Were a majority of the Gazan journalists killed since October 7th, 2023 linked to terrorist organizations?
Short answer: No credible, independent evidence shows that a majority of Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023 were linked to terrorist organizations.
What we know
•Independent press‑freedom groups that track every case (CPJ and RSF) have not validated claims that most of the Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza were members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or other militant groups. CPJ says it removes anyone from its database if there is evidence they were combatants, and in 2026 it reviewed cases again after some militant obituaries surfaced—still without corroborating the “majority are militants” claim.[1]
•As of September 24, 2026, CPJ documents 189 Palestinian journalists and media workers killed in Gaza. CPJ’s methodology focuses on whether the person met its definition of a journalist and whether there is evidence they were acting as combatants; Israel has not provided evidence sufficient for CPJ to reclassify most of the dead as militants.[2]
What’s being claimed—and by whom
•The Israel Defense Forces have asserted that at least 170 of the Gazan “journalists” killed were actually members of terrorist groups. This is an Israeli military claim; CPJ and RSF say such allegations have not been substantiated with verifiable evidence.[3]
•An Israeli research institute similarly claimed about 60% were operatives or affiliated with militant groups, again without independent verification. RSF has documented efforts to cast broad, often flimsy “terrorist” labels on Gaza reporters.[4]
Bottom line
•While Israeli authorities and some allied organizations allege that many of the slain were militants, those assertions remain unproven by independent watchdogs. On the best available evidence from CPJ/RSF, it is not established that a majority of Gazan journalists killed since Oct. 7, 2023 were linked to terrorist organizations.[1]
Backs: “CPJ says it removes anyone from its database if there is evidence they were combatants, and in 2026 it reviewed cases again after some militant obituaries surfaced—still without corroborating the “majority are militants” claim.”