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

Short answer: No. There is no independent evidence showing that a majority of Gazan journalists and media workers killed since October 7, 2023 were members of terrorist organizations.

What exists are competing claims:

•Israeli-aligned organizations (including the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and the watchdog HonestReporting) have asserted that more than half of those counted as Gaza “journalists” had ties to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or other groups—typically citing militant obituaries, martyr posters, or work for outlets they describe as group‑affiliated. These analyses claim roughly 57–60%.[1]

•Press‑freedom groups have not validated those majority claims. In mid‑2026 the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) opened—and later completed—a review of its Gaza casualties database after some slain individuals were posthumously identified by militant groups as fighters; CPJ removed or reclassified a subset. But even after that review, CPJ did not endorse the idea that most of the dead were militants and continues to document that the overwhelming majority were journalists or media workers killed during the war. Independent coverage of CPJ’s review reached the same bottom line: some cases were militants, but not a majority.[2]

•For context, CPJ and other watchdogs describe this as the deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded and detail their verification standards; none of their public accounting concludes that “most” of the Gaza press casualties were fighters.[3]

Bottom line: While Israeli government entities and allied analysts allege that over half had militant links, those claims are disputed and have not been confirmed by independent press‑freedom organizations; current evidence does not support saying a majority were tied to terrorist groups.[4]

Citations (4)

1terrorism-info.org.ilNonprofits and think tanks
About 60% of the Gazans Classified as "Journalists" and Other Media Personnel Killed in the Gaza Strip War Belonged to Hamas and Other Terrorist Organizations - The Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute
Backs: “Israeli-aligned organizations (including the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and the watchdog HonestReporting) have asserted that more than half of those counted as Gaza “journalists” had ties to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or other groups—typically citing militant obituaries, martyr…”
2cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
CPJ undertakes review of its documentation of journalists killed in Israel-Gaza war since 2023 - Committee to Protect Journalists
Backs: “Independent coverage of CPJ’s review reached the same bottom line: some cases were militants, but not a majority.”
3cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
CPJ documentation of Israeli harm against Palestinian journalists, media workers - Committee to Protect Journalists
Backs: “For context, CPJ and other watchdogs describe this as the deadliest conflict for journalists ever recorded and detail their verification standards; none of their public accounting concludes that “most” of the Gaza press casualties were fighters.”
4idf.ilGovernment
The Press Files | IDF
Backs: “While Israeli government entities and allied analysts allege that over half had militant links, those claims are disputed and have not been confirmed by independent press‑freedom organizations; current evidence does not support saying a majority were tied to terrorist groups.”