The disclosure of the names of fallen military operatives by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad confirms the Amit Institute’s Research findings on the double roles of “journalists” in the Gaza Strip

Overview^[1]

• Since the beginning of 2026 the military wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have regularly reported the names of hundreds of commanders and operatives killed during the war in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, including after the ceasefire which went into effect in October 2025.
• The publication of the names provides official organizational confirmation that individuals who during the war were allegedly “journalists” and “media personnel” in fact belonged to the military media units of the military wings of Hamas and the PIJ or to other units within the other organizations.
• The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (now the Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Research Institute) published two comprehensive studies, one in February 2024 and the other December 2025, examining the identities of 266 Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip who were alleged to have been journalists and media personnel. The findings, based on open-source material, showed that about 60% belonged to the military wings or were affiliated with terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and the PIJ.
• The current study shows that commanders and operatives whose names have been disclosed by Hamas and the PIJ in recent months had already appeared in the Information Center’s special studies as individuals claimed to have been media personnel but who in fact unquestionably belonged to the military wings of the two organizations.
• That is further evidence that the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip manipulate the publication of the names of those killed in the Strip by portraying some of them as “innocent civilians” despite their obvious involvement in military activity and terrorism against Israel.

Background

• In recent months, Hamas and the PIJ have begun frequently publishing the names and positions of hundreds of commanders and operatives who were killed during the war in the Gaza Strip, from the October 7, 2023 invasion and massacre onward, including after the ceasefire which went into effect in October 2025. Between January 2026 and the end of June 2026, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, disclosed the names of more than 700 “martyrs,” while the Jerusalem Brigades, the PIJ’s military wing, published more than 540 names (Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Jerusalem Brigades and Aqmar al-Tufan [Flood Moons] Telegram channels,^[2] January 1-June 30, 2026).
• The publication of the names provided formal organizational confirmation that some of their military operatives led double lives, which helped conceal their terrorist affiliation. The most prominent cases involved individuals who during the war were represented as journalists and media personnel, while the official notices proved they had been in the media units of the military wings or belonged to other terrorist units.
• The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (now the Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Research Institute) February 2024 and December 2025 comprehensive studies examined the identities of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip whom the Hamas government media information office in the Gaza Strip, as well as Palestinian media outlets and social media channels, had represented as journalists and media personnel, claims that were at times repeated by international media outlets and journalist protection organizations. The findings, based on open-source material, showed that about 60% of the 266 individuals examined were members of or affiliated with the military wings of the terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas and the PIJ.^[3]
• The current study presents the identities of commanders and operatives whose deaths were announced by Hamas and the PIJ in recent months and whom the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center’s previous studies had already confirmed to have belonged to the military wings of the terrorist organizations in addition to their media activities. The study also includes media personnel whom the Information Center’s studies identified as being affiliated with Hamas or the PIJ and for whom there is now official confirmation that they were military operatives.
• The New York City-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) announced it was conducting a comprehensive review of its database of journalists killed during the war in the Gaza Strip after Hamas and the PIJ issued death notices for fallen military operatives who had been classified by the committee as “journalists.” The committee stated it had removed eight names from the database after it determined that they belonged to Hamas or the PIJ and that 12 additional names had been removed for “other reasons.” The committee’s Executive Director, Jodie Ginsberg, condemned the false representation of combatants as media personnel and the improper use of the “press” designation in the field (Committee to Protect Journalists website, June 25, 2026).

Specific Information^[4]

Hamas Terrorist Operatives

Muhammad Sami Abdallah Jaghoun^[5]

• Represented in Palestinian media as a correspondent for the Smart Media Agency;^[6] killed in eastern Rafah on October 7, 2023. It was claimed that he had been covering the fighting in the area.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed that he was an operative in the Muhammad Abu Harb Battalion (Shaboura Battalion) of the Rafah Brigade in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, June 22, 2026; al-Qassam Brigades website).
• The ITIC February 2024 study identified him as an Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades terrorist operative. A friend of Jaghoun described him on social media as a “resistance fighter” and a “jihad fighter” (Mahmoud Ma’amar Facebook page, October 7, 2023). A Telegram channel which “supported the Palestinian resistance” said he was an operative in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (tsmimatqasamia Telegram channel, December 18, 2023).

Muhammad Muhammad Khaled al-Shourbaji^[7]

• Represented as an “independent journalist” from Khan Yunis; killed with his wife and family members in a strike in Jabalia on October 23, 2023.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed that he a military media operative in the al-Sahabi Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (Western) Battalion of the Khan Yunis Brigade (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, May 2, 2026).
• The ITIC February 2024 study identified him as affiliated with Hamas. He posted a photograph of himself bearing the Hamas logo to mark the 31st of the movement’s founding, which was commemorated in Gaza in 2018.

