ground offensive it cannot guarantee the safety of journalists working in the affected areas of the Gaza Strip.

“Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heartbreaking conflict,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said. “Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.”

As of October 26, at least 24 journalists are among the casualties in the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas, with the vast majority of them Palestinian.

That is according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which bases its tally on media reports and sources in the region.

In addition to 20 Palestinians, the dead include three from Israel and one from Lebanon.

At least eight journalists have been injured and three missing or detained, said CPJ.

The latest additions to CPJ's list since an October 18 accounting are:

• Roshdi Sarraj, co-founder of Palestinian media services company Ain Media, killed in an airstrike. 
• Mohammed Ali, from Al-Shabab Radio, killed in an airstrike. 
• Khalil Abu Aathra, a videographer with Al Aqsa TV, killed in an airstrike. 
• Sameeh Al-Nady, director of Al Aqsa TV, killed in an airstrike.

Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee are asking social media video streaming sites to archive atrocities related to the Hamas attack on Israel.

In letters to X (formerly Twitter), Meta, TikTok and Google, the senators, led by Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), asked for information on their content moderation policies.

“While steps should be taken to curb attempts by Hamas to weaponize social media for its own ends, it is indisputable that social media platforms have already played a critical role in exposing the international community to the genocidal atrocities committed against Israel,” they wrote.

And while it might be the platforms’ policy to remove such violent and graphic videos, the senators said they should be archived “to aid in prosecuting war crimes, intelligence gathering, media reporting, and the historical record.”

The senators also asked the platforms how they are complying with sanctions that require the blocking of property or interests of Hamas.

In addition to Cruz, signing on to the letter were Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).

The Middle East conflict's toll on journalists continues to climb.

As of October 18, 19 journalists had been killed related to the Hamas attack on Isarel and that country's declaration of war and airstrikes on Gaza.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the dead included 15 Palestinians, three Israelis, and one Lebanese.

But that total could rise. CPJ says it continues to investigate reports, not yet confirmed, of others killed or missing, as well as those detained and injured.

CPJ also responded to what it called Israeli threats to close the local bureau of Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, saying it should be free to report freely about the conflict.

In addition to the deaths reported by CPJ last weekend, the following names have been added to the list, based on media reports and CPJ's own sources:

• Mohammad Balousha, with the Palestine Today channel, killed in an airstrike.
• Issam Bhar, with Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV, killed in an airstrike.
• Abdulhadi Habib, with Al-Manara News Agency, killed in a missile strike.
• Yousef Maher Dawas, contributing writer for Palestine Chronicle, killed in an airstrike.
• Salam Mema, freelance journalist and “head of the Women Journalists Committee at the Palestinian Media Assembly,” killed in an airstrike.

As of Saturday (October 14), 12 journalists had been killed covering Israel's response to the Hamas terrorist attacks on that country.

That is according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which investigates all reports of journalists killed, injured, kidnapped, or detained/imprisoned.

In addition to the deaths, CPJ said that two were missing and eight were injured.

The State Department said Friday (October 13) that it is looking into the reports of journalist deaths and injuries. A spokesperson told Reuters, “Today and every day, we stand with journalists around the world who do critical work that we all rely on every single day, sometimes in dangerous conditions.”

“CPJ emphasizes that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ Middle East and North Africa program coordinator, said in a statement posted online. 

CPJ called on all parties to take measures to better protect journalists, calling them civilians doing important work.

