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

Leans yesSays it is contestedSources conflict

ITIC/Israeli outlets report about 60% of killed journalists had terror links, while CPJ treats them as civilians absent evidence of combat and calls many IDF claims unproven.

Yes, according to the most detailed available name-by-name investigation, a majority (roughly 60%) of individuals identified as Gazan journalists or media workers killed since October 7, 2023, had links to terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).[1]

The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC; also referred to as the Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute), an Israeli research body that analyzes open-source material, Palestinian media, social media, and documents seized by the IDF, examined 266 such individuals reported killed between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. It found that at least 157 (about 60%) were members of or affiliated with terrorist groups. Breakdowns include approximately 104 linked to Hamas (at least 47 as members and/or military operatives) and 45 to PIJ (at least 18 as members/operatives), plus smaller numbers tied to groups like the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, or others. Criteria for “affiliation” included clear membership/military roles or employment by media outlets belonging to or run by these organizations (e.g., Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa, Al-Resalah, or similar). An earlier ITIC study (early 2024, covering ~131 names) reached a similar ~60% figure.[2][3]

Many cases involved dual roles: individuals working as reporters, photographers, or for media while also serving in military/propaganda units. Examples include specific Al Jazeera correspondents (e.g., Anas al-Sharif) identified via seized Hamas documents (personnel lists, training records, salaries, phone directories) as operatives in military wings; the IDF has released such materials for multiple cases. Some “journalists” received advance notice of the October 7 attack and filmed inside Israel. Hamas and PIJ later published obituaries naming some previously listed as journalists as their military operatives or members of military media units, providing organizational confirmation of dual roles in certain cases.[4][5]

Context from press freedom groups and totals

•Hamas’s Gaza media office claimed ~256 media personnel killed; international groups reported lower but still high figures (e.g., RSF ~220+; CPJ has tracked ~190–210+ Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in Gaza after adjustments, out of higher regional totals). These make the conflict the deadliest for journalists in recent history per CPJ/RSF data.[6]

•CPJ’s methodology counts those working as journalists/media workers (including for state or militant-affiliated outlets) as civilians under international humanitarian law unless there is evidence they were directly participating in hostilities/combat or inciting imminent violence at the time of death. It has removed names (dozens over time, including at least 8–22+ confirmed as Hamas/PIJ combatants in 2026 reviews triggered by the groups’ own obituaries, plus others for non-journalist status) and conducted audits. CPJ and similar groups have often described many IDF “terrorist” claims as unproven or insufficiently evidenced at the time, criticized restricted access to Gaza (preventing independent verification), and maintained high tallies while noting Israel as responsible for the large majority of global journalist deaths in this period. Some analyses (including of earlier CPJ lists) found substantial shares employed by terror-affiliated outlets.[7][8]

Important caveats

•“Linked” or “affiliated” covers a spectrum: full military operatives (combatants who lose civilian protections if directly participating in hostilities), propaganda/media unit members, or employees of group-controlled outlets. Purely civilian journalists (no such ties) were also killed, often in the dense urban fighting, strikes on multi-use sites, or other circumstances of the war. Not every death was a deliberate targeting of a journalist as such.

•ITIC is an Israeli-linked think tank; its findings draw heavily on captured materials and local sources that critics may dispute. Independent access to Gaza has been severely limited. Conversely, Hamas tightly controls information and media in Gaza, and groups have an incentive to inflate “journalist” casualties for propaganda while later acknowledging fighters. CPJ/RSF face accusations of insufficient scrutiny of affiliations.

•Under the laws of war, journalists are civilians and protected unless they take a direct part in hostilities. Working for a terrorist group’s media arm or holding dual roles complicates this and can make distinction harder on the battlefield. Israel states it does not deliberately target journalists qua journalists and investigates incidents, while asserting that combatants posing as press are legitimate targets when meeting criteria.

In summary, the most systematic public examination of the names concludes that a clear majority had ties to Hamas, PIJ, or similar designated terrorist organizations (via membership, military roles, or employment by their media). Partial corroboration has come from the groups’ own later disclosures and document seizures, even as press watchdogs emphasize civilian protections, remove confirmed combatants case-by-case, and highlight the overall death toll. The blurring of media and militant roles by the groups themselves is a documented feature of the conflict.

Citations (8)

1thejc.comNews and mediaquality 0.51
https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/most-gazan-journalists-killed-idf-links-terror-x81ahi2c
Backs: “Yes, according to the most detailed available name-by-name investigation, a majority (roughly 60%) of individuals identified as Gazan journalists or media workers killed since October 7, 2023, had links to terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: A roughly 60% majority of Gazan journalists killed since October 7 had links to Hamas, PIJ or other terrorist organizations.
2t.coSocial media and video
https://t.co/J1DuaXdDLy
Backs: “An earlier ITIC study (early 2024, covering ~131 names) reached a similar ~60% figure.”
statistic, other, points to yes. Claim: ITIC examined 266 individuals killed through November 2025 and found at least 157 (about 60%) were members of or affiliated with terrorist groups.
3jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-880082
Backs: “An earlier ITIC study (early 2024, covering ~131 names) reached a similar ~60% figure.”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: An earlier ITIC study of about 131 names reached a similar ~60% figure.
4timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
https://www.timesofisrael.com/finally-naming-their-war-dead-gazan-terror-groups-admit-slain-journalists-were-fighters/
Backs: “Hamas and PIJ later published obituaries naming some previously listed as journalists as their military operatives or members of military media units, providing organizational confirmation of dual roles in certain cases.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Hamas and PIJ obituaries named some previously listed journalists as military operatives, confirming dual roles.
5terrorism-info.org.ilNonprofits and think tanks
https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/the-disclosure-of-the-names-of-fallen-military-operatives-by-hamas-and-the-palestinian-islamic-jihad-confirms-the-amit-institutes-research-findings-on-the-double-roles-of-journalists-in-the-gaza/
Backs: “Hamas and PIJ later published obituaries naming some previously listed as journalists as their military operatives or members of military media units, providing organizational confirmation of dual roles in certain cases.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Disclosure of fallen operatives' names by Hamas and PIJ confirms ITIC findings on journalists' dual roles.
6cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
https://cpj.org/2023/10/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-war/
Backs: “These make the conflict the deadliest for journalists in recent history per CPJ/RSF data.”
statistic, data page, neutral. Claim: CPJ and RSF tallies of journalists killed are lower than Hamas's media office figure but still make this the deadliest conflict for journalists.
7jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-900853
Backs: “Some analyses (including of earlier CPJ lists) found substantial shares employed by terror-affiliated outlets.”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: Some analyses found substantial shares of killed journalists were employed by terror-affiliated outlets, and CPJ removed names after confirmed combatant status.
8cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
https://cpj.org/2026/06/cpj-undertakes-review-of-its-documentation-of-journalists-killed-in-israel-gaza-war-since-2023/
Backs: “Some analyses (including of earlier CPJ lists) found substantial shares employed by terror-affiliated outlets.”
evidence, official document, neutral. Claim: CPJ reviewed its documentation, removing names confirmed as combatants, while treating media workers as civilians absent evidence of direct participation in hostilities.