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

This is a contested claim, not an established fact

The short answer: this claim comes from Israeli government and Israeli-aligned research sources, and it is disputed by international press freedom organizations. There is no independent, consensus-backed finding that a majority of Gazan journalists killed were terrorists.

The source of the "majority" claim

This figure traces to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC), an Israeli research institute with close ties to former Israeli intelligence officials. The study examined the identities of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025, and found 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.

Separately, the IDF itself published its own database. The military said 118 of those identified were members of Hamas' military wing, while 49 were members of PIJ, with two affiliated with the Popular Resistance Committees and one with another terrorist organization. The database is the IDF's latest effort to rebut accusations from international media organizations, human rights groups and politicians that Israel deliberately targeted journalists during its war in Gaza.

The ITIC also found a "double roles" phenomenon, where many had double roles as both military operatives and media personnel, particularly in the cooperation between Hamas and Qatar's Al Jazeera network.

Independent press freedom organizations dispute this

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) — the primary independent tracker of journalist deaths — rejects the characterization that most killed journalists were combatants. CPJ accuses Israel of "engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists" it has ever seen, saying Palestinian journalists are being "threatened, directly targeted and murdered by Israeli forces."

When the IDF made similar claims about specific journalists like Hossam Shabat, the IDF claimed both journalists killed were terrorists, but CPJ condemned the deaths and denied that claim, stating "the deliberate and targeted killing of a journalist, of a civilian, is a war crime."

The UN human rights office has also raised alarm over the killings without endorsing Israel's terrorist-affiliation claims, noting that at least 247 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since the 7th of October 2023 and calling for independent investigation and accountability.

Some corroboration exists for partial affiliation claims

It's worth noting some independent reporting has lent partial support to affiliation concerns. The British Telegraph reported that 53 of the more than 180 people listed by BBC Arabic as journalists killed in the war had ties to Hamas or other terrorist groups, with terrorist organizations publishing death notices for at least 20 of them. Additionally, Jamestown Foundation research noted that at least 30 percent of the roughly 200 journalists counted by CPJ worked for outlets CPJ itself describes as "Hamas-affiliated." However, working for a Hamas-affiliated outlet is a different claim than being a combatant member of Hamas's military wing.

Bottom line

The "majority were terrorists" claim originates exclusively from Israeli military and Israeli-aligned research sources, using methodology, evidence, and documentation that Israel itself compiled. Independent press freedom groups (CPJ, RSF), the UN, and outlets like Al Jazeera strongly dispute this characterization and continue to document these deaths as killings of civilian media workers, several of which they argue constitute war crimes. No neutral, independently verified body has confirmed the 60%+ terrorist-affiliation figure — it remains a one-sided, heavily contested assertion in an active information war over the conflict's narrative.