Israeli military censorship has significantly increased in 2023, with at least 613 articles and 2,703 news items prevented from being published, according to a report from Israeli news site Mekomit. The data was obtained through a freedom of information request to the army’s censorship department.
The censorship department intervenes multiple times daily in journalists’ information dissemination, even outside of war time, ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 times a year. The spike in censorship is attributed to the Hamas attack on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Journalists in Israel are required by law to submit articles on security issues for review, which covers a wide range of topics. The censorship results in omissions from publication rather than blackouts in articles.
The war on Gaza has revealed increased media control by the Israeli government, with restrictions on reporting and crackdowns on journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports a significant death toll and widespread destruction in Gaza as a result of the conflict.