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 subject of intense dispute. The answer depends entirely on how "journalist," "link," and "affiliation" are defined, as well as which database and methodology are analyzed.

Two fundamentally different perspectives exist, represented on one side by the Israeli military and Israeli research groups, and on the other by international press freedom watchdogs and human rights organizations.

The Argument That a Majority Had Terrorist Links (Israeli Perspective)

The Israeli government, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and pro-Israel research organizations maintain that a majority of the individuals publicly identified as slain journalists in Gaza were indeed members of or closely affiliated with terrorist groups, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

•The Meir Amit Center Study: A comprehensive study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group with ties to military intelligence) analyzed the deaths of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and late November 2025. The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 individuals) were members of terrorist groups or worked for media outlets directly run by them. Of these, the study alleged that many held dual roles as active military combatants, commanders, or propaganda operatives within Hamas's or PIJ's armed wings.

•The IDF Database: In October 2026, the IDF launched a public database alleging that 170 individuals killed in Gaza—who had been presented internationally as civilian journalists—were actually active members of terrorist organizations (118 in Hamas, 49 in PIJ, and three in other factions). The IDF released documents, ID cards, and salary rosters recovered during ground operations in Gaza, alongside official obituaries published by Hamas and PIJ, to support these claims.

•Dual Roles and "Press Vest" Exploitation: Proponents of this view argue that Hamas and PIJ systematically use press credentials and "PRESS" vests as cover for military operations, scouting, and psychological warfare. They point to several instances where militant groups themselves published posthumous obituaries claiming slain "journalists" as combatants or commanders in their military brigades.

The Argument Rejecting the "Majority" Claim (Press Freedom Watchdog Perspective)

International media watchdogs—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—strongly dispute the claim that a majority of the killed journalists were legitimate military targets or active terrorists.

•Strict IHL Definitions of Combatants: Under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), journalists are classified as civilians and are protected from attack unless they "directly participate in hostilities" (i.e., engage in actual combat). Watchdogs argue that working for state-run, Hamas-funded, or politically partisan media outlets (such as Hamas's Al-Rai radio or Al-Aqsa TV) does not strip a media worker of civilian protection. Under this standard, writing articles, broadcasting, or filming propaganda is not equivalent to direct participation in combat.

•The CPJ Database Review: The CPJ maintains a rigorous methodology, using independent sources to verify if a casualty was a legitimate media worker. In mid-2026, after Hamas and PIJ published obituaries claiming some slain media workers as combatants, the CPJ conducted an audit and removed 27 names from its database of slain journalists after confirming they had participated in combat or belonged to the armed wing of a militant group. However, the CPJ stands by its classification of the remaining 190+ killed Palestinian journalists as legitimate media workers, rejecting the Israeli claim that the vast majority were terrorists.

•Accusations of Retroactive Labeling: Human rights groups and media watchdogs accuse the IDF of using overly broad definitions of "affiliation" to retroactively justify the unprecedentedly high death toll of journalists in Gaza. They argue that Israel has historically targeted journalists to control the war narrative and point to several prominent cases where Israel claimed a journalist was an active "terrorist" (such as Al Jazeera's Hamza al-Dahdouh or Ismail al-Ghoul), but independent investigations by outlets like The Washington Post or RSF found no credible evidence that they were acting as combatants.

Summary

Whether a majority of the Gazan journalists killed were linked to terrorist organizations comes down to a fundamental disagreement in definition:

•If "linked" is defined broadly to include any employment with Hamas/PIJ-affiliated media outlets, political alignment, or membership in a group's non-combat propaganda wing, then research from Israel suggests a majority (approx. 60%) fit this description.

•If "linked" is defined strictly under international law to mean active combatants participating directly in military hostilities, international press watchdogs maintain that the vast majority of those killed were civilian journalists, with only a small minority (around 10–12% of the total documented deaths) verified as actual combatants.

