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

This is a disputed and contested question, with significantly different conclusions depending on the source.

Claims that a majority were linked to terror groups

Israeli government and pro-Israel research organizations have made this claim repeatedly:

•The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (an Israeli research institute with ties to the intelligence community) published a study asserting that of 266 individuals identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025, 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 IDF itself released a list in October 2026 claiming 170 Gazans the world mourned as slain journalists were members of terrorist organizations, including stringers for Reuters, the Associated Press, CNN and the BBC, with 118 serving in Hamas's military wing and 49 in Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The IDF said seventeen took part in the October 7 massacre.

•HonestReporting, a pro-Israel media watchdog, found that of the 207 Palestinian journalists identified by the CPJ as being killed in Gaza as of June 23, 2026, 112 (roughly 54%) were either members or affiliates of an anti-Israel terrorist group.

Pushback and disputes over this framing

Press freedom organizations and independent reviews present a more complicated picture:

•The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the leading international press freedom watchdog, conducted a review but only removed a small number of names. CPJ said it recently removed eight individuals from its "killed" database after confirming they were Hamas or PIJ members, with another 12 names removed for unrelated reasons, out of the 20 total previously documented on its casualties page. As of their review, CPJ claims 209 journalists or members of the media were killed by Israel amid its war in Gaza — far short of the majority claimed by Israeli sources being confirmed combatants.

•CPJ's methodology differs: it distinguishes between being a member of a terror organization/combatant versus simply working for an outlet affiliated with one. Many of the "terror-linked" counts in Israeli studies include people who merely worked for Hamas- or PIJ-affiliated media outlets (not combatants). For example, a 2024 report found that one-third of Palestinian journalists listed by CPJ as killed worked for Hamas-affiliated media outlets such as Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, Al-Quds Al-Youm, and Quds News Network, with two more working for PIJ outlets — a notably lower figure than "majority," and one conflating media affiliation with militant membership.

•There has also been internal controversy at CPJ itself: a Drop Site News publisher was removed from CPJ's board after questioning the organization's exclusion of certain Palestinian journalists from its Gaza death toll, suggesting the opposite criticism — that CPJ may be removing legitimate journalists under pressure.

•Independent audits by pro-Israel groups found lower rates than the "majority" claim when scrutinized closely. For instance, AIJAC's comparison found 85 matching names between the ABC's list of Palestinian journalists/media workers killed and the IDF's list of 170 alleged terrorist operatives, representing more than 40% of the 199 names in the ABC dataset, and they could independently confirm strong evidence of deceased individuals the ABC had listed as journalists being terrorist combatants in only 27 cases.

Bottom line

The claim that a majority were "linked to" terrorist organizations comes primarily from Israeli military/government sources and allied advocacy groups, which define "linked to" broadly — including people who worked for Hamas- or PIJ-affiliated outlets, not just combatants. These claims are based largely on Israeli intelligence assessments and documents the IDF says it recovered in Gaza, which are difficult to independently verify.

Press freedom organizations like CPJ have acknowledged some cases of misidentification and removed a handful of names, but their confirmed removals are a small fraction of the total deaths — nowhere near a "majority." The gap between the two sets of figures largely reflects a dispute over methodology (combatant vs. affiliate vs. employee of an affiliated outlet) and over the reliability/verifiability of Israeli intelligence claims, rather than a settled factual consensus.

Citations (10)

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...”
2israel365news.comNews and mediaquality 0.42
Press Vests and Kalashnikovs: IDF Names 170 Gaza 'Journalists' Who Served Hamas and Islamic Jihad - Israel365 News
Source excerpt: “The list, published on October 1 under the title “The Press Files,” includes stringers for Reuters, the Associated Press, CNN and the BBC, four Al Jaz...”
3israel365news.comNews and mediaquality 0.42
Press Vests and Kalashnikovs: IDF Names 170 Gaza 'Journalists' Who Served Hamas and Islamic Jihad - Israel365 News
Source excerpt: “Seventeen took part in the October 7 massacre, and the IDF said the deaths of more than 40 of them drew condemnations of Israel from the United Nation...”
4honestreporting.comNonprofits and think tanks
Who Are the Killed Gazan Journalists Affiliated With Palestinian Terror Groups?
Source excerpt: “Based on information provided by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), of the 20...”
5jewishinsider.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...”
6jewishinsider.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...”
7jewishinsider.comNews and media
Committee to Protect Journalists audits list of slain Gaza reporters after terror groups claim some as their own
Source excerpt: “*Jewish Insider* reported in 2024 that one-third of the Palestinian journalists listed by CPJ as being killed in the war in Gaza were employed by terr...”
8allsides.comData and toolsquality 0.72
CPJ to Review Journalists Killed in Gaza List After Hamas Releases Militant Obituaries
Source excerpt: “AllSides Media Bias Rating: Left See rating details News The publisher of Drop Site News is no longer on the board of the Committee to Protect Journ...”
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...”
10aijac.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: “We were able to independently confirm strong evidence of deceased individuals the ABC had listed as journalists being terrorist combatants in 27 cases...”