Were a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7th, 2023 linked to terrorist organizations?
Short answer: There isn’t independent evidence that a majority of the Palestinian (Gazan) journalists killed since October 7, 2023 were members of terrorist organizations. Israeli military and allied research bodies have recently claimed this, but major press‑freedom groups that track these deaths have not corroborated a “majority” figure.
What different sources say
•Israeli military/intelligence claims: In September–October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces said at least 170 of the Gaza “journalists and media personnel” killed were in fact members of militant groups. Separately, Israel’s Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center published studies asserting roughly 60% of those labeled journalists/media workers who were killed were operatives or clearly affiliated with groups like Hamas and PIJ. These figures are not independently verified outside Israeli government–aligned sources.[1]
•Independent watchdogs: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented hundreds of journalist and media‑worker deaths since Oct 7, 2023 (most of them Palestinians in Gaza). After a months‑long review completed on September 24, 2026, CPJ removed some names and reclassified others where new evidence showed people were combatants or not journalists—but CPJ did not report that a majority were militants, and reaffirmed its long‑standing rule to exclude anyone found to be “engaging in combat.” Earlier, CPJ noted that official assertions of “affiliation” alone are not sufficient to strip journalists of civilian status under international humanitarian law.[2]
•Other reporting: The Washington Post’s coverage of CPJ’s review similarly said CPJ found some previously listed as journalists were militants, but did not indicate anything approaching a majority. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has verified militant affiliation in a limited number of individual cases and removed such names from specific “killed in connection with work” tallies, but it has not endorsed a claim that most killed Gaza journalists were militants.[3]
Bottom line
•A “majority” claim comes from Israeli military/affiliated analyses and a pro‑Israel media watchdog; it is disputed and not validated by independent press‑freedom groups that have reviewed case‑by‑case evidence. Those groups acknowledge some cases of militants among the dead, but their public findings to date do not show that most were members of terrorist organizations.[4]
If you want, I can break down how many names each side counts, and what each organization means by “journalist,” “media worker,” or “affiliation,” for a clearer apples‑to‑apples comparison.
Backs: “After a months‑long review completed on September 24, 2026, CPJ removed some names and reclassified others where new evidence showed people were combatants or not journalists—but CPJ did not report that a majority were militants, and reaffirmed its long‑standing rule to exclude anyone found to be “engaging in combat.”…”
Backs: “Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has verified militant affiliation in a limited number of individual cases and removed such names from specific “killed in connection with work” tallies, but it has not endorsed a claim that most killed Gaza journalists were militants.”
Backs: “Those groups acknowledge some cases of militants among the dead, but their public findings to date do not show that most were members of terrorist organizations.”