Mustafa Kamal Bakir^[8]

• Identified as a journalist and cameraman for the Hamas-affiliated al-Aqsa TV; killed in a strike in Rafah.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed that “field commander” Mustafa Kamal Bakir, aka Abu Yaman, was a military media operative in the Artillery Battalion of the Rafah Brigade (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, April 14, 2026).
• The ITIC February 2024 study identified him as affiliated with Hamas, but not as a military operative.

Abdallah Iyad Baris^[9]

• Head of the photography department at the Rawafed Educational Channel, which was established by Hamas’ ministry of education and higher education to broadcast lessons for students as part of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic; killed with several members of his family in a strike in Khan Yunis on January 8, 2024.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing stated he was a military media operative in the Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (Western) Battalion of the Khan Yunis Brigade (Qadeyah1 X account, June 1, 2026).
• The ITIC February 2024 study identified Baris as affiliated with Hamas but not as a military operative.

Yaqoub al-Bursh^[10]

• Identified as a journalist and administrative manager at Namaa Radio, wounded in an airstrike on his home on November 12, 2023, and died the following day.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing said he was a military media operative in the Martyr Abd al-Raouf Banhan Battalion of the Northern Gaza Brigade (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, May 10, 2026).
• The ITIC updated study from December 2025 identified him as a military operative without a confirmed organizational affiliation. Facebook pages called him a “jihad fighter” (mujahid) (The Path of the Martyrs Facebook page, November 12, 2024; al-Omari Mosque in Jabalia Facebook page, February 6, 2025).

Alaa al-Din Fawzi Barhoum^[11]

• Son of senior Hamas figure Fawzi Barhoum. Palestinian media claimed that he worked as an editor for numerous media organizations. He was killed in a strike targeting a senior operative in Hamas’ Gaza Brigade sniper array operating from a room in a building that had previously served as the al-Tabi’in School in Gaza City, on November 27, 2024.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed he was a fighter in the al-Tuffah-al-Daraj Battalion of the Gaza City Brigade in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, April 28, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified Barhoum as an operative in Hamas’ military wing. He was mentioned in a 2021 study as a member of Hamas’ media department in the Gaza Strip (Dunia al-Watan, January 10, 2021). Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Ali Hamad said Barhoum was a Hamas media operative (Ali Hamad’s X account, November 27, 2024). A post from the Barhoum clan described him as a “mujahid” (Barhoum Clan in the Homeland and the Diaspora Facebook page, November 27, 2024).

Maysara Ahmed Salah Salah^[12]

• Palestinian media as an employee in the production department of the Quds News Network (QUDSN). He was wounded in an IDF strike on the al-Harthani School in Beit Lahia, where displaced persons were sheltering, on November 29, 2024, and died two days later.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed he was a squad commander in the Fawzi Abu al-Qara Battalion of the Northern Gaza Brigade in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and a military media operative (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, May 21, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified him as an operative in Hamas’ military wing (Jawad Salah’s Instagram account, December 1, 2024).

Hussam Saleh Ahmed al-Adlouni^[13]

• Palestinian media claimed he was an “independent press photographer” who covered the “return marches” in eastern Khan Yunis and was wounded by tear gas on March 8, 2019. He was killed with his wife and children in a strike on their tent in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis on July 13, 2025.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed that he was a field commander in the military media department of the Khan Yunis Brigade in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, June 2, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified him as a commander in the Khan Yunis Brigade of Hamas’ military wing (Qassam_martyrs Telegram channel, July 19, 2025).

Bilal Maher Saeed al-Hatoum^[14]

• Reportedly worked in the radio engineering department of Hamas’ Sawt al-Aqsa Radio; was killed in an Israeli strike on a group of terrorist operatives in Gaza City on May 23, 2025.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing said he was a company commander in the Imad Aqel Battalion (Western Sector) of the Northern Gaza Brigade in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, May 10, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study showed al-Hatoum was a commander in Hamas’ military wing, like his brothers, Suhaib and Maher, who were killed before him (Saeed al-Hatoum (Abu al-Bara) Facebook page, August 3, 2025).

Alaa al-Din Atef Nimr al-Nimr^[15]

• Palestinian media claimed he worked as communications supervisor at the Engineers Association headquarters in Gaza and specialized in preparation and producing podcasts. He was killed in an IDF strike in Gaza on November 16, 2023.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed he was a squad commander in the al-Radwan Battalion of the Gaza Brigade in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, April 4, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study included a document from the Gaza Brigade’s military wing records according to which al-Nimr had served as an infantry soldier in Hamas’ military wing since July 2018. His sister described him as a “jihad fighter” (mujahid) (Aya Atef al-Nimr’s Instagram account, August 19, 2024).

