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 international dispute. The answer depends heavily on how "link" is defined, who is evaluating the evidence, and whether working for partisan or state-run media is equated with being an active militant.

The two main opposing perspectives on this issue are detailed below.

The Argument That a Majority Were Linked

Israeli military intelligence, independent research centers, and pro-Israel media watchdogs assert that a majority of the individuals identified as "journalists" killed in Gaza were dual-role operatives, combatants, or closely affiliated with terrorist groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

•The Meir Amit Center Study: In December 2025, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group) published a comprehensive study analyzing 266 Palestinians identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza. The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 out of 266) were either members of terrorist groups or worked directly for outlets affiliated with them. The study asserted that at least 47 belonged to Hamas's military wing and 18 were confirmed PIJ operatives.

•The IDF "Press Files": In September/October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an online database called "The Press Files". The military listed 170 slain individuals they claimed were presented to the world as innocent journalists but were actually military operatives, snipers, commanders, or propaganda agents for Hamas or PIJ.

•Official Terrorist Obituaries: Over the course of the war, Hamas and PIJ published official martyr notices and obituaries claiming several deceased individuals—who had previously been categorized as civilian journalists by international watchdogs—as active fighters or commanders in their military wings.

•High-Profile Dual-Role Cases: Proponents of this view point to specific verified cases, such as:

•Abdallah Aljamal: A freelance journalist who was killed during an Israeli rescue operation and was found to have been holding three Israeli hostages in his home.

•Ismail al-Ghoul: An Al Jazeera correspondent whom the IDF asserted was a member of Hamas's elite Nukhba force.

•Hamza al-Dahdouh: An Al Jazeera camera operator whom the IDF identified as a PIJ operative based on recovered internal documents.

The Argument That a Majority Were Legitimate Civilian Journalists

International press freedom organizations, independent human rights groups, and Palestinian journalists' unions strongly reject the claim that a majority of those killed were terrorists, arguing that Israel uses broad and unproven labels to justify the unprecedented killing of media workers.

•CPJ's Independent Audit: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) takes a strict stance on maintaining the civilian integrity of its databases. In mid-2026, following the release of Hamas and PIJ obituaries, CPJ launched a comprehensive, audited review of every name on its list of killed journalists.

•Following this audit in September 2026, CPJ removed a total of 27 individuals from its database because evidence emerged that they had participated in combat or belonged to a militant group. (An additional nine were removed for failing to meet the definitions of a journalist).

•However, even after these removals, CPJ retained 191 Gazan journalists on its list as legitimate civilian media workers. This means that according to CPJ's independent tracking, the vast majority—nearly 85%—of the killed journalists were indeed civilian media workers with no active combat roles.

•Conflating Partisan Employment with Terrorist Status: Human rights and press freedom groups point out that under international humanitarian law, journalists working for state-owned, state-run, or partisan media outlets (such as Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai Radio) remain protected civilians. They do not lose their civilian status unless they "directly participate in hostilities" (such as engaging in active combat). Critics argue that the IDF's studies label anyone employed by a Gaza-based outlet as a "terrorist," regardless of whether they were actually fighting.

•Critique of IDF Evidence: Independent researchers and journalists have heavily criticized the IDF's "Press Files" database, calling much of the evidence weak or fabricated.

•Analysts like Muhammad Shehada (European Council on Foreign Relations) conducted line-by-line audits of the IDF list. He reported that for 59 of the 170 entries, the IDF provided no supporting evidence other than the phrase "based on multiple intelligence sources".

•Other entries contained blank pages, unverified snippets, or significant internal contradictions. For instance, the document the IDF released to prove Al Jazeera's Ismail al-Ghoul was a militant claimed he received a Hamas military rank in 2007, when he was only 10 years old.

•Barring Independent Press: Press watchdogs also emphasize that Israel has blocked independent foreign journalists from entering Gaza since October 2023. They argue that delegitimizing local Gazan reporters as "terrorists" serves to silence coverage of the war and deflect international criticism over the scale of reporter casualties, which is the highest of any conflict CPJ has ever recorded.

Conclusion

There is no consensus on this claim. The Israeli government and affiliated research groups argue that roughly 60% of the killed individuals were linked to or active in terrorist groups. Conversely, international press freedom organizations like the CPJ have audited these claims, concluding that while a small percentage (roughly 12–15%) did have verified militant ties and were subsequently removed from casualty counts, the overwhelming majority (approximately 85%) of those killed were legitimate civilian journalists protected under international law.

