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

This is a highly contested claim, and the answer depends heavily on which source you consult — there is no independent, broadly accepted consensus confirming a majority.

The claim that a majority were linked to terror groups comes primarily from Israeli sources:

•A December 2025 study by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center examined 266 individuals identified as journalists killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and concluded that 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 center said its conclusions are based on public records, Palestinian media reports, and Hamas documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces during ground operations in Gaza.

•More recently, the Israeli military released a database identifying 170 Palestinians killed during the Gaza war who it claims were at one point members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations — despite being members of the media or journalists. The military said 118 of those identified were members of Hamas' military wing, while 49 were members of PIJ.

•A separate Telegraph investigation found that 53 people on a BBC Arabic list of journalists killed in the Gaza war were later claimed by Hamas and other Palestinian terror organizations as their members.

However, international press freedom organizations strongly dispute the "majority" framing:

•The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which maintains the most widely cited independent death toll, put the current total of journalists and media workers killed by Israel in Gaza and in Israeli detention centres since 7 October, 2023, at 209 as of mid-2026. After a review following pressure from the Hamas/PIJ obituary issue, CPJ announced in June 2026 that it had removed 20 names from the list, eight because of established links to Hamas, and 12 for other reasons, updating its list to 209.

•That means CPJ's own review, after scrutinizing combatant claims, found only about 8 out of roughly 200+ names (a small fraction, not a majority) had established Hamas links warranting removal — a very different conclusion from the 60% figure in the Israeli study.

•CPJ has also pushed back on the broader narrative: CPJ's review of its Gaza journalist death database came after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) published obituaries identifying as combatants individuals previously listed by CPJ as journalists, and CPJ removed eight names from its database because they were later established to have been members of Hamas or PIJ.

•Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has gone further in the opposite direction, alleging that the Israeli army intentionally targeted Palestinian journalists.

Bottom line:
The "majority were terrorists" claim is not supported by the independent tracking organizations (CPJ, RSF, IFJ), which have documented 200+ journalist deaths and removed only a handful of names (around 8-20) after specific terror-affiliation evidence emerged. The 60% figure comes from an Israeli government-aligned research center and IDF data releases, using a more expansive definition of "affiliation" (including working for Hamas-linked outlets, not just military membership) and relying heavily on Israeli military intelligence and seized documents that cannot be independently verified by outside journalists. Given the sharply conflicting methodologies and sourcing, this remains an unresolved and politically charged dispute rather than an established fact.

Citations (9)

1timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “According to the center, at least 157 of them — roughly 60 percent — were members of terror groups or clearly affiliated with them, including 104 link...”
2timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “The center said its conclusions are based on public records, Palestinian media reports, and Hamas documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces during...”
3jewishinsider.comNews and media
IDF report identifies 170 Palestinian ‘journalists’ killed during Gaza war affiliated with terrorist groups
Source excerpt: “The Israeli military on Thursday released a database identifying 170 Palestinians killed during the Gaza war who it claims were at one point members o...”
4jewishinsider.comNews and media
IDF report identifies 170 Palestinian ‘journalists’ killed during Gaza war affiliated with terrorist groups
Source excerpt: “The military said 118 of those identified were members of Hamas’ military wing, while 49 were members of PIJ. ”
5jfeed.comNot yet classified
BBC Reviewing List of Gaza "Journalists" After 53 Linked to Hamas, Islamic
Source excerpt: “The BBC is reviewing a BBC Arabic list of journalists killed in the Gaza war after a Telegraph investigation found that 53 of the people named were la...”
6middleeastmonitor.comNot yet classified
Press freedom group ‘changes’ definition of journalist as Israel sets record for reporters killed
Source excerpt: “The organisation said the current total of journalists and media workers killed by Israel in Gaza and in Israeli detention centres since 7 October, 20...”
7wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
List of journalists killed in the Gaza war
Source excerpt: “[[9]](./List_of_journalists_killed_in_the_Gaza_war#cite_note-IFJ-9) In June 2026, CPJ announced that it had removed 20 names from the list, eight beca...”
8newscord.orgNot yet classified
CPJ Estimates 192 Journalists Killed Since Israel-Gaza War Began, Including 178 Palestinians: how 14 outlets split
Source excerpt: “### CPJ review and disputes Multiple outlets described CPJ’s review of its Gaza journalist death database after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (P...”
9wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
List of journalists killed in the Gaza war
Source excerpt: “[Reporters Without Borders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporters_Without_Borders) (RSF) has reported that the Israeli army intentionally targeted P...”