Smoke and debris rises over the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas (Jack Guez/AFP)

At least 53 journalists and media workers have been killed in Israel and the besieged Palestinian enclave Gaza since the conflict begun on October 7, said the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The New York-based CPJ said Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack and Israel’s reprisal pounding of the blockaded territory have taken a severe toll on journalists.

“As of November 22, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 53 journalists and media workers were among the more than 15,000 killed since the war began on October 7—with over 14, 14,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 deaths in Israel,” CPJ said in a statement.

The second-deadliest day for journalist deaths occurred on November 18, with five killed; the deadliest day of the war was its first day, October 7, with 6 journalists killed, the body added.

Israel is continuing its relentless bombardment and a ground offensive intended to destroy Hamas, which carried out the deadliest attack in Israel’s history, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

The Hamas-run government in Gaza says Israel’s operations have killed more than 14,000 people, many of them children, and left much of the territory in ruins.

Previously, Reuters reported that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the agency and fellow AFP that it could not guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, after they had sought assurances that their journalists would not be targeted by Israeli strikes.

CPJ further said journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages and extensive power outages.