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

This is a genuinely contested claim, with sharply divergent findings depending on the source.

The claim's origin: The "majority linked to terror organizations" assertion comes primarily from Israeli sources. A study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center found 60% of media workers killed since October 2023 were tied to Hamas or Islamic Jihad. That study examined 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025, and found 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. Similarly, the Israeli military released a database identifying 170 Palestinians killed during the Gaza war who it claims were at one point members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations, and a BBC review found 53 Palestinians described by BBC as journalists had links to terrorist organizations.

Why this is disputed: Press freedom organizations and independent reviews push back hard on these figures:

1.CPJ's position: The Committee to Protect Journalists has stated that Israel has repeatedly made similar unproven claims without producing credible evidence. CPJ did conduct its own review, removing eight individuals from its "killed" database after confirming they were Hamas or PIJ members, with another 12 names removed for unrelated reasons—20 total out of its journalist casualties list, but it currently claims 209 journalists or members of the media were killed by Israel amid its war in Gaza, meaning the vast majority remain on its list.

2.Methodology concerns: CPJ emphasizes that it does not include anyone in its data sets if there is evidence they were engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence, consistent with international humanitarian law, which considers journalists affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they do not directly participate in hostilities.

3.Weak evidence in many cases: An investigative review by +972 Magazine found that even a researcher at the pro-Israel group HonestReporting admitted that for 102 of the 170 names in the army's list, "the detail drops off sharply". In many instances, the Israeli army's evidence consists of obituaries allegedly published by Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad on their Telegram channels claiming the deceased as members—the strongest evidence provided, but still far from conclusive. The BBC's own review concluded that the evidence differs substantially from case to case and does not establish that all 53 were combatants.

4.Specific cases disputed: In one high-profile example, CPJ noted that Israel's documentation on journalist Ismail al-Ghoul contained contradictory information showing that al-Ghoul, born in 1997, received a Hamas military ranking in 2007 – when he would have been 10 years old.

Bottom line: There is no independently verified, consensus finding that a majority of journalists killed in Gaza were linked to terrorist organizations. This is an Israeli-sourced claim (from the IDF, the Meir Amit Center, and pro-Israel advocacy groups like HonestReporting) that remains strongly contested by press freedom organizations like CPJ and RSF, as well as independent journalistic investigations, which argue the evidence for many individual cases is thin, inconsistent, or unsubstantiated. CPJ has removed a small number of names (20 out of roughly 230) after its own review found sufficient evidence of combat roles, but this is far short of a "majority," and CPJ continues to list the large majority of the people Israel has named as legitimate journalists.

Citations (12)

1timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says. Meir Amit center finds 60% of media workers killed since October 20...”
2timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “The study (Hebrew link), published Thursday, examined the identities of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza betw...”
3jewishinsider.comNews and media
IDF report identifies 170 Palestinian ‘journalists’ killed during Gaza war affiliated with terrorist groups
Source excerpt: “The Israeli military on Thursday released a database identifying 170 Palestinians killed during the Gaza war who it claims were at one point members o...”
4israelhayom.comNot yet classified
BBC under fire after 53 Hamas terrorists described as ‘journalists killed’
Source excerpt: “Review finds 53 Palestinians described by BBC as journalists had links to terrorist organizations. ”
5ahram.org.egNot yet classified
Israel has repeatedly made unproven claims about journalists 'joining militant groups': CPJ - War on Gaza - War on Gaza - Ahram Online
Source excerpt: “The CPJ, which advocates for the rights and safety of journalists worldwide, warned in a post on X that "Israel has repeatedly made similar unproven c...”
6jewishinsider.comNews and media
Committee to Protect Journalists audits list of slain Gaza reporters after terror groups claim some as their own
Source excerpt: “CPJ, which has faced criticism for an alleged anti-Israel bias, said it recently removed eight individuals from its “killed” database after confirming...”
7jewishinsider.comNews and media
Committee to Protect Journalists audits list of slain Gaza reporters after terror groups claim some as their own
Source excerpt: “Currently, CPJ — which said it uses at least two independent sources of information to identify someone as a journalist — claims 209 journalists or me...”
8jewishinsider.comNews and media
Committee to Protect Journalists audits list of slain Gaza reporters after terror groups claim some as their own
Source excerpt: ““CPJ has always been clear that we do not include anyone in our data sets if there is evidence that they were engaging in combat or inciting imminent ...”
9972mag.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Debunking Israel’s latest list of ‘terrorist’ journalists in Gaza
Source excerpt: “The shortage of “evidence” underpinning Israel’s allegations is so embarrassing that even a researcher at the hasbara organization HonestReporting — w...”
10972mag.comNews and mediaquality 0.84
Debunking Israel’s latest list of ‘terrorist’ journalists in Gaza
Source excerpt: “In 49 cases, the Israeli army’s evidence consists of obituaries allegedly published by Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad on their Telegram channels, ...”
11i24news.tvNot yet classified
BBC reviews 53 Gaza journalist cases after claims of Hamas links - i24NEWS
Source excerpt: “The evidence differs substantially from case to case and does not establish that all 53 were combatants. ”
12aljazeera.comNews and mediaquality 0.78
Al Jazeera decries ‘unfounded’ Israeli claims about its Gaza journalists
Source excerpt: “The press freedom watchdog noted that the Israeli military had “produced a similar document” after killing Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Ismail al-Ghou...”