Were a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7th, 2023 linked to terrorist organizations?
Short answer: No. The only “majority” finding comes from Israeli government–aligned assessments; independent press‑freedom groups have not verified it.
•What Israeli sources claim: An analysis by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) said roughly 60% of the people it counted as “journalists and other media personnel” killed in Gaza were operatives in, or “affiliated with,” Hamas/PIJ and other groups. Its method treats employment by Hamas- or faction-run media as “organizational affiliation,” and it aggregates beyond full members/operatives. The IDF later publicized a broader claim that at least 170 Gazans presented as journalists were actually terrorists. These are government‑side assertions.[1]
•What independent monitors say: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) maintains a vetted database. After new obituaries by Hamas/PIJ identified some deceased as fighters, CPJ reviewed and removed 8 names as confirmed combatants (and 12 for other reasons) from its list. As of June 25, 2026, CPJ still documented 209 journalists and media workers killed by Israel in Gaza or in Israeli detention since October 7, 2023—far from a majority later shown to be combatants. CPJ also stresses that government allegations of “affiliation” without substantiating evidence do not make a journalist a combatant, and under international humanitarian law, even journalists linked to non‑state actors remain civilians unless they directly participate in hostilities.[2]
•Additional context: Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has corrected a few cases over time as new information emerged, but it has not endorsed the claim that most slain Gaza journalists were terrorists.[3]
Bottom line: A “majority linked to terrorist organizations” is an Israeli government–side narrative based on expansive definitions of “affiliation.” Independent, transparent verifications to date do not show that most of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023 were combatants or members of designated terrorist groups.[1]
Backs: “The IDF later publicized a broader claim that at least 170 Gazans presented as journalists were actually terrorists. These are government‑side assertions.”
Backs: “CPJ also stresses that government allegations of “affiliation” without substantiating evidence do not make a journalist a combatant, and under international humanitarian law, even journalists linked to non‑state actors remain civilians unless they directly participate in hostilities.”
Backs: “Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has corrected a few cases over time as new information emerged, but it has not endorsed the claim that most slain Gaza journalists were terrorists.”