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

Short answer: It's contested — this is an Israeli government/pro-Israel claim, not an independently verified consensus finding.

The claim's origin: The "majority" figure comes specifically from the Israeli-affiliated Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center. That 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 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. The center said its conclusions are based on public records, Palestinian media reports, and Hamas documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces during ground operations in Gaza.

The IDF has made a similar claim independently: 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 — despite being members of the media or journalists, with identities and terrorist affiliations verified using documentation released by the terrorist organizations themselves and materials recovered by Israeli troops during Gaza operations, according to the military.

Why this is disputed and not an agreed-upon fact:

1.CPJ's position is very different in scale. The Committee to Protect Journalists — the primary independent press-freedom body tracking these deaths — has only removed a small number of names after evidence surfaced. The Committee to Protect Journalists said that 19 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire who it had previously identified as journalists or media workers were actually militants or participants in combat. That's 19 out of total death tolls in the hundreds — nowhere near a "majority."

2.CPJ's legal standard differs from Israel's. Journalists are considered civilians under international law regardless of their political views or affiliations, unless they participate in hostilities. Israel says militants posing as journalists have used such protections to collect intelligence and help target Israeli forces. CPJ's CEO has stated that this is consistent with international humanitarian law, which considers journalists affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they do not directly participate in hostilities. So mere "affiliation" (e.g., working for a Hamas-linked outlet) is not the same as being a combatant under the law CPJ applies — but it is treated as equivalent in the Israeli/Meir Amit framing.

3.Al Jazeera and CPJ have rejected specific high-profile cases. For example, in the case of Anas Al-Sharif, the IDF claimed he was a Hamas operative — an allegation rejected by Al Jazeera and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

4.Independent outlets reviewing their own lists found much lower numbers than 60%. An AIJAC comparison of the ABC's list found 85 matching names between the ABC's list and a list of alleged terrorist operatives, representing more than 40% of the 199 names in the ABC dataset examined. The BBC review found 53 Palestinians described by BBC as journalists had links to terrorist organizations, out of a list of over 180 names. That's under 30%, not a majority.

5.CPJ disputes the methodology, not just the numbers. CPJ's review came only after Hamas and PIJ themselves published obituaries: The move follows the CPJ wrongly naming combatants as slain reporters in its database for the Israel–Gaza war after the militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad published obituaries unmasking as fighters individuals previously listed as journalists. But CPJ's resulting removals (19-20 names) are a small fraction of the hundreds it still lists as journalists.

Bottom line: The "majority were linked to terrorist organizations" claim is a specific assertion made by Israeli government/military sources and an Israeli think tank (Meir Amit), using a broad definition of "affiliation" that includes things like working for Hamas-linked media outlets, not just combat roles. CPJ — the leading independent tracker — has only confirmed a much smaller number (dozens, not a majority) as militants after direct evidence (including Hamas's own obituaries) emerged, and disputes that mere institutional affiliation equates to combatant status under international law. Independent media reviews (BBC, ABC) found contested figures in the 25–40% range, still below a majority. So no, it is not an established fact that a majority were linked to terrorist groups — that is Israel's claim, which press freedom organizations dispute both in scale and in legal framing.

Citations (11)

1timesofisrael.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...”
2timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “The center said its conclusions are based on public records, Palestinian media reports, and Hamas documents seized by the Israel Defense Forces during...”
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...”
4jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
IDF: 170 alleged ‘journalists’ killed in Gaza were Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists
Source excerpt: “The journalists' identities and terrorist affiliations were verified using documentation released by the terrorist organizations themselves and materi...”
5audacy.comNot yet classified
Rights group says some people it classified as journalists killed in Gaza were militants
Source excerpt: “The Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday that 19 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire who it had previously identified as journalists or medi...”
6audacy.comNot yet classified
Rights group says some people it classified as journalists killed in Gaza were militants
Source excerpt: “The Committee to Protect Journalists says that 19 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire who it had previously identified as journalists or media workers...”
7hollywoodreporter.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Press Freedom Group Reviews Gaza Killed Journalists Database
Source excerpt: “This is consistent with international humanitarian law, which considers journalists affiliated with non-state actors to be civilians, provided they do...”
8wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Assassination of Anas Al-Sharif
Source excerpt: “[Palestinian authorities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Authority) as a deliberate assault on journalists, while the [Israel Defense Force...”
9aijac.org.auNonprofits and think tanks
Evidence suggests some 40% of the “journalists” listed by the ABC as having been killed in Gaza are actually terrorist operatives - AIJAC
Source excerpt: “An AIJAC comparison of the ABC’s list of Palestinian journalists and media workers killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, with a list of 170 alleged te...”
10israelhayom.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. # BBC under fire after 53 Hamas terrorists describ...”
11hollywoodreporter.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Press Freedom Group Reviews Gaza Killed Journalists Database
Source excerpt: “The move follows the CPJ wrongly naming combatants as slain reporters in its database for the Israel–Gaza war after the militant groups Hamas and Pale...”