Citations (19)

1timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The Meir Amit Center Study: In December 2025, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group) published a comprehensive study analyzing 266 Palestinians identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza.”
2themedialine.orgNews and media
themedialine.org
Backs: “The Meir Amit Center Study: In December 2025, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group) published a comprehensive study analyzing 266 Palestinians identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza.”
3tps.co.ilGovernment
tps.co.il
Backs: “The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 out of 266) were either members of terrorist groups or worked directly for outlets affiliated with them.”
4jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The IDF "Press Files": In September/October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an online database called "The Press Files".”
5occupationwatch.comNot yet classified
occupationwatch.com
Backs: “The IDF "Press Files": In September/October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched an online database called "The Press Files".”
6timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The military listed 170 slain individuals they claimed were presented to the world as innocent journalists but were actually military operatives, snipers, commanders, or propaganda agents for Hamas or PIJ.”
7aipac.orgNonprofits and think tanks
aipac.org
Backs: “Official Terrorist Obituaries: Over the course of the war, Hamas and PIJ published official martyr notices and obituaries claiming several deceased individuals—who had previously been categorized as civilian journalists by international watchdogs—as active fighters or commanders in their military wings. High-Profile…”
8cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “Official Terrorist Obituaries: Over the course of the war, Hamas and PIJ published official martyr notices and obituaries claiming several deceased individuals—who had previously been categorized as civilian journalists by international watchdogs—as active fighters or commanders in their military wings. High-Profile…”
9ynetnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.80
ynetnews.com
Backs: “Abdallah Aljamal: A freelance journalist who was killed during an Israeli rescue operation and was found to have been holding three Israeli hostages in his home. Ismail al-Ghoul: An Al Jazeera correspondent whom the IDF asserted was a member of Hamas's elite Nukhba force.”
10fdd.orgNonprofits and think tanks
fdd.org
Backs: “Ismail al-Ghoul: An Al Jazeera correspondent whom the IDF asserted was a member of Hamas's elite Nukhba force. Hamza al-Dahdouh: An Al Jazeera camera operator whom the IDF identified as a PIJ operative based on recovered internal documents.”
11idf.ilGovernment
www.idf.il
Backs: “Hamza al-Dahdouh: An Al Jazeera camera operator whom the IDF identified as a PIJ operative based on recovered internal documents.”
12jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “In mid-2026, following the release of Hamas and PIJ obituaries, CPJ launched a comprehensive, audited review of every name on its list of killed journalists. Following this audit in September 2026, CPJ removed a total of 27 individuals from its database because evidence emerged that they had participated in combat or…”
13apnews.comNews and mediaquality 1.00
apnews.com
Backs: “In mid-2026, following the release of Hamas and PIJ obituaries, CPJ launched a comprehensive, audited review of every name on its list of killed journalists. Following this audit in September 2026, CPJ removed a total of 27 individuals from its database because evidence emerged that they had participated in combat or…”
14honestreporting.comNonprofits and think tanks
honestreporting.com
Backs: “This means that according to CPJ's independent tracking, the vast majority—nearly 85%—of the killed journalists were indeed civilian media workers with no active combat roles. Conflating Partisan Employment with Terrorist Status: Human rights and press freedom groups point out that under international humanitarian…”
15algemeiner.comNews and mediaquality 0.77
algemeiner.com
Backs: “Conflating Partisan Employment with Terrorist Status: Human rights and press freedom groups point out that under international humanitarian law, journalists working for state-owned, state-run, or partisan media outlets (such as Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai Radio) remain protected civilians. They do not lose their…”
16commondreams.orgNews and mediaquality 0.54
commondreams.org
Backs: “Critics argue that the IDF's studies label anyone employed by a Gaza-based outlet as a "terrorist," regardless of whether they were actually fighting. Critique of IDF Evidence: Independent researchers and journalists have heavily criticized the IDF's "Press Files" database, calling much of the evidence weak or…”
17972mag.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
972mag.com
Backs: “Critique of IDF Evidence: Independent researchers and journalists have heavily criticized the IDF's "Press Files" database, calling much of the evidence weak or fabricated. Analysts like Muhammad Shehada (European Council on Foreign Relations) conducted line-by-line audits of the IDF list.”
18cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “They argue that delegitimizing local Gazan reporters as "terrorists" serves to silence coverage of the war and deflect international criticism over the scale of reporter casualties, which is the highest of any conflict CPJ has ever recorded. Conclusion”
19terrorism-info.org.ilNonprofits and think tanks
terrorism-info.org.il
Backs: “The Israeli government and affiliated research groups argue that roughly 60% of the killed individuals were linked to or active in terrorist groups. Conversely,”