Citations (17)

1themedialine.orgNews and media
themedialine.org
Backs: “Whether a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023, were linked to terrorist organizations is a subject of intense dispute.”
2reddit.comForums and Q&A
reddit.com
Backs: “Two fundamentally different perspectives exist, represented on one side by the Israeli military and Israeli research groups, and on the other by international press freedom watchdogs and human rights organizations.”
3timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The Israeli government, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and pro-Israel research organizations maintain that a majority of the individuals publicly identified as slain journalists in Gaza were indeed members of or closely affiliated with terrorist groups, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”
4ynetnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.80
ynetnews.com
Backs: “The Israeli government, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and pro-Israel research organizations maintain that a majority of the individuals publicly identified as slain journalists in Gaza were indeed members of or closely affiliated with terrorist groups, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”
5jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The Israeli government, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and pro-Israel research organizations maintain that a majority of the individuals publicly identified as slain journalists in Gaza were indeed members of or closely affiliated with terrorist groups, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”
6jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The Meir Amit Center Study: A comprehensive study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group with ties to military intelligence) analyzed the deaths of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and late…”
7facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “The Meir Amit Center Study: A comprehensive study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research group with ties to military intelligence) analyzed the deaths of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and late…”
8facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 individuals) were members of terrorist groups or worked for media outlets directly run by them.”
9jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The IDF Database: In October 2026, the IDF launched a public database alleging that 170 individuals killed in Gaza—who had been presented internationally as civilian journalists—were actually active members of terrorist organizations (118 in Hamas, 49 in PIJ, and three in other factions). The IDF released documents,…”
10aipac.orgNonprofits and think tanks
aipac.org
Backs: “Dual Roles and "Press Vest" Exploitation: Proponents of this view argue that Hamas and PIJ systematically use press credentials and "PRESS" vests as cover for military operations, scouting, and psychological warfare. They point to several instances where militant groups themselves published posthumous obituaries…”
11idf.ilGovernment
www.idf.il
Backs: “Dual Roles and "Press Vest" Exploitation: Proponents of this view argue that Hamas and PIJ systematically use press credentials and "PRESS" vests as cover for military operations, scouting, and psychological warfare. They point to several instances where militant groups themselves published posthumous obituaries…”
12time.comNews and mediaquality 0.83
time.com
Backs: “International media watchdogs—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—strongly dispute the claim that a majority of the killed journalists were legitimate military targets or active terrorists. Strict IHL Definitions of Combatants: Under International Humanitarian Law…”
13wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “International media watchdogs—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—strongly dispute the claim that a majority of the killed journalists were legitimate military targets or active terrorists. Strict IHL Definitions of Combatants: Under International Humanitarian Law…”
14cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “Strict IHL Definitions of Combatants: Under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), journalists are classified as civilians and are protected from attack unless they "directly participate in hostilities" (i.e., engage in actual combat). Watchdogs argue that working for state-run, Hamas-funded, or politically partisan…”
15facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “Watchdogs argue that working for state-run, Hamas-funded, or politically partisan media outlets (such as Hamas's Al-Rai radio or Al-Aqsa TV) does not strip a media worker of civilian protection. Under this standard, writing articles, broadcasting, or filming propaganda is not equivalent to direct participation in…”
16newarab.comNews and media
newarab.com
Backs: “Watchdogs argue that working for state-run, Hamas-funded, or politically partisan media outlets (such as Hamas's Al-Rai radio or Al-Aqsa TV) does not strip a media worker of civilian protection. Under this standard, writing articles, broadcasting, or filming propaganda is not equivalent to direct participation in…”
17apnews.comNews and mediaquality 1.00
apnews.com
Backs: “In mid-2026, after Hamas and PIJ published obituaries claiming some slain media workers as combatants, the CPJ conducted an audit and removed 27 names from its database of slain journalists after confirming they had participated in combat or belonged to the armed wing of a militant group. However, the CPJ stands by…”