The following list of the slain journalists, which will almost certainly grow in the coming days, was supplied by CPJ and is based on both media reports and CPJ's own sources in the region: 

• Husam Mubarak, a journalist with Al Aqsa Radio;
• Issam Abdallah, a videographer working for Reuters, who was killed in southern Lebanon; 
• Ahmed Shehab, a journalist working for Sowt Al-Asra Radio, along with his wife and three children, were killed in an airstrike; 
• Mohamed Fayez Abu Matar, a freelance photojournalist, killed in an airstrike; 
• Saeed al-Taweel, editor-in-chief of the AlKhamsa website, killed in an airstrike; 
• Mohammed Sobh, a photographer with the Khabar News Agency, killed in an airstrike; 
• Hisham Alnwajha, a journalist with Khabar, killed in the same airstrike; 
• Assaas Shamlakh, feelance journalist and nine members of his family, killed in an airstrike; 
• Yaniv Zohar, an Israeli photographer, killed in an attack on Kibbutz Nahal Oz; 
• Mohammad Al-Salhi, photojournalist, shot; 
• Mohammad Jarghoun, journalist with Smart Media, shot while reporting from the Gaza Strip; 
• Ibraham Mohammad Lafi, a photographer for Ain Media, shot at the Gaza Strip Erez Crossing.

The known injured are Ibrahim Qanan, a correspondent for Al-Ghad channel, who was hit by shrapnel; Firas Lutfi, a Sky News correspondent, who was reportedly attacked by police; Reuters journalists Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh; staffers from Al Jazeera TV Elie Brakhya and Carmen Joukhadar; and Agence France-Press journalists Christina Assi and Dylan Collins.

The known missing are Haitham Abdelwahid, a Palestinian photographer from Ain Media, and Roee Idan, an Israeli photographer who may be among the hostages along with his 3-year-old daughter.

A building that was home to media outlets Al Jazeera and the AP in Gaza City was destroyed in an Israeli air raid Saturday (May 15), according to Al Jazeera.

It was unclear whether there were any casualties, though Al Jazeera reported that Israel had warned occupants of the building, including the journalists, to evacuate an hour before the attack.

The AP said on its website that its staffers and other residents of the building had all evacuated following that call from Israeli military, after which three missiles struck the building, reducing it to rubble.

Also Read: RTDNA Survey Finds Unprecedented Attacks on Journalists

AP had occupied top floor offices for the last 15 years, including 24-hour live shots of the rockets aimed at Israel and the Israeli airstrikes like the one that leveled the building.

“The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today,” said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt in a statement. “We are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP’s bureau and other news organizations in Gaza.”

According to the New York Times, the Israeli military said it struck the building because it also housed military assets of Hamas and the AP said the military claimed Hamas was using journalists to shield those assets. But AP said it provided no evidence that was the case.

Also Read: CPJ Cites Attacks on Journalists

Only the day before had it been called for Israeli forces to ensure that journalists could cover the conflict freely and safely. Following the attack on the building, CPJ Middle East and North Africa representative Ignacio Miguel Delgado said: "It is utterly unacceptable for Israel to bomb and destroy the offices of media outlets and endanger the lives of journalists, especially since Israeli authorities know where those media outlets are housed," and reiterated CPJ's call for protections. "Israeli authorities must ensure that journalists can do their jobs safely without fear of being injured or killed.”

According to Reporters Without Borders,  Israeli airstrikes during the conflict have already destroyed buildings housing numerous media outlets including the pan-Arab TV channel Al-Araby and radio and TV outlet Al-Aqsa, with Israel saying Hamas was hiding weapons in those buildings as well.

Apple TV Plus will showcase the international thriller series Losing Alice on Jan. 22, the streaming service said Tuesday.

The eight-episode, Israel-produced drama series follows Alice (Ayelet Zurer) a middle-aged film director who feels lost since raising her family, but after a chance meeting with a femme-fatale screenwriter (Lihi Kornowski) Alice goes on an obsessive journey toward success at any cost, according to the streaming service. 

Apple TV Plus will premiere the first three episodes of Losing Alice on Jan. 22, with new episodes premiering weekly on Friday thereafter.

With a new name for the network in place, Mark Golub is setting his sights on a bigger footprint for the Jewish Broadcasting Service -- both in the U.S. and abroad.