Muhammad Bassam Ahmed al-Jamal^[16]

• Identified as a journalist for the Hamas-affiliated Filastin al-‘An news website and was a cameraman and video editor for Hamas’ al-Aqsa TV. He and several members of his family were killed in a strike on his home in eastern Rafah during the night of April 24, 2024.
• Official Announcement: Hamas’ military wing confirmed that “field commander” Muhammad Bassam al-Jamal, aka Abu Karim, belonged to the military media unit of the Rafah Brigade (Aqmar al-Tufan Telegram channel, March 15, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study assessment was that he was most likely affiliated with Hamas.

PIJ Terrorist Operatives

Jamal Aref al-Faqaawi^[17]

• Reportedly worked as a journalist for the PIJ-affiliated Meithaq Media Foundation; killed in a strike on his apartment in Khan Yunis on October 25, 2023.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed he was the deputy company commander of the support and supply unit of the Khan Yunis Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, June 9, 2026).
• The ITIC February 2024 study identified al-Faqaawi as affiliated with the PIJ, but not as a military operative.

Dr. Hassan Abd al-Fattah Farajallah^[18]

• Was the Gaza administrative director of PIJ-affiliated al-Quds al-Youm TV and hosted programs on the channel. He was involved in education and worked at several schools in Gaza and uploaded his Friday sermons to his YouTube channel, which included praise for shahada, shaheeds and jihad “for the sake of Allah.” He was wounded by an IDF artillery shell in the Jabalia refugee camp on December 2, 2023, and died the following day.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed he was a commander in the training unit of the Northern Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, March 19, 2026).
• The ITIC February 2024 study identified Farajallah as affiliated with PIJ, but not as a military operative.

Muhammad Nasser Abu al-Huwaidi^[19]

• Was a photographer for the PIJ-affiliated al-Istiqlal newspaper; killed in an Israeli Air Force strike in the al-Shuja’iyya neighborhood of Gaza City on December 23, 2023.
• Official Announcement: PIJ’s military wing stated that Muhammad Muhammad Nasser Abu al-Huwaidi was a commander in the military media unit (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, March 19, 2026).
• The ITIC February 2024 study identified Abu al-Huwaidi as affiliated with the PIJ, but not as a military operative.

Muhammad al-Sayed Isma’il Abu Skheil^[20]

• Host and editor at the PIJ Sawt al-Quds Radio; killed during the IDF raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza on March 28, 2024.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed that Muhammad al-Sayed Abu Sakhiel was a company commander in the financial administration unit of the Gaza Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, May 6, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified Abu Sakheil as an operative in the PIJ’s military wing; also identified as a “military” operative (mujahid). He used his Facebook page to mourn senior PIJ operatives. (Abu Sakheil’s Facebook page; Zakaria Muhammad al-Mabhouh’s Facebook page, April 4, 2024).

Ibrahim Jamal al-Sheikh Ali^[21]

• Reportedly employed as a journalist by al-Quds al-Youm TV. Palestinian media reported that he and four other al-Quds al-Youm employees were killed in a strike on the station’s broadcasting van in the area of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp on December 26, 2024. The IDF, however, stated that the strike targeted a vehicle carrying PIJ operatives.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing said he was a company commander in the central operations unit of the Central Gaza Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, May 20, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified him as an operative in the PIJ’s military wing based on the IDF announcement that he had been involved in operations and military media activities for PIJ.

Hussam Manal Saadi al-Dabbaka^[22]

• Reportedly a cameraman for al-Quds TV;^[23] killed with his wife and children in a strike on their home in the al-Maghazi refugee camp on August 22, 2024.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing called him a company commander in the central military media unit of the Central Gaza Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, May 17, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified him as a PIJ operative, based on his Facebook page. A relative described him as a “jihad fighter and a commander” (Fares Abu Ayyoub Facebook page, January 19, 2025).

Salem Hasani Salem Abu Tayour^[24]

• The PIJ-affiliated al-Quds al-Youm TV stated that Salem Hasani Abu Tayour (Abu Hamza) was the channel’s finance manager. He was killed with his son, Hamza, in a strike on his home in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp on April 29, 2024.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed that Salem Abu Tayour was a commander in the military media unit of the Central Gaza Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, March 19, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified Abu Tayour as an operative in PIJ’s military wing. He was represented as a PIJ hero and as part of the “resistance” media apparatus (Siraj al-Hasanat Facebook page, March 9, 2025).

Muhammad Nabil Ibrahim al-Zaq^[25]

• Reported by the Palestinian media as a “journalist” for PIJ-affiliated al-Quds al-Youm TV, where was the channel’s social media manager. He was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike in the al-Shuja’iyya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City on November 21, 2023.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed he was responsible for the central office in the Northern Area (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel – West Bank, March 19, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified al-Zaq as an operative in PIJ’s military wing. He was reportedly a military photographer for the Jerusalem Brigades, like his brother Khaled, who was killed in 2002 (Mysaa Abd Facebook page, September 1, 2024).

