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

Leans noSays it is contestedSources conflict

Israeli sources (Meir Amit Center, IDF) claim about 60% of killed journalists were linked to terror groups, while CPJ's audit and HonestReporting/Jewish Insider analyses find only about 4-33%.

The claim that a majority of Gazan journalists killed were linked to terrorist groups comes primarily from Israeli sources and is disputed by press-freedom organizations — the picture is genuinely contested, not settled.

The claim of a majority (Israeli government/IDF-aligned sources):

•The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an Israeli research institute with ties to former intelligence officials, released a study in December 2025 concluding that of 266 Palestinians identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza between October 2023 and late November 2025, about 60% had roles in Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or other armed factions, including combat, command, or propaganda duties.

•This breaks down to 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. A handful of others were linked to Fatah's armed wing — the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades — as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Popular Resistance Committees.

•The IDF itself made a similar claim recently: 170 individuals who were misleadingly presented as civilian "journalists" killed in strikes on Gaza were actually affiliated with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other terrorist organizations. The IDF says the journalists' identities and affiliation with the radical groups were verified using documentation by the terrorist organizations themselves and materials recovered by Israeli troops during operations in Gaza.

Much lower figures from press-freedom watchdogs and independent audits:

•The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the main independent international body tracking these deaths, has a far smaller number of confirmed cases. After Hamas and PIJ themselves published obituaries claiming some of the dead as their own fighters, 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; all 20 of these individuals were previously documented on CPJ's Journalist casualties page. As of its latest count, CPJ claims 209 journalists or members of the media were killed by Israel amid its war in Gaza.

•An earlier Jewish Insider report found a more moderate figure than 60%: one-third of the Palestinian journalists listed by CPJ as being killed in the war in Gaza were employed by terrorist groups — out of 100 Palestinian journalists on the list, 33 worked for "Hamas-affiliated" media, such as Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, Al-Quds Al-Youm, Quds News Network and others, with another two working for Islamic Jihad outlets. Working for an affiliated outlet is distinct from being a combatant.

•A separate watchdog analysis cited by NGO Monitor found: an analysis conducted by HonestReporting, reviewing the backgrounds of the 212 individuals listed by CPJ as journalists killed in Gaza, found that 63 (approximately 30%) worked for media outlets affiliated with terror groups in Gaza, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Of those, HonestReporting identified 42 individuals (approximately 20% of CPJ's list) as members of terror groups.

•CPJ has pushed back on blanket claims, stating its process is rigorous: in all countries and conflicts, CPJ removes names from its database if subsequent evidence shows individuals were not journalists or media workers, were not active in those capacities at the time of their deaths, or were engaging in combat.

Bottom line

There is no independently verified consensus that a majority were terrorist operatives. The 60% figure is a specific claim from an Israeli intelligence-linked think tank and echoed by the IDF, which relies heavily on Hamas/PIJ's own after-the-fact obituaries, IDF intelligence materials, and social-media evidence — sources that are hard for outside researchers to independently verify. CPJ's own ongoing review, by contrast, has so far confirmed only a small fraction (roughly 8-20 names out of over 200) as combatants, while separate independent audits (HonestReporting, Jewish Insider) land in the 20-33% range for either terror-group membership or employment by terror-affiliated outlets — well short of a majority. Given the deep disagreement between Israeli-government-aligned sources and international press-freedom monitors, and the difficulty of independently verifying Hamas/PIJ's self-published claims, the "majority" figure should be treated as a disputed assertion rather than an established fact.

Citations (11)

1themedialine.orgNews and media
Study Says up to 60% of Gaza War Journalists Killed Were Affiliated With Terrorist Groups - The Media Line
Source excerpt: “The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center analyzed 266 Palestinians identified as journalists or media workers killed in Gaza betwee...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: Meir Amit Center study of 266 Palestinian journalists killed found about 60% had roles in Hamas, PIJ or other armed factions.
2timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “According to the center, at least 157 of them — roughly 60 percent — were members of terror groups or clearly affiliated with them, including 104 link...”
statistic, article, points to yes. Claim: At least 157 of them, roughly 60 percent, were members of or clearly affiliated with terror groups, including 104 linked to Hamas.
3timesofisrael.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Majority of journalists killed in Gaza linked to terror organizations, study says
Source excerpt: “A handful of others were linked to Fatah’s armed wing — the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades — as well as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, ...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: A handful of others were linked to Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, PFLP, DFLP and Popular Resistance Committees.
4jpost.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
IDF: 170 alleged ‘journalists’ killed in Gaza were Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists
Source excerpt: “The IDF revealed on Thursday that 170 individuals who were misleadingly presented as civilian “journalists” killed in strikes on Gaza were actually af...”
attribution, article, points to yes. Claim: The IDF said 170 individuals presented as civilian journalists killed in Gaza were actually affiliated with Hamas, PIJ and other groups.
5justthenews.comNews and mediaquality 0.57
Israel Defense Forces claims 170 journalists killed in Gaza strikes were actually terrorists
Source excerpt: “The journalists' identities and affiliation with the radical groups were verified using documentation by the terrorist organizations themselves and ma...”
evidence, article, points to yes. Claim: IDF says identities and affiliations were verified using terror groups' own documentation and materials recovered by troops in Gaza.
6jewishinsider.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...”
evidence, article, points to no. Claim: CPJ removed eight individuals from its killed database after confirming they were Hamas or PIJ members, and 12 others for unrelated reasons.
7jewishinsider.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...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: CPJ currently counts 209 journalists or media workers killed by Israel in the Gaza war.
8jewishinsider.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...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: Jewish Insider found one-third of Palestinian journalists on CPJ's list worked for Hamas-affiliated outlets, with two more at Islamic Jihad outlets.
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: HonestReporting found 63 of 212 CPJ-listed journalists (about 30%) worked for terror-affiliated outlets.
10ngo-monitor.orgNot yet classified
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - ngomonitor
Source excerpt: “Based on official statements, publicly available information, and open-source analysis, HonestReporting identified 42 individuals (approximately 20% ...”
statistic, article, points to no. Claim: HonestReporting identified 42 individuals, about 20% of CPJ's list, as members of terror groups.
11cpj.orgNonprofits and think tanks
CPJ undertakes review of its documentation of journalists killed in Israel-Gaza war since 2023 - Committee to Protect Journalists
Source excerpt: “In all countries and conflicts, CPJ removes names from its database if subsequent evidence shows individuals were not journalists or media workers, we...”
attribution, official document, points to no. Claim: CPJ says it removes names if evidence shows individuals were not journalists, not active as such, or were engaged in combat.