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 depends heavily on how that link is defined and which organization’s standards are applied.

The issue is characterized by two vastly different perspectives and methodologies:

1. The Israeli Perspective: Yes (Approximately 60%)

According to investigations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli-aligned security research centers, the majority of the Gazan journalists killed were affiliated with or active members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), or other militant groups.

•IDF Database (October 2026): The IDF launched an online database identifying 170 individuals presented as Gazan journalists who they claimed were actually active terror operatives. According to the military, 118 of these individuals were active in Hamas’s military wing, 49 in PIJ, and others in smaller militant groups. The IDF alleged that these individuals used press credentials and protective "Press" vests as cover for militant activities.

•Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center Study: A detailed study by this Israeli think tank analyzed the identities of 266 media workers reported killed between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. It concluded that roughly 60% (157 individuals) were members of terrorist groups or worked for outlets directly affiliated with them.

How "Link" is Defined Here: Under the Israeli methodology, "linked to" includes not only active combatants but also any individual employed by media outlets owned or operated by Hamas or PIJ (such as Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Rai Radio, or Quds News Network). The Israeli government views these networks as integrated propaganda and psychological warfare arms of the terrorist organizations rather than independent news outlets.

2. The Press Freedom & International Law Perspective: No (A Small Minority)

Independent international press watchdogs—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF)—as well as international humanitarian law experts, argue that the vast majority of the slain journalists were legitimate civilians.

•International Humanitarian Law (IHL): Under the laws of war, journalists are classified as civilians and are entitled to full protection unless they directly participate in hostilities (combat). Legally, simply working for a state-run, partisan, or militant-affiliated media outlet does not make a journalist a legitimate military target, as long as they are acting in a journalistic capacity and not engaging in military operations.

•The CPJ’s Database Audit (2026): In mid-2026, after Hamas and PIJ published formal "martyrdom" obituaries claiming some of the deceased journalists as combatants, the CPJ conducted an intensive review of its casualty database.

•By September 2026, the CPJ had removed 27 individuals from its list of slain journalists after confirming that they had participated in combat or belonged to a militant group.

•This left 191 Palestinian journalists on the CPJ's list.

•This means that according to the CPJ’s rigorous verification standards, only about 12% to 14% of those initially categorized as slain journalists were confirmed to be militants, meaning the overwhelming majority were non-combatants.

How "Link" is Defined Here: Press watchdogs define a journalist as anyone who regularly covers news or comments on public affairs to share fact-based information. They maintain that employees of partisan or state-backed media qualify for protection. They point out that in blockaded Gaza, Hamas was the governing authority, meaning thousands of civil servants—including teachers, healthcare workers, and media employees—drew salaries from Hamas-run entities without being military combatants.

Summary of the Dispute

The disagreement centers on the concept of "dual identity".

•Critics of the press watchdogs argue that Al-Aqsa TV and other faction-run networks are active arms of a terrorist infrastructure, and that counting their staff as "journalists" sanitizes their role in a war effort.

•Critics of the Israeli military (including independent investigations by outlets like The Guardian and the Forbidden Stories consortium) argue that Israel has used broad, unproven allegations of "terrorist ties" to retroactively justify the unprecedentedly high death toll of media workers, conflating civilian media employees with armed combatants in violation of international law.

Citations (17)

1wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “Whether a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023, were "linked to" terrorist organizations depends heavily on how that link is defined and which organization’s standards are applied.”
2washingtonpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
washingtonpost.com
Backs: “Whether a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023, were "linked to" terrorist organizations depends heavily on how that link is defined and which organization’s standards are applied.”
3jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The Israeli Perspective: Yes (Approximately 60%). According to investigations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli-aligned security research centers, the majority of the Gazan journalists killed were affiliated with or active members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), or other militant groups.”
4jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
jpost.com
Backs: “The Israeli Perspective: Yes (Approximately 60%). According to investigations by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli-aligned security research centers, the majority of the Gazan journalists killed were affiliated with or active members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), or other militant groups.”
5timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
timesofisrael.com
Backs: “IDF Database (October 2026): The IDF launched an online database identifying 170 individuals presented as Gazan journalists who they claimed were actually active terror operatives. According to the military, 118 of these individuals were active in Hamas’s military wing, 49 in PIJ, and others in smaller militant groups.”
6instagram.comSocial media and video
instagram.com
Backs: “The IDF alleged that these individuals used press credentials and protective "Press" vests as cover for militant activities. Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center Study: A detailed study by this Israeli think tank analyzed the identities of 266 media workers reported killed between October 7, 2023,…”
7instagram.comSocial media and video
instagram.com
Backs: “The IDF alleged that these individuals used press credentials and protective "Press" vests as cover for militant activities. Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center Study: A detailed study by this Israeli think tank analyzed the identities of 266 media workers reported killed between October 7, 2023,…”
8facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center Study: A detailed study by this Israeli think tank analyzed the identities of 266 media workers reported killed between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. It concluded that roughly 60% (157 individuals) were members of terrorist groups or worked for outlets…”
9wfmd.comNot yet classified
wfmd.com
Backs: “The Israeli government views these networks as integrated propaganda and psychological warfare arms of the terrorist organizations rather than independent news outlets.”
10cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “International Humanitarian Law (IHL): Under the laws of war, journalists are classified as civilians and are entitled to full protection unless they directly participate in hostilities (combat). Legally, simply working for a state-run, partisan, or militant-affiliated media outlet does not make a journalist a…”
11theguardian.comNews and mediaquality 0.75
theguardian.com
Backs: “Legally, simply working for a state-run, partisan, or militant-affiliated media outlet does not make a journalist a legitimate military target, as long as they are acting in a journalistic capacity and not engaging in military operations. The CPJ’s Database Audit (2026): In mid-2026, after Hamas and PIJ published…”
12commondreams.orgNews and mediaquality 0.54
commondreams.org
Backs: “Legally, simply working for a state-run, partisan, or militant-affiliated media outlet does not make a journalist a legitimate military target, as long as they are acting in a journalistic capacity and not engaging in military operations. The CPJ’s Database Audit (2026): In mid-2026, after Hamas and PIJ published…”
13cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cpj.org
Backs: “The CPJ’s Database Audit (2026): In mid-2026, after Hamas and PIJ published formal "martyrdom" obituaries claiming some of the deceased journalists as combatants, the CPJ conducted an intensive review of its casualty database. By September 2026, the CPJ had removed 27 individuals from its list of slain journalists…”
14newlinesmag.comNot yet classified
newlinesmag.com
Backs: “The CPJ’s Database Audit (2026): In mid-2026, after Hamas and PIJ published formal "martyrdom" obituaries claiming some of the deceased journalists as combatants, the CPJ conducted an intensive review of its casualty database. By September 2026, the CPJ had removed 27 individuals from its list of slain journalists…”
15reddit.comForums and Q&A
reddit.com
Backs: “This means that according to the CPJ’s rigorous verification standards, only about 12% to 14% of those initially categorized as slain journalists were confirmed to be militants, meaning the overwhelming majority were non-combatants.”
16facebook.comSocial media and video
facebook.com
Backs: “Summary of the Dispute. The disagreement centers on the concept of "dual identity". Critics of the press watchdogs argue that Al-Aqsa TV and other faction-run networks are active arms of a terrorist infrastructure, and that counting their staff as "journalists" sanitizes their role in a war effort.”
17jns.orgNews and mediaquality 0.78
jns.org
Backs: “Critics of the press watchdogs argue that Al-Aqsa TV and other faction-run networks are active arms of a terrorist infrastructure, and that counting their staff as "journalists" sanitizes their role in a war effort. Critics of”