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

I'll check verified records on Gazan journalists killed since October 7th to see how many were linked to terrorist groups.

Yes, according to Israeli-affiliated studies - which are contested by press-freedom groups - a majority were.

The full study states:

> According to information examined by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center for the present study... 266 individuals defined as “journalists and media personnel” were killed during the war in the Gaza Strip. The examination indicated that about 60% were members of or affiliated with terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Breakdown:

> at least 157 of them, or about 60%, were operatives or affiliated with terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and PIJ as follows: 104 were identified as Hamas members, of whom at least 47 were members of the movement and/or military operatives; 45 were operatives or affiliated with the PIJ, of whom at least 18 were identified as members of the organization and/or military operatives.

The IDF breakdown was:

> The IDF says the list breaks down to 118 tied to Hamas's military wing, 49 to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two to the Popular Resistance Committees and one to another group

A more detailed version:

> including 118 members of Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, 49 members of Islamic Jihad, two members of the Popular Resistance Committees and one member of the Mujahideen Brigades.

> since June 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has removed 27 “journalists” from its lists of “journalists and media workers killed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (IOPT),” after determining that they were Hamas or PIJ combatants.

> CPJ ultimately removed 19 terrorists and 3 other fake journalists from the list... That leaves a total of 191 supposed Gazan journalists on the CPJ's rejiggered database — 102 of whom still have demonstrable "connections to terrorist groups," according to an independent review of the CPJ audit performed by the Israeli media watchdog group HonestReporting.

> Although the CPJ review removed almost two dozen individuals... 53 percent of those still listed have terrorist ties

Other independent reviews have found similar patterns:

> HonestReporting...examining, name by name, Palestinians identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza, and concluded that roughly 60% were members of or affiliated with terrorist organizations — primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. ... The study examined 266 media workers reported killed between Oct. 7, 2023, and Nov. 30, 2025, and found that 157 were members of or affiliated with terror groups.

Context and dispute:

These figures come from Israeli military/intelligence-affiliated sources (IDF, Meir Amit Center, HonestReporting). International press freedom organizations report similar total death tolls — the Hamas government media office reported 256 media personnel killed as of Nov 30 2025, international organizations reported about 220 / CPJ listed 209 journalists and media workers killed by Israel as of June 25 — but they generally consider journalists affiliated with non-state actors as civilians unless directly participating in hostilities, and have accused Israel of targeting press. The IDF and Meir Amit Center argue that dual roles as military operatives and media personnel alters protected status under international law.