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 debate, with the conclusion depending heavily on how international watchdogs, independent researchers, and the Israeli military define a "terrorist link" versus a "civilian journalist".

There is no international consensus on this claim. The Israeli government and pro-Israel researchers argue that a majority of the slain individuals presented as journalists were active operatives of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Conversely, international press watchdogs, human rights groups, and independent analysts maintain that the vast majority were legitimate civilian media workers.

The evidence and arguments from both sides of the issue are detailed below.

The Case That a Majority Were Linked to Terrorist Groups

Israeli authorities and think tanks argue that Gaza’s media landscape is deeply integrated with Hamas and PIJ, and that many individuals claiming press credentials dual-hatted as military operatives.

•The IDF's "Press Files" Database: In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published an online database claiming that 170 Palestinians killed during the war—who had been presented to the world as journalists—were actually active members of terrorist organizations. The IDF broke this down into 118 affiliated with Hamas, 49 with PIJ, and others with minor factions. The military asserted that intelligence retrieved from Gaza (including ID numbers, military roles, and payrolls) proved these individuals acted as snipers, commanders, and propaganda agents while using press credentials as cover.

•The Meir Amit Center Study: A comprehensive study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center analyzed 266 Palestinians identified as journalists killed between October 2023 and November 2025. The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 individuals) were members of, or clearly affiliated with, armed factions.

•Militant Group Obituaries: The most concrete evidence supporting some of these claims has come from Hamas and PIJ themselves. Following temporary ceasefires and throughout the conflict, both groups published official obituaries claiming several individuals previously listed as civilian journalists by international watchdogs as combatants or platoon commanders within their military wings.

•Notable Cases: High-profile examples include Hamza Al-Dahdouh (whom the IDF accused of being a PIJ electronics and rocket operative based on captured documents), Mustafa Thuraya (alleged to be a Hamas deputy squad commander), and Hassan Aslih (a freelancer photographed with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and filmed crossing into Israel with militants on October 7).

The Case That the Majority Were Legitimate Civilian Journalists

Press freedom organizations and human rights groups argue that while some combatants did pose as journalists, Israel has systematically conflated civilian political affiliation or employment with active combatant status in order to justify an unprecedented toll on media workers.

•International Law & the Definition of a Civilian: Under international humanitarian law (IHL), journalists are considered civilians and are protected from military targeting. Political views, partisan reporting, or employment by state-affiliated media (such as Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV) do not strip a journalist of civilian status. Under IHL, a journalist only loses civilian protection if they directly participate in hostilities (i.e., take up arms and engage in active combat).

•The CPJ Audits: In response to Hamas and PIJ obituaries, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) launched an internal and external audit of its casualty list. In June and September 2026, CPJ removed 27 names from its database after finding evidence that they had actively participated in combat or were military members of armed groups. However, the vast majority of those on CPJ's list were retained. As of late 2026, CPJ verified that at least 191 Palestinian journalists and media workers had been killed, the vast majority of whom had no verified ties to combat.

•Criticism of the IDF's "Press Files": Independent researchers, including Palestinian political analyst Muhammad Shehada, conducted reviews of the IDF's list of 170 "terrorist" journalists and accused the military of using weak, edited, or fabricated evidence. Critiques of the list include:

•Many files lacked intelligence documentation entirely, some featuring blank pages or generic, undated photos of individuals holding firearms.

•In numerous cases, the "evidence" of a terror link was merely past civil service, such as taking a mandatory training course with Gaza's Ministry of Interior years prior, or past employment at local Gazan radio stations.

•Only 78 of the 170 names on the IDF's list were even recognized as journalists in CPJ’s database, meaning the IDF’s list included many people whom independent watchdogs never classified as media workers in the first place.

•International Rejection: UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and organizations like Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have rejected Israel’s sweeping accusations, arguing that Israel has failed to present credible evidence of military participation for the vast majority of the journalists killed and accusing the IDF of attempting to deflect from the targeted killing of reporters.

Summary

If one applies the broad definition used by the IDF and the Meir Amit Center—which labels anyone employed by Hamas-run media outlets, possessing past military training, or belonging to the political wing of a Gazan faction as a "terrorist"—then a majority of the killed individuals who identified as media workers had such links.

