The IDF says an extensive investigation has identified 170 Gazans who were killed during the war and publicly described as journalists but who, according to Israeli intelligence and documents recovered inside Gaza, were also members of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations.

The IDF released the findings as part of an effort to challenge repeated accusations that Israel has deliberately targeted journalists during its military operations in Gaza.

According to the military, it has compiled a database containing the names and photographs of the 170 individuals, along with what it describes as verified evidence connecting them to terrorist organizations. The material includes photographs, internal documents recovered from terror groups inside Gaza, organizational records and, in some cases, statements issued by the groups themselves identifying the individuals as members.

The IDF says 118 of the 170 were affiliated with Hamas’s military wing, while 49 were members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. One was allegedly affiliated with the Guardians of the Desert organization and two with the Popular Resistance Committees.

According to the IDF, 17 of the individuals on the list participated in the October 7 invasion of Israel.

“170 Gaza residents who were presented as innocent journalists were in fact terrorists,” the IDF said. “We will continue to expose the lies and present the facts.”

The military says that in recent months it has repeatedly uncovered cases in which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad released information after an individual’s death indicating that someone described publicly as a journalist had simultaneously served in the organizations’ military structures.

According to the report, the deaths of more than 40 individuals included in the IDF’s newly released database prompted condemnations of Israel from the United Nations.

The IDF also says some individuals on the list had worked with major international news organizations, including Reuters, CNN, ABC Australia, BBC, AFP, AP and Le Monde. The military’s allegation is that their media work did not preclude simultaneous involvement with terrorist organizations.

The issue has become one of the most contentious aspects of international coverage of the Gaza war, with press-freedom organizations and international bodies repeatedly raising concerns over the number of journalists and media workers killed.

Israel has rejected accusations that it deliberately targets journalists because of their profession and says Hamas and other terrorist groups have exploited civilian professions and institutions to conceal operatives.

The IDF said the newly released material is intended to distinguish between journalists carrying out legitimate media work and individuals who, according to Israeli evidence, simultaneously served as members of terrorist organizations.

The military also rejected allegations contained in a recently circulated film concerning IDF operations in Gaza.

“The film presents a distorted, misleading and unrealistic picture. We never planned, approved or carried out an attack in which 500 civilians were expected to be killed,” the IDF said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)