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A United Nations report presented to the General Assembly yesterday concludes that Israel's targeting of journalists in Gaza and its efforts to silence Palestinian voices have facilitated the genocide there, describing parts of the assault on truth as "medicide".

The report, titled "Truth Under Rubble: Media in a Time of Genocide" and authored by UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine Francesca Albanese, documents roughly 300 journalists killed since October 2023, the destruction of media offices and homes, the detention and torture of reporters, and pressure on international outlets and digital platforms.

Report calls destruction of truth part of destruction of a people

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, submitted the report to the General Assembly yesterday. It examines Israel's targeting of journalists in Gaza and measures aimed at suppressing Palestinian voices.

The report argues that the destruction of truth has become part of the destruction of a people. It says Israel has killed, wounded and detained Palestinian media workers, labelled them terrorists, tortured them, imposed censorship, spread hate speech and denied the genocide, while international media organisations and digital platforms have pushed Palestinian voices into the background and reproduced Israeli narratives, normalising distortion.

According to the report, these practices did not merely accompany the genocide but facilitated its commission and shielded those responsible from accountability. Some dimensions of this assault on truth, it says, can be described as "medicide".

Close to 300 journalists killed and 710 relatives slain

The report notes that international law obliges states to protect media workers and says the Israeli military has deliberately targeted journalists in Gaza. Since October 2023, Israel has killed close to 300 journalists and wounded more than 400, around 70 of whom were killed while carrying out their professional work.

The families of journalists have also paid a heavy price for that work. The report says Israel has killed a total of 710 relatives of journalists. It cites Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassouna, who was killed on 16 April 2025 along with five family members when their home was struck by precision-guided munitions.

More than 150 journalists have also had their homes destroyed since October 2023, which the report interprets as evidence of an intent to persecute the media sector.

Detention, torture and 'Hamas agent' accusations

Beyond killings, the report says Israel has abducted or detained more than 100 journalists, who were subjected to torture, sexual violence and ill-treatment. Released journalists have described physical assaults, sexual violence including rape, sensory deprivation, inadequate food and medical neglect. The report records one Israeli officer telling detained journalists: "I killed all the journalists, and brought the ones I couldn't kill here."

Israel is also accused of labelling the journalists it kills, tortures or detains as "Hamas agents" to legitimise its actions. According to the report, the Israeli military set up a dedicated unit to systematically portray Palestinian journalists as Hamas members, and Palestinian reporters were accused of Hamas ties and publicly marked as targets before being killed.

Media infrastructure destroyed and coverage suppressed

The report says Israel has targeted media infrastructure to prevent documentation of its war crimes in Gaza. As of October 2025, the Israeli army had destroyed 150 media offices, including news agency headquarters, broadcast towers and radio stations. It also reports that 81 percent of Gaza's communications infrastructure has been destroyed and a further 12 percent partially damaged.

Israel is described as putting heavy pressure on traditional media outlets and social media platforms to block reporting on its war crimes, making it one of the world's most active countries in demanding content removal. The report recalls the campaign known as "Project Esther" to suppress pro-Palestinian news and content, and says contracts worth about 50 million dollars were signed with companies including Google and X.

The report also points to dehumanising rhetoric in Israeli mainstream and pro-government media. Some broadcasts claimed there was "no one innocent" in Gaza, that Palestinians were "not civilians" and that "two and a half million terrorists" lived there. Outlets called Palestinians "monsters", a "cancerous formation" and "cannibals", and argued they should be eliminated. Channel 14 presenter Shimon Riklin called for Gaza to be "wiped off the face of the earth", and the channel aired singer Eyal Golan saying: "Erase Gaza, don't leave a single person there." A Channel 12 programme featured journalist Yehuda Schlesinger arguing that sexual violence should become state policy and that Palestinians "deserved it".

Western outlets, digital platforms and calls for accountability

The report says Israel has also pressured journalists in Western capitals who do not support its narrative, and that media organisations have dismissed numerous journalists as a result. It says some journalists at BBC Arabic faced disciplinary proceedings, prompting resignations. It further alleges that outlets including the BBC, the New York Times, CNN and the Washington Post amplified the Israeli government's messaging while silencing Palestinian voices, and that most media organisations avoid the terms "genocide", "ethnic cleansing" and "occupied territories". The BBC's editorial guidance is said not to list Gaza explicitly among occupied territories and to use Israel's preferred phrase "disputed territories" for the West Bank and Gaza.

Digital platforms such as X, Meta, Alphabet and TikTok are accused of suppressing Palestinian voices through content moderation and account restrictions while reinforcing Israel's narrative. Data cited in the report shows X suspended hundreds of accounts belonging to activists, journalists and Palestinians documenting the genocide without explanation.

The report calls on the General Assembly to establish an independent mechanism to preserve evidence of crimes against journalists. It urges Israel to stop attacks on journalists, release those held arbitrarily, and allow international media and human rights monitors into Gaza. States are asked to investigate attacks on Palestinian journalists, bring perpetrators to justice, act against incitement to violence and genocide, and meet their obligation to prevent genocide.

Key takeaways

• The UN report describes parts of Israel's assault on truth in Gaza as "medicide", saying it facilitated the genocide and shielded perpetrators from accountability.
• Nearly 300 journalists have been killed since October 2023, more than 400 wounded, and 710 of their relatives slain, the report says.
• It documents the destruction of 150 media offices and more than 150 journalists' homes, and the detention or abduction of over 100 journalists.
• The report urges the General Assembly to set up an independent mechanism to preserve evidence and calls on Israel to let media and human rights monitors into Gaza.