The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced Thursday that a review of its records has led it to reclassify 19 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire as militants or participants in combat, rather than journalists or media workers. The update brings the organization’s total of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza since the war began to 191.
Why the revision matters
CPJ, a New York‑based nonprofit that tracks press‑freedom violations worldwide, said it regularly updates its database as new information emerges. After a June internal review and an external audit, the group removed three names whose journalistic status could not be verified and reinstated six cases, including two Israeli journalists killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
“The accuracy and credibility of CPJ’s research are fundamental to our mission,” CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement. “We base the determinations we make solely on whether individuals meet our definitions of who we consider to be a journalist, not an individual’s affiliation or views, nor in response to pressure or intimidation from any government or interest group.”
Israel’s position
Israel has consistently denied targeting journalists and maintains that many of those killed were members of Hamas or other armed groups posing as reporters. In several cases, Israeli officials have presented evidence of such ties, which employers have sometimes rejected. The Israeli prime minister’s office and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
CPJ’s broader findings
Even after the revision, CPJ’s data show that Israeli forces were responsible for “by far the majority of killings of journalists and media workers worldwide since 2023.” The organization also noted that it considers all Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza to have been killed in connection with their work, given the impossibility of leaving the territory.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, CPJ has removed a total of 27 people from its slain‑journalist list after determining they participated in combat or belonged to a militant group, and another nine for various other reasons. The updated list now includes a Palestinian journalist killed by a Palestinian militia and four Israelis killed by Hamas.
Context of the conflict
Hamas‑led militants killed roughly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 individuals. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, resulted in nearly 74,000 Palestinian deaths, with the ministry estimating about half were women and children. While the ministry does not separate civilians from combatants, its figures are generally regarded as reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts.
Israel says it takes extraordinary measures to avoid civilian casualties, blaming any deaths on Hamas’s practice of operating within densely populated neighborhoods and using militants who pose as journalists to gather intelligence.
Implications for press freedom
The CPJ’s reclassification highlights the challenges journalists face in conflict zones where combatants may masquerade as media personnel. International law treats journalists as civilians unless they directly participate in hostilities. Israel argues that militants exploiting press protections undermine both journalist safety and military operations.
Hamas and other armed groups run media outlets, political parties, charities, and even military media units that film attacks and produce propaganda. CPJ has updated its criteria to exclude anyone with active membership in any military arm of a state or non‑state actor, reflecting the evolving nature of modern warfare.
Looking ahead
CPJ’s audit and the subsequent revisions aim to improve the accuracy of its reporting, a goal that aligns with the organization’s commitment to transparency. As the conflict continues, distinguishing genuine journalists from combatants remains a critical, yet difficult, task for both press‑freedom advocates and military forces.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
