IDF Claims 170 Gaza "Journalists" Killed Were Terrorist Operatives

The Israeli military (IDF) announced on Thursday that 170 Palestinians killed in Gaza during the war, who were reported by international media as journalists or information professionals, were in fact members of terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The IDF stated it has gathered documents, photographs, and other evidence to support its claims of their affiliations and roles within these groups. According to the data released, 118 individuals on the list belonged to Hamas's armed wing, and 49 were members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. One person was identified as a member of the "Lords of the Desert" organization, and two were linked to the Popular Resistance Committees. The military also asserted that 17 of these individuals participated in the October 7th attack on Israeli territory.

To substantiate its allegations, the IDF released documents, photographs, and visual materials purportedly produced by the terrorist organizations, along with evidence discovered on the ground. The army highlighted that Hamas and Islamic Jihad themselves published information about the military affiliations of some of these individuals after their deaths during the conflict. This disclosure comes amid international criticism directed at Israel following the deaths of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.

The IDF noted that in over 40 cases on its list, the elimination of individuals the army identifies as terrorists had drawn condemnations from the United Nations. Some of these individuals also worked concurrently for international media outlets, including Reuters, CNN, ABC Australia, the BBC, AFP, AP, and Le Monde. The IDF contends that these cases have blurred the lines between journalists solely practicing their profession and those simultaneously holding positions within terrorist organizations.

The IDF also addressed controversy surrounding the film "NAZA," which suggests hundreds of civilians may have been killed in a particular strike. The military rejected this portrayal, calling the film a "distorted, misleading, and unrealistic" depiction of its strike planning and validation process. The IDF stated, "We have never planned, approved, or conducted a strike in which it was intended that 500 civilians be killed."