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On June 25, 2026, the Committee to Protect Journalists announced that it had removed 20 names from its list of journalists killed in the Gaza Strip, confirming only eight names while leaving the remaining cases under review. When I read the announcement, I did not focus on the numbers. Instead, I found myself asking a single question that has haunted me ever since: If I am killed tomorrow while doing my job, will I be recognized as a journalist, or will my name also disappear from the list?

Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, more than 260 journalists in Gaza have been killed, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, making it one of the deadliest conflicts for media workers in modern history. Despite this unprecedented toll, international organizations dedicated to protecting journalists have been unable to stop their killings or provide meaningful protection.

I began working as a journalist in 2024, in the midst of the genocide unfolding in Gaza. My goal was never simply to report the news. I wanted to tell the world what we, as Palestinians, were living through. I wrote about our forced displacement, the complete destruction of my family’s home, and the interruption of my university education for an entire year. I documented the suffering of families who lost loved ones, people who were wounded or amputated, and women who became the sole providers for their households after losing their husbands.

I understood from the beginning that journalism in Gaza could cost me my life. Every story means leaving my home and traveling to places that could be bombed at any moment. Yet I constantly remind myself: We are all living under the threat of death in Gaza. If I am killed, at least I will have died doing my work as a journalist.

On July 18, 2026, that possibility came frighteningly close.

Israel Kills Famous Gaza Reporter Anas Al-Sharif in Targeted Strike

Journalism in Gaza could cost me my life. Every story means leaving my home and traveling to places that could be bombed at any moment.

Journalism in Gaza could cost........

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