The Committee to Protect Journalists, which tracks killings of media workers on the job, reaffirmed its definition of a journalist on Wednesday, amid backlash over the group’s move to review its Gaza database following a Times of Israel investigation.

The investigation identified several avowed Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in the database, lending credence, in at least some cases, to Israeli assertions that they were legitimate military targets in the war sparked by the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023.

CPJ had previously removed eight names from its database after determining the individuals were Hamas and PIJ operatives, and another 12 for other reasons. The “full review” that the CPJ pledged last week for the remaining entries is expected to be completed this month.

In a statement Wednesday, the CPJ said its board voted to reaffirm its journalist criteria amid “unsubstantiated allegations” that the group sought to exclude Palestinian and Lebanese journalists.

The statement came after Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd claimed, citing “anonymous sources within the organization,” that to appease “Zionist” media, CPJ sought new journalist criteria that would “broadly exclude slain Palestinian and Lebanese journalists who........

© The Times of Israel