IDF Claims 170 Gazans Presented as Journalists Were Hamas and Islamic Jihad Operatives

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Thursday that it has uncovered evidence indicating 170 Gazans, who were presented globally as journalists, were in fact operatives for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The IDF stated that these individuals were killed during the ongoing conflict.

According to the IDF, 118 of those identified were active in Hamas's military wing, 49 were affiliated with Islamic Jihad, one belonged to the Desert Lions Brigade, and two were part of the Popular Resistance Committees. Notably, 17 of these individuals participated in the October 7th attacks on Israel.

The military revealed that Hamas and Islamic Jihad themselves published information retrospectively identifying some of the deceased, who were being portrayed as journalists, as members of their military wings. This information emerged after a narrative suggesting the IDF intentionally targets journalists had already gained traction internationally.

To support its claims, the IDF released verified evidence, including visual materials and documents obtained from the terror organizations and found on the battlefield. These documents reportedly detail the operatives' organizational affiliations and roles. Some of these individuals had worked for international media outlets such as Reuters, CNN, ABC Australia, BBC, AFP, AP, and Le Monde.

The IDF Spokesperson, Brigadier General Efi Dofren, stated, "Today we revealed that 170 Gaza residents presented as seemingly innocent journalists were actually terrorists in the Strip's terror organizations." He criticized attempts to portray the IDF as acting indiscriminately, asserting, "Hamas and its supporters are trying to create a false impression of indiscriminate harm. We will continue to expose these lies and present the facts."

The IDF has launched a dedicated website presenting the names, photos, organizational affiliations, roles, and evidence related to these 170 individuals. Dofren also addressed a recent film about the war, calling it a "distorted, misleading, and unrealistic picture of the target planning and attack process in the IDF," and denied claims that the military planned or executed attacks expected to kill hundreds of civilians, or that AI was used to approve targets.