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

This is a genuinely contested question with sharply different sources making different claims. Here's what the evidence shows:

Claims that a majority had terrorist ties:
A recent study by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (published December 2025, covering deaths through November 30, 2025) concluded that of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025, at least 157 of them — roughly 60 percent — were members of terror groups or clearly affiliated with them, including 104 linked to Hamas and 45 to Islamic Jihad. The IDF has also published its own findings, stating 170 individuals who were misleadingly presented as civilian "journalists" killed in strikes on Gaza were actually affiliated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other terrorist organizations.

Important caveats about these figures:

1.The source is not neutral. The Meir Amit Center is Israeli, and the IDF is a direct party to the conflict — both have an institutional interest in this narrative.

2."Affiliation" is defined very broadly. A large share of the "60%" figure comes not from people who were combatants, but from journalists who simply worked for outlets that Israel/the U.S. designates as linked to Hamas or PIJ. For example, an outside analysis of the separate CPJ database found of the 192 purported journalists then listed in CPJ's Gaza database, 26 were employed by or freelanced for Al-Aqsa TV, which CPJ itself characterized as "Hamas-affiliated"; 19 others worked for Al-Quds Al-Youm, which the U.S. State Department has identified as being "run by Islamic Jihad". Working for a politically-aligned outlet is not the same as being a combatant or "terrorist."

3.Independent/less partisan reviews found much lower numbers. A review by HonestReporting (a pro-Israel media watchdog, but distinct from government sources) of the CPJ's list found approximately 30% worked for media outlets affiliated with terror groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad — about half the Meir Amit figure, and that's counting outlet affiliation, not personal combatant status.

4.CPJ (the main international tracking body) disputes the "majority" framing. CPJ has acknowledged some errors and conducted reviews — 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 out of a database that has included over 200 names. That's roughly 10-15%, not a majority. CPJ maintains Israeli forces "remain responsible for by far the majority of killings of journalists and media workers worldwide since 2023" and says its criteria are based on whether someone meets its definition of a journalist, "not an individual's affiliation or views," including affiliation with terrorist groups, but that "no journalist engaged in combat is included as a case under CPJ's mandate."

Bottom line: The claim that "a majority" were linked to terrorist organizations comes specifically from Israeli government/military-aligned sources (Meir Amit Center, IDF) using a broad definition of "affiliation" that includes simply working for a Hamas- or PIJ-linked media outlet, not necessarily being a combatant. More independent reviews (including by media watchdogs sympathetic to Israel's concerns) put confirmed combatant/terrorist-affiliated numbers lower (around 30% by outlet-affiliation standards), while CPJ's own removals suggest a much smaller fraction were actual combatants. There is no independent, non-partisan verification of the 60% "majority" figure — it rests entirely on Israeli intelligence sources whose documentation hasn't been independently audited by neutral parties.

Citations (7)

1timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “The study (Hebrew link), published Thursday, examined the identities of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza betw...”
2jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
IDF: 170 Hamas, PIJ terrorists killed in Gaza were misrepresented as 'innocent journalists'
Source excerpt: “The IDF revealed on Thursday that 170 individuals who were misleadingly presented as civilian “journalists” killed in strikes on Gaza were actually af...”
3ngo-monitor.orgNot yet classified
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - ngomonitor
Source excerpt: “- In August 2025, The *Wall Street Journal* noted that, of the 192 purported journalists then listed in CPJ’s Gaza database, 26 were employed by or fr...”
4ngo-monitor.orgNot yet classified
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - ngomonitor
Source excerpt: “- An analysis conducted by HonestReporting, reviewing the backgrounds of the 212 individuals listed by CPJ as journalists killed in Gaza, found that 6...”
5newstimes.comNot yet classified
Rights group says some people it classified as journalists killed in Gaza were militants
Source excerpt: “## Journalists are protected under international law Since the Oct. 7 attack, CPJ has removed a total of 27 people from its list of slain journalists ...”
6algemeiner.comNews and mediaquality 0.77
BBC’s Slain Gaza Journalist List Included Dozens With Hamas, Other Terror Ties
Source excerpt: “Despite its own removals, CPJ maintains that Israeli forces “remain responsible for by far the majority of killings of journalists and media workers w...”
7algemeiner.comNews and mediaquality 0.77
BBC’s Slain Gaza Journalist List Included Dozens With Hamas, Other Terror Ties
Source excerpt: “CPJ said its determinations are based on whether someone meets its definition of a journalist, “not an individual’s affiliation or views,” including a...”