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 controversy, with the answer depending entirely on how one defines "linked" and which methodology or legal framework is applied.

Official reports and investigations present two starkly different perspectives:

1. The Perspective of the Israeli Military and Security Researchers (The "Yes" Case)

Israeli authorities, security databases, and pro-Israel media watchdog organizations argue that a majority of the individuals identified as journalists killed in Gaza were either active combatants, military operatives, or employed by the propaganda and media arms of terror groups.

•The IDF "Press Files" (October 2026): In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a dedicated database called "The Press Files." The military asserted that 170 individuals killed during the war who had been presented internationally as journalists were actually active operatives in terror organizations. According to the IDF's breakdown:

•118 were members of Hamas's military wing.

•49 were affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

•The remainder were linked to other smaller factions.

•The IDF claimed 17 of these individuals had actively crossed into Israel during the October 7, 2023 attacks. The military provided seized documents, civil IDs, and photographs showing several of these individuals in military gear.

•The Meir Amit Center Study: A comprehensive study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center examined 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 individuals) were members of or closely affiliated with terrorist groups. It defined "linked" as either having active combat/military roles or working directly for media outlets run by Hamas or PIJ (such as Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai).

•Media Watchdog Audits: Watchdogs like HonestReporting have claimed that more than half of the individuals featured on international lists of killed journalists had direct, documented ties to Hamas or PIJ.

2. The Perspective of International Watchdogs and Humanitarian Law (The "No" Case)

International press freedom organizations, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as well as international legal experts, maintain that the vast majority of those killed were legitimate civilian media workers.

•International Legal Standard: Under international humanitarian law, journalists are considered civilians. Even if a journalist is biased, disseminates propaganda, or works for a state- or party-run media outlet (such as a Hamas-owned channel), they retain civilian protection. They only lose this status if they directly participate in hostilities (i.e., act as active combatants or military operatives).

•CPJ Database and Audits: CPJ maintains a strict methodology requiring at least two independent sources to verify if a deceased individual was a journalist. However, as the war progressed, militant groups like Hamas and PIJ began publishing official obituaries claiming some deceased "journalists" as active military commanders or combatants.

•Subsequent Revisions: Following these revelations, CPJ initiated a major internal audit. In September 2026, CPJ concluded that 19 Palestinians (and a total of 27 since October 7, 2023) previously classified as journalists were actually militants or had participated in combat. They subsequently removed them from their database, leaving more than 190 verified civilian journalists on their casualty list.

•Under this framework—which excludes active combatants but includes journalists who worked for partisan or government-run media—only about 10–12% of the killed journalists on international lists were confirmed to have lost civilian protection as combatants, meaning the vast majority are still classified as civilian victims of the war.

Summary

The claim that a "majority" of killed Gazan journalists had terrorist links is true under the Israeli military and intelligence definitions, which classify any worker within Hamas-affiliated state media and propaganda channels as an operative. However, under international humanitarian law and the criteria used by global press freedom groups like the CPJ, the claim is unsupported, as they consider state-media workers to be civilians, having only documented a much smaller percentage (~10–12%) of the deceased as active military combatants.

Citations (16)

1burgasmedia.comNews and media
burgasmedia.com
Backs: “The IDF "Press Files" (October 2026): In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a dedicated database called "The Press Files." The military asserted that 170 individuals killed during the war who had been presented internationally as journalists were actually active operatives in terror organizations.”
2hrvoices.orgNonprofits and think tanks
hrvoices.org
Backs: “The IDF "Press Files" (October 2026): In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a dedicated database called "The Press Files." The military asserted that 170 individuals killed during the war who had been presented internationally as journalists were actually active operatives in terror organizations.”
3facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “According to the IDF's breakdown: 118 were members of Hamas's military wing.”
4spectator.comNot yet classified
spectator.com
Backs: “The remainder were linked to other smaller factions.”
5facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “The military provided seized documents, civil IDs, and photographs showing several of these individuals in military gear.”
6facebook.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 examined 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025.”
7theguardian.comNews and mediaquality 0.75
theguardian.com
Backs: “It defined "linked" as either having active combat/military roles or working directly for media outlets run by Hamas or PIJ (such as Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai).”
8ynetnews.comNews and mediaquality 0.80
ynetnews.com
Backs: “It defined "linked" as either having active combat/military roles or working directly for media outlets run by Hamas or PIJ (such as Al-Aqsa TV or Al-Rai).”
9facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “Media Watchdog Audits: Watchdogs like HonestReporting have claimed that more than half of the individuals featured on international lists of killed journalists had direct, documented ties to Hamas or PIJ.”
10facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “Media Watchdog Audits: Watchdogs like HonestReporting have claimed that more than half of the individuals featured on international lists of killed journalists had direct, documented ties to Hamas or PIJ.”
11cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “The Perspective of International Watchdogs and Humanitarian Law (The "No" Case). International press freedom organizations, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as well as international legal experts, maintain that the vast majority of those killed were legitimate…”
12reddit.comForums and Q&A
reddit.com
Backs: “The Perspective of International Watchdogs and Humanitarian Law (The "No" Case). International press freedom organizations, such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as well as international legal experts, maintain that the vast majority of those killed were legitimate…”
13apnews.comNews and mediaquality 1.00
apnews.com
Backs: “International Legal Standard: Under international humanitarian law, journalists are considered civilians.”
14ifj.orgNot yet classified
ifj.org
Backs: “International Legal Standard: Under international humanitarian law, journalists are considered civilians.”
15aipac.orgNonprofits and think tanks
aipac.org
Backs: “However, as the war progressed, militant groups like Hamas and PIJ began publishing official obituaries claiming some deceased "journalists" as active military commanders or combatants.”
16reddit.comForums and Q&A
reddit.com
Backs: “Under this framework—which excludes active combatants but includes journalists who worked for partisan or government-run media—only about 10–12% of the killed journalists on international lists were confirmed to have lost civilian protection as combatants, meaning the vast majority are still classified as civilian…”