PARIS, December 19. /TASS/. The number of journalists killed in conflict zones has increased over the past three years, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has reported.

"At least 38 journalists and media workers were killed in the line of work in countries in conflict in 2023," the organization's report noted. "The last three months of this year in particular have already been the deadliest quarter for journalists in conflict zones since at least 2007, with 27 deaths," UNESCO added.

According to UNESCO, 28 journalists were killed in war zones in 2022, up from 20 in 2021. "The ongoing hostilities in the Middle East were responsible for a large majority of conflict-related killings, with UNESCO having so far reported 19 killings in Palestine, 3 in Lebanon and 2 in Israel since 7 October. Afghanistan, Cameroon, Syria and Ukraine also each saw at least two killings," the report reads.

Overall, according to UNESCO, this year the number of journalist deaths compared to last year decreased from 88 to 65. "But this overall drop conceals a very alarming phenomenon: the sharp increase in the number killed in conflict zones. However, it is in this very type of situation that the work of journalists is most vital," the report quotes UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay as saying.