Amnesty UK's Lies Minimize the Number of Journalists Killed During the Holocaust

Amnesty UK commemorates Anas Al-Sharif, confirmed by the IDF as a Hamas terrorist, and claims the Israel-Hamas war is the deadliest conflict for journalists, minimizing the higher toll during WWII

Amnesty International UK has claimed that the elimination of Anas Al-Sharif, who posed as an Al Jazeera journalist but was confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as being the head of a Hamas terrorist cell, adds to the tally of at least 242 Palestinian journalists “killed by Israeli forces” since October 2023. Furthermore, Amnesty framed Sharif’s death as the “intentional targeting and killing of journalists.”

Posting on X, the organisation asserted that “no conflict in modern history has seen a higher number of journalists killed,” citing United Nations figures. However, a review of historical data shows that Amnesty UK’s framing rests on the claim that only 69 journalists were killed during World War II between 1939 and 1945, a figure that contradicts extensive historical records.

Amnesty UK appears to be minimizing the far higher toll of journalists murdered during the Holocaust, while presenting numbers in a way that critics argue is not only misleading but also lacks transparency and distorts historical context.

Credit: Amnesty UK on X

Pushback on Sourcing and Framing

Almost immediately, the claim was met with sharp criticism. Analyst Mark Zlochin responded on X that Amnesty’s framing was deceptive, pointing out that the supposed UN figures actually originate from Gaza’s Hamas-run Government Media Office. Zlochin noted that the UN itself has repeatedly stated that it does not independently verify these casualty numbers.

He went further, citing examples that dwarf the Gaza numbers. In the Soviet Union alone, he noted, over 1,500 journalists were killed during World War II—six and a half times higher than the 232 figure for Gaza given in a recent Watson School report. Zlochin also pointed to more recent conflicts, noting that over 700 journalists were killed in Syria, nearly three times the Gaza toll. Zlochin’s findings show that calling the Israel-Hamas War the deadliest conflict in modern history for journalists is not just inaccurate but demonstrably false.

Credit: Mark Zlochin on X

The Historical Record From World War II

According to the database maintained by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, over 1,400 Jewish journalists were murdered, presumed murdered, or killed in military service during the Second World War.

Over 1,400 Jewish journalists were murdered, presumed murdered, or killed in military service during WWII, according to the database maintained by Yad Vashem. Credit: Yad Vashem - The World Holocaust Remembrance Center

That figure does not account for non-Jewish journalists who were executed in political reprisals, shot in mass killings, or died in incidents that went unrecorded. For example, Joe Morton, an Associated Press war correspondent, was executed by the Nazis at the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in 1945.

Joe Morton, an American non-Jewish journalist who worked for AP Press and was murdered by the Nazis during WWII. Credit: Nieman Reports

The Stakes of Accuracy in Conflict Reporting

Amnesty International UK’s decision to portray Anas Al-Sharif—a man the IDF confirmed as a Hamas terrorist—as a journalist killed for his reporting, while simultaneously minimizing the documented number of journalists killed during the Holocaust and in other major conflicts, raises serious questions about the accuracy and intent of its messaging. By relying on inaccurate figures and presenting them in a way that obscures historical reality, Amnesty risks distorting public understanding of both past atrocities and present events.