Muhammad Adel Isma’il Abu Skheil^[26]

• Reportedly head of the editing (montage) department at the Gaza news website Shams News, whose content indicates it is close to or affiliated with the PIJ. According to his Facebook page he had worked at Shams News as a graphic designer and video editor since 2021. He was killed by IDF fire at al-Shifa Hospital, apparently on April 1, 2024.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed that Abu Sakhil was a group commander in the central operations unit of the Gaza Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, June 20, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study said Abu Sakhil was most likely affiliated with PIJ, but he was not identified as a military operative.

Tareq al-Sayed Isma’il Abu Skheil^[27]

• Reportedly a digital editor at Sawt al-Quds Radio, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) radio station. He was killed alongside his older brother, Muhammad al-Sayed Abu Skheil, by IDF fire at al-Shifa Hospital on March 28, 2024.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed he was a group commander in the training department of the central operations unit of the Gaza Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, June 28, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study stated that Abu Skheil was most likely affiliated with PIJ, but he was not identified as a military operative.

Helmi Mahmoud Helmi al-Faqaawi^[28]

• Identified as a journalist with the PIJ-affiliated Palestine Today (PalToday) news agency, where he worked in the social media department. He was killed in a strike on a PalToday) journalists’ tent near Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on April 7, 2025.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed he served as deputy company commander in the central military media unit of the Khan Yunis Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, June 9, 2026).
• The ITIC December 2025 study identified him as affiliated with PIJ, but not as a military operative.

Ahmed Salama Abu Aisha^[29]

• Reportedly worked as an editor and press photographer for the PIJ-affiliated Palestine Today (PalToday) news agency. He was killed by fire from UAV which targeted his home west of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp on July 10, 2025.
• Official Announcement: The PIJ’s military wing confirmed he was a company commander in the central information unit of the Central Gaza Brigade (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, June 1, 2026).
• The findings December 2025 study identified him as affiliated with PIJ, but not as a military operative.

1. Click https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en to subscribe and receive the Amit Institute's daily updates as well as its other publications.

2. The Hamas Telegram channel issued Izz al-Din Brigades death notices and videos of military activity.

3. See the February 2024 Amit Institute (ITIC) study, More than half of the Palestinian journalists killed in the Gaza Strip during Operation Iron Swords were affiliated with terrorist organizations (Full version) and the December 2025 study, About 60% of the Gazans Classified as “Journalists” and Other Media Personnel Killed in the Gaza Strip War Belonged to Hamas and Other Terrorist Organizations

4. The full details and references can be found in both studies according to the number noted in the footnotes of each terrorist operative.

5. Number 1 in the February 2024 study.

6. The Ramallah-based Smart Media Center for Media Services was established during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. It provides services to journalists in the Rafah Governorate and to media personnel visiting the area (Filastin al-'An, February 16, 2015; Smart Media Facebook page). ↑

7. Number 14 in the February 2024 study.

8. Number 26 in the February 2024 study.

9. Number 39 in the February 2024 study.

10. Number 99 in the February 2024 study.

11. Number 14 on the list of Hamas operatives in the December 2025 study.

12. Number 15 on the list of Hamas operatives in the December 2025 study.

13. Number 23 on the list of Hamas operatives in the December 2025 study.

14. Number 24 on the list of Hamas terrorist operatives in the December 2025 study.

15. Number 104 in the February 2024 study. Also appears in Appendix B of the December 2025 updated study.

16. Number 5 on the list of Hamas-affiliated operatives in the December 2025 study.

17. Number 53 in the February 2024 study.

18. Number 57 in the February 2024 study.

19. Number 58 in the February 2024 study.

20. Number 1 on the list of PIJ operatives in December 2025 study.

21. Number 7 on the list of PIJ operatives in December 2025 study.

22. Number 10 in the list of PIJ operatives in December 2025 study.

23. It is unclear which media outlet is being referred to. It is most likely not the al-Quds satellite channel, whose offices were in Beirut and which ceased operations in early 2019 due to financial difficulties. There is a website called al-Quds TV (qudstv.co), but its Facebook page and Telegram channel merely reported al-Dabakah's death as a news item without indicating any affiliation between him and the website.

24. Number 11 in the list of PIJ operatives in December 2025 study.

25. Number 55 in the February 2024 study. Also appears in Appendix B of the December 2025 updated study.

26. Number 2 on the list of PIJ-affiliated operatives in December 2025 study.

27. Number 3 on the list of PIJ-affiliated operatives in December 2025 study.

28. Number 8 on the list of PIJ-affiliated operatives in December 2025 study.

29. Number 14 on the list of PIJ-affiliated operatives in December 2025 study.

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