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

Short answer: No.

•The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) — the main independent tracker — reports that, as of September 24, 2026, 189 Palestinian journalists and media workers were killed by Israel in Gaza. After a months‑long review completed on September 24, 2026, CPJ removed some names that it found were combatants or not journalists, but it continues to exclude anyone found to have engaged in combat from its tally. CPJ has not concluded that a majority of the Gazan journalists it documents were members of militant groups.[1]

•Israel’s military recently asserted that 170 people “presented as journalists and media personnel” who were killed in Gaza were actually members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or other groups. That claim uses a different denominator (its own list of “journalists and media personnel”) and has not been independently verified by press‑freedom groups.[2]

•A media watchdog, HonestReporting, likewise claimed “over half” of CPJ’s Gazan casualties had “ties to terrorism,” but this is also not a finding endorsed by CPJ or other independent organizations.[3]

•Press‑freedom and human‑rights monitors note that official allegations of affiliation, without sufficient evidence of direct participation in hostilities, do not by themselves turn journalists into combatants or strip them of civilian protection; many Israeli allegations have lacked publicly verifiable evidence.[4]

Bottom line: While some of the people killed have later been identified as fighters, the best available independent documentation does not support the claim that a majority of Gazan journalists killed since October 7, 2023 were members of terrorist organizations.[1]

Citations (4)

1cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Journalist casualties during the Israel–Gaza war and related regional conflicts - Committee to Protect Journalists
Backs: “CPJ has not concluded that a majority of the Gazan journalists it documents were members of militant groups.”
2idf.ilGovernment
Background Does the IDF Target Journalists in Gaza? 170 Gazan Journalists Exposed as Terrorists | IDF
Backs: “That claim uses a different denominator (its own list of “journalists and media personnel”) and has not been independently verified by press‑freedom groups.”
3honestreporting.comNonprofits and think tanks
Audit of CPJ Gaza Journalists Database Shows Over Half Linked to Terrorism | HonestReporting
Backs: “A media watchdog, HonestReporting, likewise claimed “over half” of CPJ’s Gazan casualties had “ties to terrorism,” but this is also not a finding endorsed by CPJ or other independent organizations.”
4cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
UNSR outline - Palestine -April 2026
Backs: “Press‑freedom and human‑rights monitors note that official allegations of affiliation, without sufficient evidence of direct participation in hostilities, do not by themselves turn journalists into combatants or strip them of civilian protection; many Israeli allegations have lacked publicly verifiable evidence.”