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

I'll examine claims about Gazan journalists killed since October 7th and any reported terrorist ties.

A majority claim has been made, but it is disputed and not accepted by major press-freedom monitors:

> The 60% figure most widely cited traces to a Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center analysis which reviewed a list of 266 people described as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza and concluded at least 157 were members of terror groups, including 104 tied to Hamas and 45 to Islamic Jihad

> His institute published a 140-page study in December examining, name by name, Palestinians identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza, and concluded that roughly 60% were members of or affiliated with terrorist organizations — primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

> The study examined 266 media workers reported killed between Oct. 7, 2023, and Nov. 30, 2025, and found that 157 were members of or affiliated with terror groups. At least 47 belonged to Hamas’s military wing and 45 were linked to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, including 18 confirmed operatives.

The same study is described elsewhere as:

> examined 266 media workers reported killed between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. Of these, 157 — roughly 60% — were either members of terrorist groups or worked for outlets affiliated with them. At least 47 belonged to Hamas's military wing and 45 were linked to Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The center says its methodology was examining Arabic-language social media, Telegram channels, mourning notices, funeral footage, organizational statements and claims of responsibility, cross-referencing names from a list published by Hamas’ government information office with Palestinian media reports and with a Hamas document the IDF says it found. Affiliation in that count includes working for Hamas-affiliated outlets.

> The Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday that 19 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire who it had previously identified as journalists or media workers were actually militants or participants in combat. After a review of its tally, it says Israeli forces have killed 191 Palestinian journalists and media workers since the start of the war in Gaza.

> CPJ has removed eight names from its Killed database because they were later established to have been Hamas or PIJ combatants.

> Since the Oct. 7 attack, CPJ has removed a total of 27 people from its list of slain journalists after finding that they participated in combat or belonged to a militant group.

CPJ said the review was prompted because:

> obituaries for Hamas and other militants released after the October 2025 ceasefire deal identified fighters who the rights group had previously classified as journalists.

CPJ also initially:

> It removed another three Palestinians from its list because their role as journalists could not be established.

And noted its revised criteria:

> CPJ said it initially did not consider membership in a military media unit alone as proof of engagement in combat, but has since revised its criteria to exclude "anyone with active membership of any military arm of a state or non-state actor." Five of the 19 were removed because of those new criteria

CPJ's position is that:

> Journalists are considered civilians under international law regardless of their political views or affiliations, unless they participate in hostilities.

Other reports note smaller numbers of terrorism-linked cases, not a majority:

> According to the Telegraph, the 53 alleged journalists have been claimed by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations as martyrs after they were killed.

In summary: An Israeli-affiliated think tank claims ~60% were linked to Hamas/PIJ by including employment by Hamas-affiliated media as affiliation. The New York-based CPJ and other international databases, which use a narrower definition requiring evidence of direct participation in combat or membership in an armed wing, found that about 19 of ~210 cases reviewed (and 27 total since Oct 7, 2023) were militants — a minority, not a majority.