Yemen Journalists Death: What Happened and What Comes Next

On September 10, 2025, a series of Israeli airstrikes struck the Moral Guidance Directorate media complex in Sana’a, Yemen, killing 31 journalists and media support staff and injuring dozens more. The blast, which destroyed two newspaper offices—26 September and Al-Yemen—was the deadliest single attack on journalists anywhere in the world in 16 years, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

While the Israeli government claimed it was targeting military communication centers belonging to the Houthis, eyewitnesses and local officials say the building was clearly marked as a media facility and housed no armed forces. The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate (YJS) condemned the strike as a “massacre of the truth,” while Human Rights Watch and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demanded an independent international investigation.

The attack reignited global debate on the safety of journalists in war zones and whether states are doing enough to uphold the international humanitarian law that explicitly protects media workers as civilians.

What We Know So Far

According to reports compiled by CPJ, IFJ, and multiple international outlets, the strikes occurred late at night when most of the journalists were finalizing the next day’s publications. The resulting explosion flattened the building, destroyed printing presses, and erased decades of archived reporting material.

The Houthi-led administration in Sana’a said 35 people were killed and 131 injured in total across the area, with the majority being journalists and nearby civilians. (Washington Post, Sept. 19, 2025)

Israel’s Ministry of Defense stated that the operation targeted “information warfare units” allegedly used to spread propaganda and coordinate Houthi military messaging. However, no conclusive evidence has been presented to support that claim, and the building’s media registration remains documented in public Yemeni records. The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) later stated that “even if such communications were of a military nature, proportionality and precaution appear not to have been respected.”

This is not the first time journalists have been caught in the crossfire of Israel’s regional operations. In the past two years, media casualties in Gaza, Lebanon, and now Yemen have spurred renewed calls for an international mechanism to monitor and investigate attacks on the press.

The Context Behind the Attack

The Israeli airstrikes were part of a broader regional campaign responding to missile launches from Houthi-controlled Yemen toward southern Israel earlier in September. The Houthis had declared solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Gaza conflict, claiming responsibility for drone strikes against Israeli and U.S. assets in the Red Sea region.

However, the escalation into Yemen, particularly targeting civilian infrastructure, sparked global outrage. Yemen, already enduring years of civil war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Houthi forces, is home to one of the world’s most fragile humanitarian environments. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 24 million Yemenis, roughly 75% of the population, need humanitarian aid, and over 17 million face food insecurity.

In this setting, the press plays a crucial role in documenting both war crimes and relief efforts. The destruction of one of Yemen’s largest media hubs has left a vacuum not only in news coverage but also in public accountability. It further isolates communities that already struggle to be heard on the global stage.

Global Reactions and Investigations

The international response was swift and severe.

• The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the bombing as a “flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions.”

• The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called on the UN Human Rights Council to open an independent inquiry into Israel’s targeting practices.

• The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate described the incident as “a war crime that must not go unpunished.”

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to include the attack in its ongoing review of crimes against journalists globally.

As of today, the UN has not yet launched a formal commission of inquiry, though informal consultations have taken place among several Security Council members. Diplomatically, several European nations, including Norway, Spain, and Ireland, have requested Israel provide full documentation on the intelligence that led to the targeting of the Sana’a facility.

So far, Israel has declined to comment beyond its initial statement, claiming it acts “within the framework of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.”

Legal experts, however, have questioned this justification, noting that journalistic institutions are protected civilian entities unless directly participating in hostilities—a threshold not met in this case, based on all available evidence.

The Human and Cultural Loss

The immediate toll, 31 journalists dead, is staggering. But beyond the statistics lies a cultural and historical erasure. The 26 September newspaper, one of the oldest publications in Yemen, maintained extensive archives documenting not just the current conflict but also decades of Yemen’s post-colonial political evolution. Those archives are now gone.

Credit: Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP

Colleagues of the victims described the loss as both professional and personal. “We lost not only friends but the memory of Yemen,” one surviving journalist told Al Jazeera. Another, speaking to The Guardian, said: “It wasn’t just a building—it was our country’s voice.”

For a nation already fragmented by war, such losses deepen the silence. Media experts warn that the destruction of independent or local news outlets allows warring factions to dominate narratives unchecked, heightening the risk of misinformation and radicalization.

Possible Paths Toward Peace and Accountability

While immediate justice remains elusive, several peace-oriented proposals have emerged from both civil society and multilateral discussions:

1. A UN-led International Inquiry:

Several NGOs and UN member states are pushing for an independent commission to investigate the Yemen media strike, similar to mechanisms used after attacks in Gaza and Syria. This would establish factual clarity and assign accountability without prejudicing ongoing peace efforts.

2. Conditional Arms Transfers:

Peace advocates and human rights groups have urged Western governments to condition military aid and arms sales on adherence to international humanitarian law, specifically the protection of journalists and civilian institutions.

3. Media Safety and Reconstruction Fund:

There are growing calls for creating a regional protection fund for journalists, including resources for evacuation, mental health care, and rebuilding destroyed media infrastructures across conflict zones.

4. Diplomatic Dialogue and Citizen Pressure:

Diplomatic efforts to curb escalation in Yemen—and across the broader Middle East—require public engagement. Platforms like Pledge4Peace enable citizens worldwide to vote for pro-peace proposals and pressure leaders toward diplomatic, rather than military, solutions.

A Step Toward Peace Through Awareness

In the weeks following the attack, a small but symbolic act of hope emerged from Yemen’s coast. Fishermen in Hudaydah began sharing part of their catch with displaced families and journalists’ families in Sana’a. Local activists described it as “a gesture of solidarity born out of tragedy.” This grassroots compassion underscores what international diplomacy often forgets: peace is not just negotiated in conference halls—it begins with communities choosing empathy over vengeance.

Ingrid Prestetun/NRC

The killing of 31 journalists in Yemen stands as a grim reminder of the vulnerability of truth in wartime. Press freedom, one of the first casualties of any conflict, cannot survive without international protection and civic vigilance. The international community now faces a choice: treat this massacre as a line that must never be crossed, or allow impunity to normalize such violence.

As the world waits for accountability, the call for peace remains urgent. Through citizen diplomacy and global cooperation, there is still a path forward—one rooted in transparency, justice, and respect for human dignity.

The loss of journalists in Yemen is not just a tragedy for a nation, it’s a warning to the world. The right to truth and the pursuit of peace are intertwined.

Join us in demanding diplomatic solutions and human rights accountability by voting on our campaign: Create Permanent Peace and Strengthen Democracies in Israel and Palestine

Your voice can help ensure that the next headline from Yemen—or anywhere—tells a story of peace, not another act of violence.

Hero Image: A funeral ceremony on September 16 for the 32 journalists who were killed at their offices in Sanaa, Yemen. Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu via Getty Images.