Golub, the president and executive producer of Jewish Broadcasting Service, which was rebranded from Shalom TV on Sept. 24, believes the network will gain carriage on telco Verizon FiOS before the end of 2014, and gain a foothold in Europe next year.

He said the conversion on the morning of when the community celebrates Rosh Hashanah is more indicative of what the network is today.

“The whole channel is predicated on the PBS model. We don’t feel that Shalom TV conveyed where the network is, or is reflective of the programming we deliver,” said Golub. “We’re like a Jewish-oriented PBS.”

Golub said Shalom TV resonated with many people through its “peaceful overtones,”  but the moniker often raised many questions in the minds of the uninitiated.

“People would think it was in the Hebrew language, or ask if it was an American or religious channel," he said.

While JBS is the only American network to present on-air services during the high holidays and on Friday nights for the elderly and immobile, its scope is much wider.

The network trades on a mix of public affairs programming, major event coverage, twice-daily educational children's programming, plus Jewish studies programs that enable viewers to learn to read Hebrew and study the Talmud. JBS will also continue to serve as television home of the 92nd Street Y's presentations from the Kaufman Auditorium, and deliver a Jewish Film Festival with multiple movies each week.

Golub said Shalom TV distinguished itself this summer among Jewish leaders and Jewish and non-Jewish viewers as the only channel on American television to concentrate on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on a daily basis.  A wide array of notable Jewish and non-Jewish figures, reflecting the entire political spectrum have participated in the ongoing series, Israel In Turmoil.

He also noted that JBS morphed from Shaltom TV because the latter was "a hair too parochial," while adding it also shared a name of Christian-oriented channel in Malaysia. “In the early days, there was a lot of confusion, and it still comes up from time to time on searches.

He also believes the new name is a better calling card for its expansion plans beyond these borders. Golub said the network has engaged in conversations with a number of international distributors for dubbed versions of the English-language channel.

Naturally, Golub is looking toward a position in Israel, and has had talks with SKY for carriage in the U.K. JBS is also eyeing launches in eastern and western parts of The Continent

“There has been a wave of anti-Semitism in Western Europe of late. We believe JBS provides lovely, alternative perspectives of Jewish life and culture," he said, “I would not be surprised if in 2015 JBS gains distribution outside the U.S."

Stateside, JBS is looking to butress its linear presence. After bowing as video on demand service with Comcast in 2006, Shalom TV over the years gained a VOD foothold across the nation with on-demand deals with providers, reaching more than 40 million households.

The service in 2012 secured its first linear berth on Cablevision systems serving the New York DMA. It also has carriage with RCN in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Maryland and Virginia; in Miami Beach via Atlantic Broadband; Metrocast in Maine and New Hampshire; Service Electric in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton, Emmaus, Penn. and Hunterdon, NJ; Hot Wire Communications in Miami, Manhattan and New Jersey; Blue Ridge Communications in Penn.; and Google Fiber in Kansas City, and Provo, Utah, plus an upcoming launch in Austin, Tex.  The service also has a Roku channel, can be streamed on the JBS website www.jbstv.org, and heard on Tune In Radio.

About a year ago, it exited the VOD space, commiting itself toward a model steeped in linear positioning.  To that end, Golub is confident JBS will launch in a couple of Verizon FiOS markets before the close of 2014, without disclosing the DMAs. He also wants to land on three of the nation's largest distributors.

“We’re in talks with Comcast, Time Warner Cable and DirecTV that will hopefully result in carriage next year,” said Golub.  

As JBS builds its linear base, it eventually plans to return to its carriage beginnings. “We’re going to look to add video on demand a bit later,” said Golub.

In the meantime, the network’s roots live on in another way: Promos with the likes of Dr. Ruth Westheimer saying “You’re watching Shalom TV on JBS” will air and the former name is uttered in archival interview programming with the likes of a lawyer Alan Dershowitz.

“It’s embedded in some of our existing shows,” said Golub. “We’re not dropping the Shalom TV name entirely.”