Overview
- The Israel Defense Forces published an online dossier called “The Press Files” on Thursday identifying 170 Gaza residents who the military says were presented as journalists but also served in armed groups.
- The IDF gave a breakdown showing 118 linked to Hamas’s military wing, 49 to Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two to the Popular Resistance Committees and one to another group, and said 17 took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 incursions into Israel.
- The military said its claims rest on an extended review of intelligence, open-source material, documents recovered by troops and interrogations, and posted names, photos and supporting items on a dedicated site.
- The list includes people who supplied material to major international outlets, which has prompted press-watch groups to recheck casualty tallies and renewed calls for independent verification of journalist deaths.
- The release provoked sharp public pushback, high-profile social-media clashes and fresh pressure for unfettered international reporting access to Gaza as Israeli operations in the enclave continue.