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

Both sidesSays it is contestedSources conflict

Israeli watchdogs and the IDF claim 53-60% had terror ties, while NGO Monitor's analysis found about 30% and Palestinian outlets like The New Arab dispute the militant characterizations.

Based on recent reporting, this is a contested and disputed question with no single definitive answer — it depends on which source and methodology you consult.

Claims that a majority had terror ties:

•A study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in December 2025 found that 60% of individuals who identified as journalists and were killed during the war in Gaza were members of or affiliated with terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

•HonestReporting, an Israeli media watchdog, conducted an audit of the Committee to Protect Journalists' (CPJ) database. It initially found that at least 57 percent of supposed media workers have some ties to terrorist organizations, specifically 120 of the 209 Gazan media workers, or 57 percent, had terrorist ties. After CPJ conducted its own revision, HonestReporting's follow-up review found 102 of the 191 names still listed have demonstrable "connections to terrorist groups," with 53 percent of those still listed having terrorist ties despite CPJ's "self-policing" audit.

•In October 2026, the IDF released its own findings, claiming 170 Palestinians in Gaza who were identified as journalists following their deaths were actually members of terror groups, serving as terrorists for terror organizations in the Strip, foremost among them Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The IDF broke this down as 118 of those named being affiliated with Hamas' military wing and 49 with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while two allegedly belonged to the Popular Resistance Committees and one to the Mujahideen Brigades, with 17 having participated in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The IDF stated these affiliations were verified using documents released by the terrorist organizations themselves and materials recovered by IDF troops during Gaza operations.

Important caveats and counter-perspectives:

•A different, earlier analysis by NGO Monitor citing HonestReporting found a lower figure — reviewing the backgrounds of 212 individuals listed by CPJ as journalists killed in Gaza, finding that 63 (approximately 30%) worked for media outlets affiliated with terror groups in Gaza — notably measuring outlet affiliation rather than direct personal terrorist membership, which is a different (lower) threshold than the other studies.

•Many of these "terror tie" determinations rely on martyr notices or obituaries issued by Hamas/PIJ themselves labeling the deceased as members, which Israeli sources treat as confirmation. For example, 25 had martyr posters issued by terrorist organizations or affiliated groups, often identifying details such as their units and roles, while 18 had been identified by the IDF as terrorists and were reportedly targeted by the Israeli military because of their roles within those organizations.

•Palestinian journalists' families and outlets like The New Arab strongly dispute these characterizations, describing them as Israeli attempts to recast their slain relatives as militants even in death.

•It's also worth noting that groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad operate political, media and charitable operations in addition to their armed wings, meaning some individuals labeled as having "ties" worked in non-combat media roles for outlets affiliated with these organizations, rather than being combatants themselves — a distinction HonestReporting itself flagged, noting CPJ continues to include members of the non-military wings of terrorist groups on its list.

Bottom line: Multiple pro-Israel watchdog groups and the IDF itself have published figures ranging from roughly 53% to 60% claiming a majority of those identified as journalists killed in Gaza had some documented connection to Hamas, PIJ, or other designated terrorist organizations — based on self-published martyr notices, IDF intelligence, and open-source research. However, these figures are heavily disputed by Palestinian journalists' families, press freedom groups, and media organizations, and the definition of "terrorist ties" varies significantly between studies (ranging from direct combatant status to merely working for an affiliated media outlet). There is no independent, universally agreed-upon figure confirming this as settled fact.

Citations (14)

1jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad ties prompt CPJ review of Gaza journalist death database
Source excerpt: “A study by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center in December 2025 found that 60% of individuals who identified as journalists an...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Meir Amit Center study in December 2025 found 60% of those identified as journalists killed in Gaza were affiliated with terrorist organizations.
2freebeacon.comNot yet classified
EXCLUSIVE: Committee to Protect Journalists Still Has Dozens of Violent Militants on Its List of ‘Journalists’ Slain in Gaza, 120 Names Have Terror Ties
Source excerpt: “"Our audit of CPJ's slain Gazan journalist database shows that at least 57 percent of supposed media workers have some ties to terrorist organizations...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: HonestReporting audit of CPJ database found at least 57 percent of supposed media workers had ties to terrorist organizations.
3honestreporting.comNonprofits and think tanks
CPJ Audits List of Dead Gazan Journalist
Source excerpt: “### CPJ’s Previous Failures The HonestReporting audit found that 120 of the 209 Gazan media workers, or 57 percent, had terrorist ties. ”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: HonestReporting found 120 of 209 Gazan media workers, or 57 percent, had terrorist ties.
4freebeacon.comNot yet classified
More Than Half the Names on Committee to Protect Journalists List of Slain Gaza Journalists Are Still Linked to Terror Outfits Despite Group’s Self-Policing ‘Audit’
Source excerpt: “That leaves a total of 191 supposed Gazan journalists on the CPJ's rejiggered database—102 of whom still have demonstrable "connections to terrorist g...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: After CPJ's revision, 102 of 191 names still listed had demonstrable connections to terrorist groups, 53 percent.
5hrvoices.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Articles - IDF documents terror affiliations of 170 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza war (Emanuel Fabian )
Source excerpt: “it determined that 170 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who were identified as journalists following their deaths were actually members of terror groups...”
attribution, article, points to yes. Claim: IDF claimed 170 Palestinians identified as journalists after their deaths were actually members of terror groups.
6hrvoices.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Articles - IDF documents terror affiliations of 170 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza war (Emanuel Fabian )
Source excerpt: “‘Following extensive research, the IDF is now revealing that 170 Gazans killed during the war who were presented as journalists and media personnel we...”
attribution, article, points to yes. Claim: IDF said 170 Gazans killed who were presented as journalists were terrorists, per its research.
7newarab.comNews and media
Israel attempts to frame Gaza reporters it killed as 'militants'
Source excerpt: “The army claimed that 118 of those named were affiliated with Hamas' military wing and 49 with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while two allegedly belonged...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: IDF breakdown: 118 affiliated with Hamas' military wing, 49 with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two with other groups.
8jpost.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...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: IDF said affiliations were verified using documents released by the terror organizations and materials recovered by troops.
9ngo-monitor.orgNot yet classified
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - ngomonitor
Source excerpt: “- An analysis conducted by HonestReporting, reviewing the backgrounds of the 212 individuals listed by CPJ as journalists killed in Gaza, found that 6...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: NGO Monitor cited an analysis of 212 CPJ-listed journalists finding about 30% worked for outlets affiliated with terror groups, a lower threshold.
10honestreporting.comNonprofits and think tanks
CPJ Audits List of Dead Gazan Journalist
Source excerpt: “Among them, 25 had martyr posters issued by terrorist organizations or affiliated groups, often identifying details such as their units and roles. ”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: 25 had martyr posters issued by terrorist organizations or affiliated groups identifying units and roles.
11honestreporting.comNonprofits and think tanks
CPJ Audits List of Dead Gazan Journalist
Source excerpt: “18 had been identified by the IDF as terrorists and were reportedly targeted by the Israeli military because of their roles within those organizations...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: 18 were identified by the IDF as terrorists and reportedly targeted because of their roles.
12newarab.comNews and media
Israel attempts to frame Gaza reporters it killed as 'militants'
Source excerpt: “Now, even in death, some are being targeted by accusations seeking to recast them as members of armed groups rather than journalists. ”
attribution, article, points to no. Claim: Palestinian journalists' families and outlets like The New Arab dispute the characterizations as attempts to recast slain journalists as militants.
13globalnews.caNot yet classified
palestinian journalists killed israeli strike
Source excerpt: “Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups operate political, media and charitable operations in addition to their armed wings. ”
background, article, points to no. Claim: Hamas and Islamic Jihad run political, media and charitable operations besides armed wings, so some 'ties' may be non-combat.
14freebeacon.comNot yet classified
More Than Half the Names on Committee to Protect Journalists List of Slain Gaza Journalists Are Still Linked to Terror Outfits Despite Group’s Self-Policing ‘Audit’
Source excerpt: “"CPJ continues to include members of the non-military wings of terrorist groups on its list, and has failed to issue an apology”
attribution, article, neutral. Claim: HonestReporting noted CPJ continues to include members of non-military wings of terrorist groups on its list.