Committee to Protect Journalists Audits Gaza Journalist Deaths After Terror Group Claims

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced a full review of its database of journalists and media workers killed in the Israel-Hamas war. The review follows Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) obituaries that identified several CPJ entries as members of those groups. CPJ has removed eight confirmed Hamas/PIJ members and twelve other names, leaving 209 documented journalist deaths as of June 25.

Jewish InsiderThe Jerusalem Post

CPJ adds entries only after corroborating evidence from two independent sources; Israeli restrictions have blocked on-the-ground checks, so verification relies on external reports. A December 2025 Meir Amit Center study found 60 % of those listed as journalists and killed were Hamas or PIJ affiliates. Jewish Insider reported that among 100 Palestinian journalists on CPJ’s list, 33 worked for Hamas-affiliated outlets (Al-Aqsa Voice Radio, Al-Quds Al-Youm, Quds News Network) and two for PIJ outlets Kan’an and Mithaq Media Foundation.

Jewish InsiderThe Jerusalem Post

CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said the audit aims to confirm no combatants remain in the database and reiterated CPJ’s policy against listing individuals engaged in hostilities. Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the review confirms that many “Gaza journalists” were Hamas and PIJ terrorists, while Shlomo Mofaz of the Meir Amit Center noted Hamas’s extensive use of media outlets abroad for propaganda.

The Jerusalem PostJewish Insider

Israeli officials and the Meir Amit Center have called CPJ’s casualty figures inflated, citing the high share of terrorist affiliations. The CPJ count of 209 journalist deaths conflicts with studies suggesting most of the dead were combatants. CPJ’s lack of field verification in Gaza leaves uncertainty about the professional status of many decedents.

The Jerusalem Post

CPJ expects to finish its review by July 2026. The outcome could reshape reporting on media-related casualties in the conflict and affect broader debates on press freedom, combatant identification, and journalist protection in war zones.

The Jerusalem Post

• “CPJ has always been clear that we do not include anyone in our data sets if there is evidence that they were engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence,” — Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ CEO

The Jerusalem Post

• “CPJ condemns in no uncertain terms the misrepresentation of combatants as journalists or media workers – or the misuse of ‘Press’ insignia. Such actions endanger every single individual journalist legitimately trying to report,” — Jodie Ginsberg, CPJ CEO

The Jerusalem Post

• “It’s official: even the Committee to Protect Journalists admits it,” adding: “Gaza ‘journalists’ = Hamas & Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists.” — Israel Foreign Ministry

The Jerusalem Post

• “the issue of Hamas’s propaganda is a high priority, and it uses a lot of media outlets abroad to talk about it.” — Shlomo Mofaz, director, Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

The Jerusalem Post