Israel-Hamas Thread II

A new in-depth study (Hebrew) by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre concludes that a significant majority of those identified as journalists and media workers killed during the Gaza war were not neutral news gatherers, but belonged to terrorist organisations, including Hamas and "Palestinian" Islamic Jihad.

The study examined 266 "Palestinians" who were described as journalists or media workers in various press reports and official lists and who were killed between the outbreak of hostilities on Oct 7 2023 and the end of 2025. According to the findings, at least 157 of these victims, about 60 per cent, were members of terrorist organisations or had clear links to such organisations, including in roles involving both propaganda and operational activities.

Of these, 104 were affiliated with Hamas, 45 with "Palestinian" Islamic Jihad, and a smaller number with the armed wings of Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of "Palestine", the Democratic Front for the Liberation of "Palestine", or the Popular Resistance Committees.

The analysis by the intelligence centre emphasises that these were not isolated or random cases. Rather, many of the individuals counted as journalists were involved in terrorist networks, they were employed by media companies run by Hamas or its allies, or were actively involved in military units. In a number of documented cases, individuals described as media professionals also acted as fighters or agents, reflecting a deliberate strategy by terrorist organisations to combine media work with operational objectives.

For decades, Hamas has invested heavily in its information apparatus and treats the media as a central front in its ideological and tactical campaigns. Its own publications and channels are strictly controlled by the movement and not by independent press associations, which reinforces the link between media work and political warfare.

International press freedom organisations and human rights groups have repeatedly cited the casualties among journalists in Gaza as evidence of disproportionate use of force or targeted attacks by Israeli forces. Last year, Reporters Without Borders claimed that Israel was responsible for a large proportion of journalist deaths worldwide, citing dozens of "Palestinian" media workers killed in the conflict. Such assessments have been used to portray Israel as particularly hostile to media workers.

However, the Intelligence Centre's study puts this portrayal into perspective by showing that a significant proportion of those identified as journalists were not independent or neutral reporters, but rather were affiliated with terrorist organisations. Many of those counted were associated with media outlets effectively controlled by Hamas or other militant factions, making them part of the political and military apparatus of those organisations rather than autonomous observers.

The category ‘journalist’ in Gaza can no longer be regarded as synonymous with neutrality without carefully examining the affiliation and role of each individual.

Benaiah468 said:

A new in-depth study by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre concludes that a significant majority of those identified as journalists and media workers killed during the Gaza war were not neutral news gatherers, but belonged to terrorist organisations, including Hamas and "Palestinian" Islamic Jihad.

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A clearly invested source accuses others of not neuteral. Whilst I deplore the state of journalism worldwide, with a predisposition to advocate for positions rather than to provide information, I would not see Meir Amit as a source of information that was not geared to heavily side with the Israeli Defence Force.

Philip_B said:

A clearly invested source accuses others of not neuteral. Whilst I deplore the state of journalism worldwide, with a predisposition to advocate for positions rather than to provide information, I would not see Meir Amit as a source of information that was not geared to heavily side with the Israeli Defence Force.

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The bitter truth is that there is no independent journalism in Gaza. Every photographer, every cameraman, every reporter works under the thumb of Hamas. The terrorist organisation's Government Media Office controls filming permits, access and topics with an iron fist. Without Hamas' consent, no images from detention cellars, no recordings of looted aid supplies, no evidence of the recruitment of minors are ever made public.

International teams have not been granted entry permits for a long time. The few exceptions are closely supervised visits under military escort. In this way, Hamas determines which images the world gets to see and Western editorial offices willingly swallow this curated reality.

Benaiah468 said:

The bitter truth is that there is no independent journalism in Gaza. Every photographer, every cameraman, every reporter works under the thumb of Hamas. The terrorist organisation's Government Media Office controls filming permits, access and topics with an iron fist. Without Hamas' consent, no images from detention cellars, no recordings of looted aid supplies, no evidence of the recruitment of minors are ever made public.

