Terrorists with a microphone: Most of the "journalists" killed in Gaza are linked to terror | Investigation

At least 120 out of 209 Palestinians appearing in the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) database as journalists and media workers killed in the war in Gaza had some affiliation with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist organizations — this is according to an investigation published last night, Friday, in the Washington Free Beacon.

The findings are based on a 134-page examination conducted by the media monitoring organization HonestReporting. The number 120 includes very different levels of affiliation: in 56 cases, the examiners presented evidence of membership or personal activity; 61 others worked in media outlets identified with terrorist organizations, without necessarily presenting evidence that they themselves were active; and in three cases, it concerns media outlets whose organizational affiliation is disputed.

The most direct layer of evidence includes 25 individuals for whom official obituaries were published by armed groups. The report attaches to each name a link to the obituary, alongside a photograph, date of death, and sometimes the military role. Thus, Ahmed Abu Sharia, described by CPJ as an independent editor and photographer, was presented in a statement by the Mujahideen Brigades as a "field commander" and a "mujahid" (jihad fighter). Tarek al-Sayed Abu Sahil, who was employed in the media field, was described in an Islamic Jihad obituary as a commander in the training department of the Gaza Brigade.

18 additional names were included based on official determinations by the IDF. One of them is Al Jazeera photographer Ahmed al-Luh. The IDF stated that he was a platoon commander in the Central Camps Brigade of Islamic Jihad and that he was killed in a strike against a command complex from which an immediate attack against soldiers was planned. CPJ noted the IDF's claim, but wrote that the army did not present it with evidence. In another case, the IDF officially announced that photographer Hamza Murtaja was an operative in the military wing of Hamas and was staying at the organization's headquarters hidden in a school complex in Gaza. CPJ still presents him as a co-owner and photographer at a private production company.

Another category, where the strength of the evidence is lower, includes 13 names linked to organizations through statements by family members, open documentation, and documents, some of which were not verified. Ahmed al-Qara, a photographer at Al-Aqsa University, was called a "mujahid" on a Telegram channel identified with the Al-Qassam Brigades and described as a fighter in two eulogies. Photographer Omar Abu Ouda, who worked for the media outlet Anadolu and the Reuters news agency, was documented in military uniform, while his family members described him as a "mujahid" and a member of Al-Qassam.

The remaining 61 names were included due to their place of employment. Among the bodies listed in the report are Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Quds al-Youm, and the Holy Quran Radio. The affiliation of some of them does not rely only on the assessment of the investigation's authors: the US Treasury Department already defined Al-Aqsa TV in 2010 as a station funded and controlled by Hamas.

According to CPJ rules, working in an entity identified with an armed organization does not in itself negate the status of a journalist, as long as the person did not participate in combat or incite immediate violence. CPJ announced in June a full review of the database, after Hamas and Islamic Jihad published obituaries in which people who appeared in it were identified as fighters. The organization has already removed eight names after determining that they actively participated in combat, and 12 others for other reasons, and committed to completing the review in July. In response to the HonestReporting investigation, CPJ stated that it cannot comment on the findings while its review is ongoing, and that the results will be published after its completion.