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

Whether a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023, were linked to terrorist organizations is a subject of intense dispute. The answer depends heavily on the definitions used to define "affiliation" and the sources of information.

There is no independent, internationally accepted consensus supporting the claim that a majority of the killed journalists were linked to terrorist groups.

The origin of this claim, the evidence presented, and the counter-arguments from international press watchdogs present two distinct perspectives:

1. The Israeli Government and IDF Claim (The "Majority" Narrative)

The claim that a majority of the killed journalists had terrorist links comes directly from the Israeli military and Israeli-linked intelligence think tanks:

•The 60% Affiliation Claim: In studies published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), researchers analyzed the lists of slain media workers. They concluded that roughly 60% of those killed (at least 157 individuals) were either members of terrorist groups (primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad [PIJ]) or worked directly for outlets owned and operated by them.

•The IDF Database: In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a public database alleging that 170 Gazans presented by international organizations as killed journalists were actually active operatives in terror organizations. The military claimed that 118 of these individuals were active in Hamas's military wing, 49 in PIJ, and others in smaller factions.

•The Evidence Offered: To support these claims, the IDF has released documents, rosters, ID numbers, and payrolls that it says were seized during ground operations in Gaza. Some of the listed individuals were also featured in official "martyr" notices or obituaries published by Hamas and PIJ.

2. The International Press Freedom Perspective (The Counter-Narrative)

International press watchdogs—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)—as well as human rights groups, strongly dispute the Israeli majority claim, raising several key arguments:

•Broad Definition of "Affiliation": A central criticism is how Israel defines a "link" to a terrorist group. Under international humanitarian law, working for a partisan media outlet (such as Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai Radio) does not strip a media worker of their protected civilian status. To lose protection, a journalist must be actively participating in hostilities. Independent groups argue that Israel classifies anyone working for Gazan public/political media as a "terrorist" to retroactively justify their deaths.

•Inconsistencies and Smear Campaigns: Watchdogs have accused the IDF of conducting "smear campaigns" and fabricating evidence to blunt international outrage over the high death toll of media workers. For instance, in the prominent case of Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul, whom Israel accused of being a military commander, independent reviews noted major flaws in the IDF's documentation—such as listing an enlistment date when al-Ghoul would have been only 10 years old.

•Limited Scope of Confirmed Combatants: While press freedom groups reject the broad "majority" claim, they do conduct investigations into specific allegations. In September 2026, the CPJ completed a comprehensive external audit of its database of killed journalists. This audit was initiated after Hamas and PIJ published official military obituaries claiming some of the individuals listed by CPJ as journalists were actually active combatants. Consequently, CPJ removed 22 names from its database because they were established to have engaged in combat or did not meet the definition of a journalist. However, this represented only a small portion (roughly 10%) of the total deaths.

Summary

•According to Israel and the IDF, a majority (~60%) of the Gazans killed who were identified as journalists were actually dual-hatted operatives or affiliates of terrorist organizations.

•According to international watchdogs, the vast majority of those killed were legitimate civilian media workers. While a small number of individuals (about 10% of cases investigated by CPJ) have been subsequently confirmed to have military ties or combat roles, watchdogs maintain that Israel’s claim of a "terrorist majority" relies on unverified intelligence, errors, and an overly broad definition of combatant status designed to justify the unprecedented killing of journalists in Gaza.

Citations (15)

1jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The 60% Affiliation Claim: In studies published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), researchers analyzed the lists of slain media workers.”
2timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The 60% Affiliation Claim: In studies published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), researchers analyzed the lists of slain media workers.”
3timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The IDF Database: In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a public database alleging that 170 Gazans presented by international organizations as killed journalists were actually active operatives in terror organizations.”
4timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The IDF Database: In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a public database alleging that 170 Gazans presented by international organizations as killed journalists were actually active operatives in terror organizations.”
5newarab.comNews and media
newarab.com
Backs: “The military claimed that 118 of these individuals were active in Hamas's military wing, 49 in PIJ, and others in smaller factions.”
6time.comNews and mediaquality 0.83
time.com
Backs: “The Evidence Offered: To support these claims, the IDF has released documents, rosters, ID numbers, and payrolls that it says were seized during ground operations in Gaza.”
7aipac.orgNonprofits and think tanks
aipac.org
Backs: “Some of the listed individuals were also featured in official "martyr" notices or obituaries published by Hamas and PIJ.”
8timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “Some of the listed individuals were also featured in official "martyr" notices or obituaries published by Hamas and PIJ.”
9wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “Broad Definition of "Affiliation": A central criticism is how Israel defines a "link" to a terrorist group. Under international humanitarian law, working for a partisan media outlet (such as Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai Radio) does not strip a media worker of their protected civilian status.”
10jewishvirtuallibrary.orgEncyclopedias and reference
jewishvirtuallibrary.org
Backs: “Broad Definition of "Affiliation": A central criticism is how Israel defines a "link" to a terrorist group. Under international humanitarian law, working for a partisan media outlet (such as Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai Radio) does not strip a media worker of their protected civilian status.”
11jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “Under international humanitarian law, working for a partisan media outlet (such as Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai Radio) does not strip a media worker of their protected civilian status. To lose protection, a journalist must be actively participating in hostilities.”
12cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “To lose protection, a journalist must be actively participating in hostilities. Independent groups argue that Israel classifies anyone working for Gazan public/political media as a "terrorist" to retroactively justify their deaths.”
13cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “Independent groups argue that Israel classifies anyone working for Gazan public/political media as a "terrorist" to retroactively justify their deaths. Inconsistencies and Smear Campaigns: Watchdogs have accused the IDF of conducting "smear campaigns" and fabricating evidence to blunt international outrage over the…”
14theguardian.comNews and mediaquality 0.75
theguardian.com
Backs: “Inconsistencies and Smear Campaigns: Watchdogs have accused the IDF of conducting "smear campaigns" and fabricating evidence to blunt international outrage over the high death toll of media workers. For instance, in the prominent case of Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail al-Ghoul, whom Israel accused of being a military…”
15newarab.comNews and media
newarab.com
Backs: “However, this represented only a small portion (roughly 10%) of the total deaths. Summary”