CPJ Removes 20 Gaza Casualty Names as Review Finds 8 Hamas, PIJ Members

2 articles · Updated · The Jerusalem Post · Jun 29

CPJ removed 20 names from its Gaza journalist-casualty listings, including eight later established to be Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad members, and launched a full review due in July.
Hamas and PIJ obituaries identifying some of the dead as combatants triggered the reassessment, alongside Israeli media reports that militant operatives had been listed as journalists.
CPJ said it excludes anyone shown not to be a journalist, not active in that role when killed, or engaged in combat, while relying on at least two independent sources before adding names.
The group said verification has been harder because Israel has barred outside researchers and international correspondents from Gaza; even after the removals, CPJ's documented toll stood at 209 as of June 25.
Israel's Foreign Ministry seized on the changes, while a December 2025 Meir Amit Center study had already claimed 60% of self-identified journalists killed in Gaza were tied to militant groups.