The IDF on Thursday released a sweeping dossier identifying 170 Gazans killed during the war who were portrayed internationally as journalists or media workers but who, according to Israeli military intelligence, also served in the military wings of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations.

The newly released figures provide a detailed breakdown of the military’s findings: 118 of the 170 were members of Hamas’s military wing, 49 were affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two belonged to the Popular Resistance Committees and one was a member of the Mujahideen Brigades.

The IDF further said that 17 of the individuals on the list crossed into Israeli territory during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre.

Following what the military described as an extensive investigation, the IDF published the identities of all 170 individuals together with information about their terrorist affiliations and operational positions. The evidence includes photographs, internal documents produced by the terrorist organizations and materials recovered by Israeli forces during operations inside Gaza.

The list includes individuals who, in their media capacities, worked for or contributed material to prominent international news organizations, including Reuters, CNN, the BBC, AFP, the Associated Press, Le Monde and ABC Australia. The IDF’s allegations concern the individuals’ simultaneous affiliations with terrorist organizations and do not establish that the news organizations themselves knew of those alleged affiliations.

According to the military, the 170 individuals held a wide variety of positions inside the terrorist groups, including commanders, snipers, trainers and propaganda operatives.

Among those identified by the IDF is Asem Adli Ahmed al-Barsh, who was described as a journalist for Palestinian Al-Rai Radio but whom Israel identifies as a Hamas operative. Reporters Without Borders included Barsh in a December 2023 complaint to the International Criminal Court concerning journalists killed in Gaza.

Another individual on the Israeli list, Mohammed Mahmoud Abdel Aziz Abu Sharia, was identified by the IDF as a Palestinian Islamic Jihad sniper while also reportedly working for the Palestinian Shams News Agency. His name was later included by Reporters Without Borders in a memorial honoring journalists killed between June 2024 and June 2025.

The IDF also identified Mohammed Manhal Ahmed Abu Armana as a Hamas operative who commanded the propaganda department of the terror group’s Rafah Brigade. Abu Armana’s death had previously been publicly condemned by UNESCO, which described him in connection with his work as a journalist.

Several of the names released Thursday have also appeared in the Committee to Protect Journalists’ database tracking journalists and media workers killed during the Gaza war. The CPJ has previously removed some individuals from its casualty database after information emerged establishing that they were members of terrorist organizations.

The IDF said the newly published material challenges repeated allegations from international organizations and news outlets that Israeli forces have intentionally targeted journalists during the war. The military maintains that such accusations have often been made without verified evidence establishing that the individuals were targeted because of their journalistic work.

According to the IDF, in a number of cases Hamas or other terrorist organizations themselves publicly acknowledged the deceased individuals as members of their ranks, despite the same people subsequently being presented internationally solely as journalists or civilian media personnel.

The IDF stated that the newly released information demonstrates a discrepancy between international portrayals of those killed and their actual activities within terrorist organizations.

The military further maintained that the findings provide evidence supporting its position that it does not deliberately or systematically target journalists, but instead conducts operations against terrorist organizations and their operatives in accordance with international law.

To accompany the disclosure, the IDF created a special online database called “The Press Files,” containing names and photographs of the individuals, their alleged terrorist organizations and military positions, identification information and supporting intelligence that the military says can be publicly disclosed.

The massive release came only hours after the IDF initially publicized ten cases of Gazans who had been described as journalists following their deaths but whom Israeli intelligence identified as Hamas or Islamic Jihad operatives. The military said some of those ten had participated directly in the October 7 invasion of Israel and indicated at the time that a much larger disclosure was coming.

Among the cases highlighted in the initial release was Hassan Aslih, a prominent Gaza photographer whose work had been used by major international news organizations, including CNN and the Associated Press. The IDF has accused Aslih of having ties to Hamas and participating in the October 7 invasion.

The military’s broader disclosure followed the killing Wednesday of Muhammad Abd al-Aziz Muhammad Nagar in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF identified Nagar as a member of Hamas’s military wing who crossed into Israel during the October 7 massacre.

Following Nagar’s death, Palestinian reports described him as a journalist and presenter associated with Radio Quran. The IDF said those descriptions omitted what it says was his membership in Hamas’s military wing.

According to the Israeli military, Nagar had remained operationally active and was recently involved in planning attacks against Israeli troops and civilians. He was also allegedly participating in efforts to rebuild Hamas’s military capabilities, activity the IDF said constituted a systematic violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The IDF said it took steps before striking Nagar to reduce the danger to civilians, including employing precision weaponry and conducting aerial surveillance.

Southern Command forces remain deployed in the area under the terms of the ceasefire, the military said, and will continue acting against threats it considers immediate.