At the beginning of last October, Israel considered that the 170 journalists killed in Gaza were in fact “terrorists” from Hamas and other armed groups in the Strip. However, according to an analysis prepared by the Observers editorial team, this tally differs from the statistics prepared by organizations defending journalists. These organizations also denounce accusations that are not based on sufficient evidence from the Israeli army.

Published on: 06/11/2026 - 18:43

“For nearly three years, the Israel Defense Forces have been accused of targeting journalists in Gaza. Today we reveal the truth.” On October 1, the official spokesman for the Israeli army, Evi Devrin, announced on the

According to a web page titled “Press Files,” the Israeli military provided details about each of the 170 dead who were presented as evidence (that they were combatants): photographs, an obituary for them by Hamas, and parts of schedules. On this list, we find well-known names such as Anas Al-Sharif, a prominent journalist for the Qatari Al Jazeera channel, who was killed by Israel on August 10, 2025, or reporter Hossam Shabat, who was killed by an Israeli drone in March 2025.

The number is large when we compare it to the tally prepared by the government media office in the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, which counted the killing of 263 journalists as of last October 1.

191 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to the American CPG organization to protect journalists.

Many reports have been prepared about the number of journalists killed in the Gaza Strip, and the numbers differ according to each report, between what the authorities in Gaza announced and what local or international organizations have reached.

To analyze these numbers, the France 24 Observers editorial team compared the list prepared by the Israeli army with the reports of three major international organizations defending journalists: the American Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the French organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the International Federation of Journalists (FIJ).

As of last October 31, the CPG organization counted the killing of 191 Palestinian journalists by Israeli gunfire since the beginning of the war in Gaza. This number, which was larger earlier, was revised downward in the months of June and September 2026. According to the CBG organization, 27 names were removed from the list after verifying their involvement in the battles, and nine others after an internal investigation concluded that they were not journalists.

As for Reporters Without Borders, which only takes into account journalists who were killed while exercising their duties, it counted the killing of 63 journalists in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The French organization indicated to the France 24 Observers editorial team that it had withdrawn five names from the list last summer after it discovered their affiliation to armed groups. However, Israel's publication of that list at the beginning of last October did not change the list of Reporters Without Borders, as the organization told the France 24 Observers editorial team, "We deal seriously with these accusations, but after examining, we did not see anything new," and adds, "These are accusations that we have seen before and have worked on in the past."

As for the International Federation of Journalists (FEG), which cooperates with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PGS), it counted the killing of 240 Palestinian journalists as of last October 1, before amending the list to talk about the killing of 203 journalists.

After the list of 170 names published by Israel, 37 of them were withdrawn from the list of dead journalists prepared by the three international organizations, most often because of their participation in battles.

But on the contrary, 44 people out of the total list of 170 published by Israel were not on the lists of the three organizations. Concerning the remaining 89 names on at least one of the three organizations’ lists, these international associations consider that there is not sufficient evidence for their participation in the battles.

Reducing the number of journalists killed in Gaza by international organizations

Why were the names of 37 people withdrawn by international organizations? This deletion was explained primarily because the Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements have been mourning their deaths since the spring of 2026. Dozens of them were classified as journalists up until that date, according to what the editorial team of CheckNews, the fake news verification service in the French newspaper Liberation, found in late August.

Among the list of fighting journalists, we find the name of Muhammad Jarghoun, who was killed on October 7, 2023, the date the war began. After a eulogy for several fighters in its ranks was published by the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed arm of Hamas, on the Telegram application in June 2026, internal investigations at CBG and Reporters Without Borders concluded that he was a member of an armed organization and withdrew his name from their lists. These were deleted before the Israeli army published, on October 1, 226, a picture of him in military uniform.

The same applies to Muhammad Manhal Abu Armana, who was only on the CPG list as an independent photojournalist. After publishing a list of those killed by Hamas and a photo of him carrying a weapon, the American organization withdrew his name from its list regarding Gaza last June, before the Israeli army published information about it.

The CPG was transparent about its withdrawal of names: between June and September 2026, the organization published a list of 27 people it had withdrawn from its list due to participation in combat and nine others for other reasons. The CBG organization explains, saying, “Every case that appears in the database has been independently confirmed thanks to information coming from at least two reliable sources. And by relying on family members, colleagues, eyewitnesses, and official investigations conducted by other parties,” the CBG organization never relies on a single unverified testimony, according to the American non-governmental organization.

As for the International Federation of Journalists (FEG), which counted 249 different names in all versions of its list, since last October 14, it has spoken about the names of 203 journalists. This organization was the most withdrawn of names, deleting dozens from its list. Although the bulk of the 46 names deleted occurred after October 1, FEG confirms that internal investigations were ongoing before that date.

A source at the International Federation of Journalists told the France 24 Observers editorial team: “We do not withdraw any name except in two cases, when we cannot reliably confirm that the person was a journalist, or when reliable elements show that he directly participated in the battles.

The organization also explained that it "did its own work to document and verify" and also stressed that any "accusation or publication coming from one of the parties to the conflict can be taken into consideration, but it is never sufficient to withdraw a name from our list." On the other hand, the organization did not clarify the number of journalists who were finally classified as fighters.

In the eyes of these organizations, this type of investigation remains “exceptionally complex and unique,” ​​according to what FEG confirmed to the Observers editorial team, saying, “Because no one can leave the Gaza Strip without a permit from Israel, and no one can enter it. Especially journalists. FEG travels to all conflict zones in the world... except the Gaza Strip.”

