CPJ Removes 20 Names from Gaza Journalist Death List

The Committee to Protect Journalists is conducting a full review of its database of journalists killed in Gaza after removing 20 names, including eight individuals later identified as combatants for Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The review, announced last week and expected to conclude in July, follows the publication of obituaries by the militant groups that listed some of the deceased as fighters.

As of June 25, the CPJ’s updated tally lists 209 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza and Israeli detention centers since the conflict began on October 7, 2023. The organization stated it removed the eight names after they were established to be operatives engaged in combat. An additional 12 individuals were removed for separate reasons, such as not being journalists or not having died while on assignment.

CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg defended the organization’s methodology, stating it does not include anyone in its data if there is evidence they were engaged in combat or inciting imminent violence. She emphasized that the review aims to confirm the status of all remaining names on the list. Ginsberg also condemned the misrepresentation of combatants as journalists, warning...