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

Yes, according to the most detailed available examination of the identities involved.[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 focused on terrorism that draws on open-source intelligence, Palestinian media reports, social media, and documents seized by the IDF, analyzed 266 individuals identified as journalists or media personnel (reporters, photographers, editors, etc.) killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. These names primarily came from lists published by the Hamas-run Government Media Office in Gaza (which reported around 256) and other Palestinian sources; international groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have cited figures in the range of roughly 190–220+ Palestinian media workers killed in Gaza over similar periods.[2][3]

Key findings from the ITIC studies (an initial one in February 2024 covering ~131 names, updated comprehensively in December 2025):

•At least 157 (roughly 60%) were members of or clearly affiliated with terrorist organizations (as designated by Israel, the U.S., EU, and others), primarily Hamas (104, of whom at least 47 were movement members and/or military operatives) and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ; 45, of whom at least 18 were members and/or military operatives).

•Smaller numbers were linked to other groups Israel classifies as terrorist organizations, such as Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and Popular Resistance Committees.

•Affiliation criteria included clear membership or military wing roles, or employment by media outlets belonging to/run by these groups (indicating acting on their behalf). Many had dual roles as media workers and operatives (including in propaganda/military media units). Of the remaining ~109, some had Fatah/PA ties, while others had no identified terrorist affiliation.[4][3]

Subsequent developments have corroborated aspects of this. Hamas and PIJ later published obituaries and notices naming some of these individuals as military commanders or operatives (including in military media units), confirming dual roles that the ITIC had previously identified from open sources and seized materials. CPJ conducted reviews (including in 2026) and removed dozens of names from its casualty lists upon evidence of combat participation or non-journalist status—some explicitly after terror groups’ own admissions—while maintaining that journalists affiliated with non-state actors remain civilians under international humanitarian law unless they directly participate in hostilities.[5][6][7]

Context and Counterpoints

•Hamas tightly controls media in Gaza and operates or affiliates with numerous outlets used for propaganda, messaging, and coordination (including documented ties to some Al Jazeera personnel in Gaza, per IDF-released materials). Working for such outlets or holding dual roles blurs lines between journalism and militant activity. ITIC and Israeli sources argue this embeds operatives in media roles, complicating distinctions on the battlefield and undermining claims of purely civilian journalist status.[8]

•CPJ, RSF, and similar groups document high journalist death tolls (Gaza as the deadliest conflict for media in their records), attribute nearly all to Israeli forces, criticize access bans and alleged targeting, and often describe Israeli affiliation claims as unsubstantiated “smears.” They emphasize protection under IHL for media workers not directly fighting and note verification challenges due to the war environment and lack of independent foreign access. They have adjusted lists for confirmed combatants but do not broadly reclassify based on media outlet affiliation alone. Palestinian sources and some NGOs report even higher figures and frame deaths as systematic targeting.[9][10]

•Not every death involved a confirmed military operative or targeted strike on a dual-role individual; many occurred amid broader combat, airstrikes, or in dense urban areas. “Linked to” encompasses a spectrum from full military membership to employment by group-affiliated media. Independent open-source checks and later terror-group admissions have validated numerous specific cases, though comprehensive third-party audits of every name are limited by access and the fog of war.

•Earlier partial analyses (e.g., of CPJ lists in 2024) also found substantial shares (around half or more in samples) with terror-group media ties or memberships.[11]

In summary, the primary systematic review of the reported casualties concludes that a majority (~60%) were linked to terrorist organizations via membership, operational roles, or affiliated media work. This is supported by open sources, seized documents, and later confirmations from the groups themselves, even as press freedom organizations prioritize counting media workers killed (with some later removals for combatants) and reject broad targeting narratives based on affiliations. Exact percentages can vary with definitions of “journalist,” “linked,” time cutoffs, and verification standards.

Citations (11)

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 examination of the identities involved.”
2timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
https://www.timesofisrael.com/majority-of-journalists-killed-in-gaza-linked-to-terror-organizations-study-says/
Backs: “These names primarily came from lists published by the Hamas-run Government Media Office in Gaza (which reported around 256) and other Palestinian sources; international groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have cited figures in the range of roughly 190–220+…”
3t.coSocial media and video
https://t.co/J1DuaXdDLy
Backs: “These names primarily came from lists published by the Hamas-run Government Media Office in Gaza (which reported around 256) and other Palestinian sources; international groups like the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have cited figures in the range of roughly 190–220+…”
4jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-880082
Backs: “Of the remaining ~109, some had Fatah/PA ties, while others had no identified terrorist affiliation.”
5timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
https://www.timesofisrael.com/finally-naming-their-war-dead-gazan-terror-groups-admit-slain-journalists-were-fighters/
Backs: “CPJ conducted reviews (including in 2026) and removed dozens of names from its casualty lists upon evidence of combat participation or non-journalist status—some explicitly after terror groups’ own admissions—while maintaining that journalists affiliated with non-state actors remain civilians under international…”
6terrorism-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: “CPJ conducted reviews (including in 2026) and removed dozens of names from its casualty lists upon evidence of combat participation or non-journalist status—some explicitly after terror groups’ own admissions—while maintaining that journalists affiliated with non-state actors remain civilians under international…”
7cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
https://cpj.org/2026/09/cpj-completes-review-of-journalists-killed-in-israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory/
Backs: “CPJ conducted reviews (including in 2026) and removed dozens of names from its casualty lists upon evidence of combat participation or non-journalist status—some explicitly after terror groups’ own admissions—while maintaining that journalists affiliated with non-state actors remain civilians under international…”
8terrorism-info.org.ilNonprofits and think tanks
https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en/about-60-of-the-gazans-classified-as-journalists-and-other-media-personnel-killed-in-the-gaza-strip-war-belonged-to-hamas-and-other-terrorist-organizations/
Backs: “ITIC and Israeli sources argue this embeds operatives in media roles, complicating distinctions on the battlefield and undermining claims of purely civilian journalist status.”
9cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
https://cpj.org/2023/10/journalist-casualties-in-the-israel-gaza-war/
Backs: “Palestinian sources and some NGOs report even higher figures and frame deaths as systematic targeting.”
10rsf.orgNonprofits and think tanks
https://rsf.org/sites/default/files/medias/file/2025/12/Bilan%202025%20EN.pdf
Backs: “Palestinian sources and some NGOs report even higher figures and frame deaths as systematic targeting.”
11algemeiner.comNews and mediaquality 0.77
https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/02/26/who-are-the-killed-gazan-journalists-affiliated-with-palestinian-terror-groups/
Backs: “Earlier partial analyses (e.g., of CPJ lists in 2024) also found substantial shares (around half or more in samples) with terror-group media ties or memberships.”