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 highly contested question. The answer depends heavily on how "linked" is defined and which documentation is used.

Israeli intelligence and research organizations argue that a majority indeed had such ties, while international press freedom watchdogs and international legal experts dispute this, arguing that the vast majority were civilians under international law.

The debate is structured around two distinct perspectives:

1. The Israeli Perspective: The Meir Amit Center Study

The claim that a majority of killed Gazan journalists were tied to terrorist groups stems primarily from Israeli research and military intelligence.

In December 2025, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group with close ties to the Israel Defense Forces and intelligence community) published a comprehensive study. The researchers analyzed 266 Palestinians identified in various press and NGO reports as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025.

The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 out of 266) of these individuals were members of or affiliated with terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

•Military Operatives: The study claimed that at least 47 belonged to Hamas’s military wing and 18 were active PIJ combatants, some of whom supposedly held command or intelligence-gathering roles.

•Media Affiliation: The remaining portion of the 60% were individuals employed by media outlets run or controlled by Hamas (such as Al-Aqsa TV and Al-Aqsa Radio) or PIJ.

The "Dual-Role" Argument:
Israeli officials and media watchdogs (such as HonestReporting) argue that Hamas systematically embeds military operatives within the media corps to use "Press" credentials as cover for battlefield activities, weapon transportation, or intelligence gathering. Prominent examples cited by the IDF include:

•Abdallah Aljamal: A Gaza-based writer and spokesperson who was killed during an Israeli hostage rescue operation in June 2024. It was subsequently revealed that three Israeli hostages were being held captive in his home.

•Hamas/PIJ Obituaries: In several instances, militant groups published official post-mortem obituaries explicitly praising deceased journalists as "fighters" or "martyrs" of their military wings.

2. The International Press and Legal Perspective

International press watchdogs—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—as well as United Nations experts, strongly dispute the methodology used to claim a "majority" were linked to terror groups.

The Definition of a Civilian under International Law:
Under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), journalists are classified as civilians and are protected from targeted attacks.

•Legal experts and press freedom groups point out that working for a state-run or partisan media outlet does not make a journalist a combatant.

•Even if a journalist produces biased reports or propaganda for an organization like Hamas, they retain their civilian status unless they directly participate in hostilities (i.e., engage in active combat).

•Therefore, international watchdogs reject the Meir Amit Center's methodology, which categorizes civilian employees of Hamas-run media outlets as "terrorist affiliates" or legitimate military targets.

CPJ’s Database Audit and Corrections (September 2026):
Press freedom organizations have shown a willingness to correct their databases when presented with concrete evidence of combat participation.

In mid-2026, following the release of Hamas and PIJ obituaries claiming certain individuals as active fighters, the CPJ launched an independent, comprehensive audit of its database of killed journalists.

•In September 2026, the CPJ concluded its review and removed 22 individuals from its database because subsequent evidence established they had actively engaged in combat or belonged to the military wing of a militant group.

•Following these reclassifications, the CPJ’s database confirmed that 191 Palestinian journalists and media workers killed in Gaza were verified civilians.

•This adjustment demonstrates that while a minority of individuals initially identified as media workers were indeed combatants (roughly 10% of the CPJ's original database), by far the vast majority of killed Gazan journalists verified by international groups were civilians.

Summary

•According to Israeli research (the Meir Amit Center): Yes, approximately 60% of killed media workers were linked to terrorist groups. However, this figure relies on a definition of "link" that includes anyone working for a Hamas-run local media outlet.

•According to international watchdogs and international law: No, the vast majority were protected civilians. While independent audits have successfully identified and removed some individuals who were active combatants (amounting to roughly 10% of documented casualties), international bodies reject the claim that simply working for partisan media outlets strips a journalist of their civilian status.

Citations (14)

1timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “In December 2025, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group with close ties to the Israel Defense Forces and intelligence community) published a comprehensive study.”
2wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “In December 2025, the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group with close ties to the Israel Defense Forces and intelligence community) published a comprehensive study.”
3themedialine.orgNews and media
themedialine.org
Backs: “The researchers analyzed 266 Palestinians identified in various press and NGO reports as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025.”
4jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 out of 266) of these individuals were members of or affiliated with terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”
5tps.co.ilGovernment
tps.co.il
Backs: “Military Operatives: The study claimed that at least 47 belonged to Hamas’s military wing and 18 were active PIJ combatants, some of whom supposedly held command or intelligence-gathering roles. Media Affiliation: The remaining portion of the 60% were individuals employed by media outlets run or controlled by Hamas…”
6ynetnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.80
ynetnews.com
Backs: “Media Affiliation: The remaining portion of the 60% were individuals employed by media outlets run or controlled by Hamas (such as Al-Aqsa TV and Al-Aqsa Radio) or PIJ.”
7israeltoday.co.ilNot yet classified
israeltoday.co.il
Backs: “Media Affiliation: The remaining portion of the 60% were individuals employed by media outlets run or controlled by Hamas (such as Al-Aqsa TV and Al-Aqsa Radio) or PIJ.”
8themedialine.orgNews and media
themedialine.org
Backs: “The "Dual-Role" Argument: Israeli officials and media watchdogs (such as HonestReporting) argue that Hamas systematically embeds military operatives within the media corps to use "Press" credentials as cover for battlefield activities, weapon transportation, or intelligence gathering. Prominent examples cited by the…”
9jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The "Dual-Role" Argument: Israeli officials and media watchdogs (such as HonestReporting) argue that Hamas systematically embeds military operatives within the media corps to use "Press" credentials as cover for battlefield activities, weapon transportation, or intelligence gathering. Prominent examples cited by the…”
10newsday.comNot yet classified
newsday.com
Backs: “Hamas/PIJ Obituaries: In several instances, militant groups published official post-mortem obituaries explicitly praising deceased journalists as "fighters" or "martyrs" of their military wings.”
11alquds.comNot yet classified
alquds.com
Backs: “The International Press and Legal Perspective. International press watchdogs—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—as well as United Nations experts, strongly dispute the methodology used to claim a "majority" were linked to terror groups. The Definition of a Civilian…”
12cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “Legal experts and press freedom groups point out that working for a state-run or partisan media outlet does not make a journalist a combatant. Even if a journalist produces biased reports or propaganda for an organization like Hamas, they retain their civilian status unless they directly participate in hostilities…”
13newlinesmag.comNot yet classified
newlinesmag.com
Backs: “In mid-2026, following the release of Hamas and PIJ obituaries claiming certain individuals as active fighters, the CPJ launched an independent, comprehensive audit of its database of killed journalists. In September 2026, the CPJ concluded its review and removed 22 individuals from its database because subsequent…”
14lorientlejour.comNews and media
lorientlejour.com
Backs: “In September 2026, the CPJ concluded its review and removed 22 individuals from its database because subsequent evidence established they had actively engaged in combat or belonged to the military wing of a militant group. Following these reclassifications, the CPJ’s database confirmed that 191 Palestinian journalists…”