44 names that international organizations did not count

What about the remaining 133 names? According to the analysis of the Observers editorial team, 44 journalists were not counted by these organizations. “A large portion of the names published by the Israeli army were not originally on the RSF list,” the organization confirmed to the France 24 Observers editorial team. “These people were identified as not being journalists,” for example they were writers or people who owned blogs.

However, these names appear on other lists of journalists killed in Gaza, such as a list prepared by the government media office in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Hamas movement, or lists of local organizations such as “Gigaza,” “Stop Murdering Journalists,” and the “Sherin Observatory.” The volunteer-run organization counted the deaths of at least 332 workers in the media sector as of last October 31, including several names deleted by international organizations due to their participation in the battles.

Accusations of poor documentation from the Israeli army

The list of 170 people prepared by the Israeli army therefore includes 89 people who are still considered journalists by at least one of the three international organizations. In a question posed by the Observers editorial team, each organization considers that the evidence provided by the Israeli army is insufficient.

“For one of the parties to the conflict to present a journalist as a member of an organization or linked to one of the belligerents is not enough to cast doubt on his character,” according to the FEG organization, which adds, “These assertions must be treated with caution and verified based on reliable and independent data, if possible.”

This observation was also shared by an Israeli open-source investigative account called Middle East Buka. The person behind this account, called Michael, monitored via the "Not because I don't think so, but because I'm not able to verify it."

Regarding most of the names removed from the lists, the Israeli army did not publish photos in military uniform or eulogies of them by armed groups. As for the remaining 89 names, the data is much less. In 38 of these cases, the IDF claims only to rely on “several intelligence sources” without providing other evidence.

This case applies to journalist Mahmoud Islam Al-Bassous, who was killed by Israel during the ceasefire in 2025 while he was filming scenes from northern Gaza using a drone. The photos taken by this journalist from the sky were published in several international media outlets. Since his death, the Israeli army has accused him of using his drone for military purposes without providing any evidence of this.

We apply the same to Ibrahim Zaher, who was killed by the Israeli army along with journalist Anas Al-Sharif in August 2025 and who still appears on the lists of the three international organizations. Relying only on “several intelligence sources,” the Israeli military asserts that he was a member of the military arm of Hamas.

This accusation is not credible, according to the CPG organization, which indicates in the document assigned to this journalist that the Israeli army “has long been accustomed to asserting without grounds that a large number of journalists who were deliberately killed in Gaza were terrorists.”

As for the name of Ahmed Bakr Mahmoud Al-Louh, which appeared on the lists of the three organizations, the Israeli army does not even mention the type of source used to confirm that he was a member of the military arm of Hamas.

As for the other 31 cases, the Israeli army published only a screenshot of documents said to be issued by armed movements in the Gaza Strip. In most cases, they were obtained in Gaza, according to the Israeli army, without mentioning their source or the date of the document.

As for Hamza Al-Dahdouh, a journalist for the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel, who was killed by Israel in January 2024 after he prepared a report using a video plane, Israel continues to accuse him of being a member of the Islamic Jihad movement, relying on a document found by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip dating back to the year 2022. Meanwhile, two experts at the BBC from that period doubted its truth.

In March 2024, an investigation conducted by the American newspaper The Washington Post, based on videos obtained from a drone and testimonies, also questioned the Israeli story, which confirmed that the drone used was threatening the Israeli army. On the pictures taken from the sky and published by the American newspaper, no Israeli army unit appeared.

“The biggest massacre against journalists”

These “allegations” were “based on intelligence sources without sufficient direct evidence,” as CPG explained to the France 24 Observers editorial team. The organization also rejected the Israeli accusations that rely on “documents said to have been obtained in Gaza,” which it considers to be “data that could be classified as inaccurate or evidence that the CBG organization knew about in advance.”

In contact with the France 24 Observers editorial team, the Israeli army said that it relied in these accusations on “information collected and analyzed by the competent authorities, especially by re-slicing data coming from various sources. The published data regarding these journalists is based on reliable elements that indicate their affiliation to terrorist organizations and their involvement in activities on behalf of those organizations.”

As for the last 19 names still on the lists of the three organizations, the Israeli army published pictures of their memorials. This is data that the CBG organization also believes is insufficient, given the lack of knowledge of its history and in what context affiliation to armed groups was established. In this context, Hassan Abu Wardeh is still on the American list of journalists killed in Gaza despite the Islamic Jihad movement’s mourning of him, because five independent sources confirmed to CPG that he was working as a journalist during the war without getting involved in the battles. Meanwhile, the FEG organization withdrew his name from its list.

In its work methodology, the CBG organization stated that it includes the names of "journalists who work for state-supported media, as well as those who work for media arms affiliated with fighting groups, on the condition that they do not participate in battles and do not incite violence in a way that would allow it to have immediate repercussions."

As for Michael, who runs the Middle East Buka account on the

CBG says it is continuing to investigate the history of seven names, including five people who appeared in the Israeli army publication. As for the rest, the American organization confirmed that the Israeli army “did not provide believable evidence by relying solely on accusations saying that these people had actively participated in the battles.”

In the coming months, the lists of the three international organizations may be revised if new information emerges, or Hamas or Islamic Jihad continue to publish obituaries on the Internet. “But even with the most stringent numbers, today we are living in the aftermath of the largest massacre of journalists committed by any army in modern history,” according to what the “Reporters Without Borders” (RSF) organization confirmed.

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