People carry bodies identified by mourners as Hamas’ military wing commander Mohammad Odeh, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday, and his wife and children, during a funeral, in Gaza City, May 27, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
The Israeli military revealed Thursday that 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza who were publicly identified as civilian “journalists” were actually affiliated with terrorist organizations, further intensifying scrutiny of international accusations that Israel deliberately targets members of the press.
In a months-long investigation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) identified dozens of individuals presented as journalists and media personnel who were in fact serving within terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, including 118 members of Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, 49 members of Islamic Jihad, two members of the Popular Resistance Committees and one member of the Mujahideen Brigades.
According to compiled documents, 17 individuals on the list even took part in the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Some individuals identified in the investigation also worked for major international media outlets, including Reuters, CNN, BBC and ABC Australia, despite their alleged ties to terrorist groups.
“For nearly three years, the IDF has been accused of targeting journalists in Gaza. Today, we are exposing the truth,” IDF’s spokesperson Brigadier General Ephraim Defrin said in a statement.
“We have seen this pattern before: terrorists presented as medical workers. Hospitals and ambulances exploited for terrorist activity. Terror infrastructure in the heart of civilian areas,” he continued. “Again and again, IDF soldiers were criticized before the facts were checked — including by some of the world’s leading news outlets.”
Today, we revealed the truth behind these so-called “journalists”. pic.twitter.com/If26G8ZD1b
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 1, 2026
In an effort to expose terrorists posing as civilian journalists and address mounting international accusations, Israeli officials launched a dedicated website detailing their identities and affiliations, citing records from the terrorist groups themselves and evidence recovered by Israeli troops in the war-torn enclave.
“Now that the truth is exposed, where are the corrections? Where are the apologies? Let me be clear: a press vest does not erase terrorist activity. A camera does not give immunity to a terrorist,” Defrin said in a statement. “The IDF does not target journalists because of their profession. We target terrorists who threaten our people.”
“To those who were quick to accuse the IDF of targeting journalists, to those who believe the lies of Hamas, have the courage to confront the facts,” he continued. “The IDF is a moral army, one that respects freedom of the press and international law and cares about the truth.”
Among the so-called journalists identified in the investigation were individuals who served as snipers, commanders, trainers and propaganda operatives, as well as in other military and organizational roles within terrorist groups.
This latest investigation comes amid mounting scrutiny of wartime media death tolls, after the Committee to Protect Journalists removed another 22 names from its tally last week, months after also removing several individuals identified as Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives — raising questions about how one of the war’s most frequently cited press-freedom tallies was compiled.
According to a recent investigation by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, dozens of Palestinians identified by the BBC as journalists killed in Gaza had ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations, including 53 of more than 180 names examined in the BBC Arabic report.
Source: The Algemeiner