However, if one applies the strict legal definition of international humanitarian law used by press watchdogs—which requires proof of active, direct participation in military hostilities—only a small minority (roughly 12% to 15%, according to CPJ's adjusted figures) of the verified slain journalists have been shown to have lost their civilian status.

Citations (17)

1cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “Whether a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023, were linked to terrorist organizations is a subject of intense debate, with the conclusion depending heavily on how international watchdogs, independent researchers, and the Israeli military define a "terrorist link" versus a "civilian…”
2972mag.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
972mag.com
Backs: “Whether a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023, were linked to terrorist organizations is a subject of intense debate, with the conclusion depending heavily on how international watchdogs, independent researchers, and the Israeli military define a "terrorist link" versus a "civilian…”
3washingtonpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
washingtonpost.com
Backs: “There is no international consensus on this claim.”
4youtube.comSocial media and video
youtube.com
Backs: “There is no international consensus on this claim.”
5themedialine.orgNews and media
themedialine.org
Backs: “The Israeli government and pro-Israel researchers argue that a majority of the slain individuals presented as journalists were active operatives of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”
6timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The Israeli government and pro-Israel researchers argue that a majority of the slain individuals presented as journalists were active operatives of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”
7commondreams.orgNews and mediaquality 0.54
commondreams.org
Backs: “Conversely, international press watchdogs, human rights groups, and independent analysts maintain that the vast majority were legitimate civilian media workers.”
8fdd.orgNot yet classified
fdd.org
Backs: “Israeli authorities and think tanks argue that Gaza’s media landscape is deeply integrated with Hamas and PIJ, and that many individuals claiming press credentials dual-hatted as military operatives.”
9i24news.tvNot yet classified
i24news.tv
Backs: “The IDF's "Press Files" Database: In October 2026, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published an online database claiming that 170 Palestinians killed during the war—who had been presented to the world as journalists—were actually active members of terrorist organizations. The IDF broke this down into 118 affiliated…”
10jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The military asserted that intelligence retrieved from Gaza (including ID numbers, military roles, and payrolls) proved these individuals acted as snipers, commanders, and propaganda agents while using press credentials as cover. The Meir Amit Center Study: A comprehensive study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence…”
11timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “The military asserted that intelligence retrieved from Gaza (including ID numbers, military roles, and payrolls) proved these individuals acted as snipers, commanders, and propaganda agents while using press credentials as cover. The Meir Amit Center Study: A comprehensive study published by the Meir Amit Intelligence…”
12facebook.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 analyzed 266 Palestinians identified as journalists killed between October 2023 and November 2025. The study concluded that roughly 60% (157 individuals) were members of, or clearly affiliated…”
13aipac.orgNonprofits and think tanks
aipac.org
Backs: “Militant Group Obituaries: The most concrete evidence supporting some of these claims has come from Hamas and PIJ themselves. Following temporary ceasefires and throughout the conflict, both groups published official obituaries claiming several individuals previously listed as civilian journalists by international…”
14commondreams.orgNews and mediaquality 0.54
commondreams.org
Backs: “Press freedom organizations and human rights groups argue that while some combatants did pose as journalists, Israel has systematically conflated civilian political affiliation or employment with active combatant status in order to justify an unprecedented toll on media workers. International Law & the Definition of a…”
15apnews.comNews and mediaquality 1.00
apnews.com
Backs: “International Law & the Definition of a Civilian: Under international humanitarian law (IHL), journalists are considered civilians and are protected from military targeting. Political views, partisan reporting, or employment by state-affiliated media (such as Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV) do not strip a journalist of civilian…”
16wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “Political views, partisan reporting, or employment by state-affiliated media (such as Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV) do not strip a journalist of civilian status. Under IHL, a journalist only loses civilian protection if they directly participate in hostilities (i.e., take up arms and engage in active combat).”
17wboc.comNot yet classified
wboc.com
Backs: “As of late 2026, CPJ verified that at least 191 Palestinian journalists and media workers had been killed, the vast majority of whom had no verified ties to combat. Criticism of the IDF's "Press Files": Independent researchers, including Palestinian political analyst Muhammad Shehada, conducted reviews of the IDF's…”