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

This is a contested claim, with sources on different sides reaching different conclusions.

The claim and its source

The "majority" figure originates primarily from Israeli government/military sources and an Israeli think tank, not from independent press-freedom organizations:

•A December 2025 study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli think tank with ties to former intelligence officials) examined the identities of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025, finding at least 157 of them — roughly 60 percent — were members of terror groups or clearly affiliated with them, including 104 linked to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

•Separately, in October 2026 the IDF published the names of 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza during the war who were presented internationally as journalists or media workers but who the military says also served as members of terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, saying 118 of the 170 were members of Hamas' military wing, 49 belonged to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, one was affiliated with Adonei HaShmama and two with the Popular Resistance Committees.

•The Israeli think tank's methodology based its conclusions on public records, Palestinian media reports, and Hamas documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces during ground operations in Gaza, and its director said the study relied on "Arabic-language sources, social media profiles, and captured Hamas documents."

Pushback and disputes

Press-freedom organizations and some outlets dispute both the methodology and the framing:

•Reporters Without Borders has rejected Israel's evidence as insufficient, stating "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."

•The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which maintains the most widely cited independent tally, has only removed a small number of names after review — it removed 20 names from its list in June 2026, including eight individuals determined to be members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with a further nineteen removed in September 2026. That's a small fraction of the roughly 200+ names on CPJ's overall list, far short of a "majority."

•CPJ's president defended the organization's standard, noting its methodology was guided by international humanitarian law, and CPJ has said "affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they do not directly participate in hostilities."

•A Guardian investigation found that an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that Israel does not differentiate between media workers and militants working for Hamas, a statement which the Guardian said had raised alarm among legal experts, as under the laws of war journalists are protected unless they participate in combat operations.

•+972 Magazine reported in August 2025 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 — a claim Israel disputes but which adds to skepticism about the IDF's post-hoc designations.

•Critics like Mohammed el-Kurd have also raised concerns about CPJ potentially changing the organisation's definition of what qualifies as a "journalist" and excluding Palestinian and Lebanese journalists who worked for state-funded media outlets, which would itself skew any such count.

Bottom line

The "majority were terrorists" claim comes from Israeli military/intelligence sources (IDF and an Israeli think tank), using Hamas/PIJ's own martyrdom notices and IDF-recovered documents as primary evidence. Independent press-freedom monitors like CPJ, RSF, and IFJ — while acknowledging a handful of cases where individuals did have verified combatant roles — have not corroborated that a majority of the roughly 200+ journalists killed were terrorist operatives; their own reviews have resulted in the removal of only a small fraction of names (around 20-47 out of 200+, depending on the organization). So the claim is real and comes from identifiable sources, but it is disputed and not confirmed by independent journalism-safety organizations, which consider Israel's blanket accusations largely unproven on a case-by-case basis.

Citations (11)

1timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says | The Times of Israel
Source excerpt: “The study (Hebrew link), published Thursday, examined the identities of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza betw...”
2ynetnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.80
IDF names 170 slain Gaza ‘journalists’ it says served in Hamas, Islamic Jihad
Source excerpt: “The IDF on Thursday published the names of 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza during the war who were presented internationally as journalists or media w...”
3ynetnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.80
IDF names 170 slain Gaza ‘journalists’ it says served in Hamas, Islamic Jihad
Source excerpt: “The IDF said 118 of the 170 were members of Hamas’ military wing, 49 belonged to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, one was affiliated with Adonei HaShmama an...”
4timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says | The Times of Israel
Source excerpt: “The center said its conclusions are based on public records, Palestinian media reports, and Hamas documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces during...”
5wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Killing of journalists in the Gaza war - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “Reporters Without Borders found inconsistencies with Israel's allegations and stated, "Journalists are not terrorists and the mere publication of thes...”
6wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Killing of journalists in the Gaza war - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “In June 2026, the CPJ made public that it removed 20 names from its list of journalists and media workers killed during the Israel–Gaza war, including...”
7wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Killing of journalists in the Gaza war - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “Jodie Ginsberg, the president of CPJ, defended the decision, saying that its methodology was guided by international humanitarian law. ”
8jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad ties prompt CPJ review of Gaza journalist death database | The Jerusalem Post
Source excerpt: ““This is consistent with international humanitarian law, which considers journalists affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they d...”
9wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Killing of journalists in the Gaza war - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that Israel does not differentiate between media workers and militants working for Hamas, a statement which...”
10wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Killing of journalists in the Gaza war - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “In August 2025, Israel's +972 Magazine reported that the Israeli army created a special unit known as the "Legitimization Cell" to link Palestinian jo...”
11wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Killing of journalists in the Gaza war - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “According to Palestinian activist and writer Mohammed el-Kurd, he stated on X that CPJ announced plans to change the organisation's definition of what...”