Were a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7th, 2023 linked to terrorist organizations?

Contested Claim — No Clear Consensus

This is a highly disputed question with significant disagreement between Israeli sources and press freedom organizations. Here's what the evidence shows:

Claims that a majority WERE linked to terror groups

Israeli military/intelligence sources: A study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center found that a majority of Gaza-based journalists killed since the outbreak of the war were operatives in, or closely affiliated with, terrorist organizations — primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with at least 157 of 266 examined individuals (roughly 60%) classified this way.

The IDF itself released a more detailed accounting, stating that 170 Gazans killed during the war who were presented as journalists and media personnel were in fact serving as terrorists, with 118 active in Hamas's military wing, 49 in Islamic Jihad, two in the Popular Resistance Committees, and one in the Mujahideen Brigades. The IDF also claimed seventeen of the people on the list invaded Israeli territory in the October 7, 2023, attack.

A media watchdog audit found a similar pattern: that's well over half the names on the 209-person CPJ list, with about 56 of the names still being active, violent militants when they died, according to an audit performed by HonestReporting.

Pushback and disputes

Press freedom organizations strongly dispute these findings. Reporters Without Borders stated "Journalists are not terrorists and the mere publication of these documents doesn't constitute proof of their affiliation nor does it give Israel the license to kill".

Al Jazeera has consistently rejected Israel's "unfounded allegations" against its journalists.

CPJ's position has evolved. The organization initially pushed back hard but eventually conducted a formal review. By a recent count, CPJ has removed a total of 27 people from its list of slain journalists after finding that they participated in combat or belonged to a militant group, and removed another nine for other reasons. However, CPJ maintains that international humanitarian law considers journalists affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they do not directly participate in hostilities — meaning mere affiliation with an outlet doesn't disqualify someone.

Critically, CPJ disputes that even after removals, a majority are militants — a HonestReporting audit claims otherwise, alleging CPJ still includes at least 120 names linked to Hamas and other terror factions on its widely cited list — well over half the names on the 209-person list, a claim CPJ has not endorsed.

The UN's special rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, stated that Israel had "spread disinformation" about journalists (claim cut off in source, but represents the opposing view).

Methodological disputes

Investigative journalism has also raised concerns about Israel's process for making these determinations. +972 Magazine reported that the Israeli army created a special unit known as the "Legitimization Cell" to link Palestinian journalists to Hamas in order to justify their killings — suggesting some of these affiliations may be constructed retroactively rather than independently verified.

Bottom line

There is no neutral, independently verified consensus confirming a majority were "linked to terrorist organizations." Israeli military and intelligence sources, along with allied watchdog groups, claim roughly 55-60% had such ties. CPJ, RSF, Al Jazeera, and the UN dispute the methodology and evidentiary basis for many of these claims, while acknowledging in a limited number of specific cases (around 27-36 individuals out of 190-270+ on various lists) that some individuals were indeed combatants. Given Israel's restricted access for independent journalists into Gaza, verification by neutral third parties has been extremely difficult throughout the conflict.