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

Short answer: there’s no independent evidence that a majority were.

•Israeli authorities and an affiliated research center (the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center) have claimed that over half of the Gaza-based journalists and media workers killed since October 7, 2023 were operatives of or clearly affiliated with Hamas/PIJ (e.g., “about 60%,” or “at least 170”). These figures and some underlying materials have not been independently verified.[1]

•Press‑freedom groups that track each death, especially the Committee to Protect Journalists, have not corroborated that a majority were militants. CPJ says Israel has provided questionable or no evidence for many alleged links; it is reviewing its database and has removed names where later proof showed a person was a combatant, but CPJ has not found that most of the dead journalists were members of armed groups.[2]

Bottom line as of October 23, 2026: claims that “most” were tied to terrorist organizations come from Israeli government/affiliated sources and remain disputed; independent monitoring organizations have not validated that a majority were combatants.[1]

Citations (2)

1idf.ilGovernment
Background Does the IDF Target Journalists in Gaza? 170 Gazan Journalists Exposed as Terrorists | IDF
Backs: “These figures and some underlying materials have not been independently verified.”
2cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
CPJ welcomes reports of Gaza ceasefire, calls for media access and war crimes investigations - Committee to Protect Journalists
Backs: “CPJ says Israel has provided questionable or no evidence for many alleged links; it is reviewing its database and has removed names where later proof showed a person was a combatant, but CPJ has not found that most of the dead journalists were members of armed groups.”