Hamas police officers stand guard, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Oct. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

Eight individuals with connections to terrorist organizations were silently removed from the International Federation of Journalists’ (IFJ) list of Palestinian media workers killed during the October 7 War, according to reviews of archived versions of the database.

The IFJ tally of slain Gazan journalists has been cited by news outlets in the narrative that the IDF was deliberately targeting journalists, often alongside the similar database maintained by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). IFJ’s documentation of slain Palestinian journalists had been cited in CPJ’s database 14 times, including eight journalists who were proven terrorist operatives.

Internet archives showed that eight names were removed from the IFJ list between June 21 and July 9 — the same time period that the CPJ announced a review of its own databases due to Palestinian terrorist organizations revealing that individuals listed were operatives. Not only were the eight individuals removed from the IFJ list, but the short notices about their deaths were also deleted from the website.

While CPJ had publicly explained that it had removed eight individuals for involvement in combat and another 7 for not meeting the definition of journalist, the 600,000-member Belgium-based IFJ did not announce that individuals were removed from its website.

Terrorists Removed from IFJ and CPJ Lists

Those removed from the IFJ list included three terrorists who had also been removed from the CPJ list for involvement in hostilities: Mohamed Manhal Abu Armanah, Maisara Ahmed Salah, and Mustafa Bahr.

Abu Armanah was reported as a photographer for Palestine Now when he was killed in a July 2024 follow-up drone strike to the al-Mawasi attack that killed Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced on April 27 in martyrdom posters and videos that Abu Armanah was a member of its Rafah Brigade’s military media department.

Salah was also announced by Al-Qassam to be a member of its brigades on May 23. Initially, he was reported as just being a journalist in December 2024, when his outlet Quds News Network announced his death. QNN itself has a disputed pedigree when it comes to terrorist group affiliations. CPJ has at times described it as Hamas-affiliated and retracted the label, while the Associated Press has characterized the outlet as affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

Bahr, co-founder of Palestine Breaking News, was announced by IFJ as having been slain in a March 2024 airstrike, but just eight months later the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades’ Tawhid Brigade announced the reporter as being a “mujahid” commander. Bahr was the brother of another individual removed from the IFJ list, Abdul Rahman Bahr, who was also described as a “mujahid” (holy warrior) in a February 2025 martyr notice published by the Jabalia City Al-Omari Mosque. His organizational affiliation was unknown, and he ostensibly worked as a photographer and camera operator for the outlet founded by his brother.

Other Terrorism-Tied Journalists

Other confirmed terrorists were also removed by IFJ. Al-Qassam Brigades field commander Hussam Al Adlouni had a martyr notice issued by Hamas on June 2. In July 2025, in a now-deleted page, Al Adlouni was cast as a freelance journalist.

Rasheed Albably was also described by IFJ as a freelance journalist after the IDF targeted him on June 6. The IDF said at the time that Albably was a terrorist who had been “eliminated” alongside eight others operating out of a Nuseirat school. According to analyst Middle East Buka, Albably’s wife published an Al-Qassam martyr poster of her deceased husband on X, which also described him as a Hamas fighter.

Wafa Aludaini, founder of October 16 Media Group, was removed from the IFJ list, possibly in relation to the circumstances of her September 2024 death. The journalist was killed in the same strike that claimed the life of her husband, who, according to an October 2024 International Solidarity Movement statement, was Munir Atiyeh Al-Udaini. Al-Udaini was announced on March 1 by PIJ’s Al-Quds Brigades as a commander in its Military Manufacturing Unit.

Tariq Al-Miadana, who worked as a journalist and camera operator for the Ansar Allah-controlled Yemen TV, had both his listing and profile removed from the IFJ website.

Unexplained Actions by IFJ

Despite the removals, terrorists such as PIJ platoon commander Ahmad Abu Eisha and Mujahideen Brigades field commander Ahmed Abu Shariya remain on the IFJ listing.

The Washington Free Beacon (WFB) contacted IFJ about the removals, but the organization did not respond.

On June 25, CPJ announced that it was conducting a full review of its database of journalists killed in the October 7 War, citing obituaries published by terrorist groups declaring CPJ-listed journalists as operatives. Drop Site News publisher and former CPJ board member Nika Soon-Shiong asserted that the decision had been influenced by WFB articles featuring HonestReporting research. Soon-Shiong announced in a June 29 X post that she had been ousted from the CPJ board.

HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.