International teams have not been granted entry permits for a long time. The few exceptions are closely supervised visits under military escort. In this way, Hamas determines which images the world gets to see and Western editorial offices willingly swallow this curated reality.

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That is a deflection, and does not change what I said. I have little doubt that everybody involved is invested in telling a one sided story.

Philip_B said:

That is a deflection, and does not change what I said. I have little doubt that everybody involved is invested in telling a one sided story.

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The Meir Amit Centre has shown that a large proportion of the ‘journalists’ allegedly killed in the Gaza war were in fact members or active supporters of Hamas & Co. As long as media and journalists fail to clearly state that their ‘partners’ on the ground in Gaza are often directly embedded in Hamas structures, the picture they paint has little to do with the reality on the ground. In Gaza, Hamas controls everything: journalists, ministries, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, markets and shops, from which it systematically collects taxes. Those who report from Gaza never report freely; every figure, every image, every story passes through the Hamas control structure. Anyone who wants to seriously engage in the debate about ‘killed journalists’ or ‘official information from Gaza’ must acknowledge these realities. Anything else means unwittingly feeding Hamas' PR machine.

A new report sheds harsh light on the PA stance on the Hamas terrorist attack of Oct 7 2023. According to "Palestinian" researcher Hani al-Masri, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas described the massacre of Israeli civilians on the morning of the attack as ‘the greatest day in "Palestinian" history’, a statement that further shakes the already fragile trust in the leadership in Ramallah

MEMRI TV
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Al-Masri, head of the "Palestinian" think tank Masarat, the Centre for Policy Research and Strategic Studies, made this statement in an interview with "Palestinian" YouTuber Ahmad Biqawi. The topic was the "Palestinian" leadership's immediate response to the Hamas attack in southern Israel. If the account is accurate, it reveals not only a lack of political distance, but also a deeper ideological affinity with an act of violence that has traumatised Israel.

The reaction from Jerusalem was correspondingly clear. The Israeli Foreign Ministry published an excerpt from the interview and publicly asked whether this was really the ‘authority’ that should be established internationally as an alternative to Hamas. The accusation is that terrorism is not being condemned, but legitimised. What is explosive about this is that Al-Masri himself is part of the "Palestinian" establishment and a member of the board of trustees of the Yasser Arafat Foundation.

The statements fit into a familiar pattern. Al-Masri also confirmed that the "Palestinian" Authority continues to make payments to the families of imprisoned terrorists and so-called ‘martyrs’, despite repeated promises to the EU and the US to end this practice. The internationally criticised ‘pay-for-slay’ system therefore continues to exist, albeit in a modified form.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused the PA of deceiving the international community once again. Payments to convicted murderers are now declared as pensions or social benefits for members of the "Palestinian" security services. However, nothing has changed at its core. ‘This is distorted. End “pay-for-slay” now,’ Sa'ar demanded.

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Against this backdrop, the latest revelations take on particular significance. While Western capitals continue to discuss reforming or ‘revitalising’ the "Palestinian" Authority, such statements and practices reveal the huge gap between political rhetoric and actual attitudes. Anyone who does not clearly condemn Oct 7, but instead romanticises it as a historic moment, places themselves outside any credible peace process.

Turkey on the brink of humiliation: As part of his 20-point peace plan, the Turkish president wants to send troops into Gaza, which does not bode well for the Jewish state. If he does not invade, he could be out of the game.

Have you heard the latest news? Turkish special forces are ready for ‘immediate deployment in Gaza.’ Of course, according to their dictator, everyone everywhere must immediately take note of this important announcement and express their unconditional support.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has recently become increasingly impatient with the apparent lack of response to his important announcements regarding the Gaza Strip. Does anyone even know that such a thing as a Turkish special forces unit exists?

It seems as if he is on the verge of an increasingly embarrassing geopolitical situation. He is concerned about impending humiliation, rightly so, and about appearing irrelevant to his Arab neighbours, as Israel has effectively excluded him from participating in the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) as defined in Phase II of US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for the Gaza Strip.