CHANNELDRAW · VISUAL JOURNALISM · ONGOING SINCE OCTOBER 2023
In the Crosshairs
of Memory
Portraits of Journalists Killed in Gaza

THE PROJECT
Memory must have a face
In the Crosshairs of Memory is a visual memorial by Gianluca Costantini honouring journalists and media workers killed while documenting the war in Gaza.
Through portraiture and graphic journalism, the project preserves their faces, stories and commitment to truth. Developed in dialogue with data from the Committee to Protect Journalists, the drawings transform memory into a public act: a defence of press freedom against oblivion.
Each portrait begins with a name and a photograph. It becomes a record, an act of gratitude and a refusal to allow a human life to disappear behind a number.
Defending the Right to Witness
Journalists are essential witnesses in times of conflict. By portraying those killed while documenting Gaza, the project affirms the fundamental role of a free press in preserving truth and accountability.
PUBLIC ACTIONS
Portraits carried into public space
New Haven · 2025In New Haven, a Tribute to the Journalists Who Died in Gaza
Atlanta · 2025Atlanta’s Vigil for the Fallen Journalists of Gaza
Seattle · 2023Local Media Workers Hold Vigil for Journalists Killed in the Israel–Hamas War
Naples · 2024Activists in Naples Mourn the Journalists Killed in the War
Washington, DC · 2024Gianluca Costantini at the DAWN Integrity Awards 2024
Bern · 2024Postcard Campaign for Journalistic Integrity
A Visual Archive of Memory
An evolving archive, developed with information from CPJ, gives names, faces and stories to journalists whose voices were silenced.
A LIVING MEMORIAL
The archive continues to grow
Started in October 2023, the project follows verified reporting and preserves an expanding constellation of journalists and media workers. The complete archive contains the portraits, names, dates, biographies and sources.
Drawing as an Act of Solidarity
The portraits move beyond the studio. Printed, carried and exhibited, they become tools of public engagement, collective mourning and resistance.
FROM THE STUDIO TO PUBLIC SPACE
The portraits became collective actions
The drawings have been carried into museums, festivals, vigils, demonstrations and publications around the world.
Placed beside flowers and candles, printed on public walls or held in people’s hands, the portraits act as shared instruments of memory. Their circulation connects cities and communities through a common demand for truth, justice and press freedom.

Bologna · 2024The Photos from the Exhibition “In the Crosshairs of Memory”
Amman · 2024Portraits of Journalists Killed in Gaza at the ARIJ 17th Forum
Ronchi dei Legionari · 2025Drawing Through the Pain: Gaza, Journalism, and a Small Town in Italy
Geneva · 2025In the Crosshairs of Memory at the FIFDH in Geneva
PUBLICATIONS & RECOGNITION
The project in publications and public debate
Anarchist Studies · 2026Anarchist Studies: Art, Anarchy, and Human Rights
El País Semanal · 2025EL PAÍS — Target: Kill the Journalist
Press Freedom · 2025Safe and Free Press in the Middle East: Reporting from Gaza
Cardiff · 2024Killing the Messenger 2024
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida · 2024My Solidarity with Palestine and Its Journalists Supports Human Justice
Press Freedom Award · 2024Shrouq Al Aila — International Press Freedom Awards 2024
PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS · MAPPED STORIES
Stories across the world
EXHIBITIONS · ACTIONS · PUBLICATIONS
A visual memorial travelling across borders
Exhibitions
Public Actions
Publications & Recognition
KEEP THEIR FACES VISIBLE
Print them.
Publish them.
Carry their names
These portraits are made to circulate. Use them in exhibitions, memorials, publications and public actions defending press freedom. Always preserve the name and story of the person represented and credit Gianluca Costantini / ChannelDraw.