What The Telegraph reported
The Telegraph reported on September 26, 2026 that it had identified 53 people described in BBC coverage as journalists killed during the war who, according to the newspaper, had evidence linking them to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other armed groups.
According to the investigation, 10 of the names appeared on the English-language BBC News website or on both English and Arabic services, while 43 appeared only in BBC Arabic coverage. The newspaper grouped the 53 cases into several categories. It said 12 had already been removed from the casualty database maintained by the Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ. It also said armed groups had published obituaries for 20 others, while additional cases involved online images or videos showing individuals with weapons or in military clothing.
The figure of 53 and that breakdown are findings reported by The Telegraph. They are not the result of an independent IsraelNews.io investigation, and they are not the same as the findings of CPJ's wider review.
What CPJ's review found
On September 24, 2026, CPJ published the results of a broader review covering 229 deaths of journalists and media workers documented in Israel and the Palestinian territories between October 2023 and August 2026.
Based on newly obtained information, CPJ removed 22 people from its database, reinstated six and reclassified 12. Of the 22 removed, 19 were taken off the list after new research established that they had engaged in combat. Three others were removed after CPJ concluded that they were not journalists or media workers.
The list of people removed for engagement in combat includes names also cited in reporting about the BBC, including Mohamed Nabil Al-Zaq, Mostafa Bakeer and Abdallah Iyad Breis.
CPJ said its methodology does not disqualify someone simply because of political affiliation, views or organizational ties. Under its rules, a person can be removed when evidence shows that the individual was not a journalist or media worker, or that the person took part in combat.
What the BBC says
According to The Telegraph, the BBC said the relevant report was last updated in August 2025 and reflected the information available at the time. After CPJ published an update in June 2026, the BBC said it was reviewing the people included in its coverage.
That does not mean the BBC has publicly accepted all of The Telegraph's conclusions about the 53 names. At this stage, the broadcaster has said it is reassessing the list in light of new information.
Why the distinction matters
The issue is not only about casualty totals. It also concerns how a journalist is defined during wartime and how news organizations and press-freedom groups should update records when new evidence emerges.
CPJ's latest data still documents a very large number of journalists and media workers killed in the war and related regional conflicts. At the same time, its completed review shows that individual cases can require correction when evidence later indicates participation in combat or that a person did not meet the organization's professional definition in the first place.
As of September 26, 2026, the BBC is still reviewing names included in its reporting. It has not publicly issued a case-by-case list showing which entries will be removed, corrected or retained.
