Media watchdog CPJ reviews Gaza journalist death toll amid Hamas obituaries row, internal dispute
LONDON: The Committee to Protect Journalists has announced a review of its database of journalists killed in Gaza after finding that some listed individuals had been identified as Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad combatants — a decision that has drawn criticism and exposed divisions within the organization.
As of late June, the CPJ’s count of journalists and media workers killed by Israel in Gaza and in Israeli detention centers since Oct. 7, 2023 stood at 209, after the organization removed 20 names — eight identified as combatants and a further 12 for unspecified reasons.
CPJ chief executive Jodie Ginsberg said the organization did not include anyone in its database if there was evidence they were “engaging in combat or inciting imminent violence,” and that the review was intended to ensure no one actively engaged in combat remained on its lists.
CPJ said it typically uses at least two independent sources, desk-based research and in-person verification before adding a name, though Israel’s blanket ban on independent media access to Gaza has made on-the-ground verification impossible since the war began.
