NEW YORK, November 3. /TASS/. At least 36 journalists have been killed as a result of the latest Israeli-Palestinian escalation, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said.

"As of November 2, CPJ’s investigations showed at least 36 journalists and media workers were among an estimated 10,000 killed since the war began on October 7," the organization said.

According to the organization, journalists covering events on the ground are facing particularly high risks due to Israel’s devastating air strikes. They have to fulfill their professional duties amid frequent disruptions in telecoms services and power outages.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Thursday that at least 46 journalists have been killed worldwide in 2023, and at least 531 have been placed in custody over the reported period.

Tensions in the Middle East flared up again on October 7 after militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of border communities and taking people, including women, children and the elderly, hostage. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel announced a total blockade of Gaza and launched ground operations in the enclave, also carrying out air strikes on targets in the Strip, as well as on certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.