Hassan Aslih, a Gaza-based “journalist” accused of direct involvement in Hamas's October 7 massacre in southern Israel, was killed in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike in Khan Yunis, according to the Jerusalem Post. Aslih, a freelance photojournalist who previously contributed to international news agencies including the Associated Press (AP) and CNN, was reportedly injured in a prior airstrike and was recovering at the time of the attack.

Israeli intelligence and military sources confirmed that Aslih was targeted due to his role as an operative in Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade. The IDF, along with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), said Aslih "operated under the guise of a journalist" and had crossed into Israeli territory during the October 7 onslaught, participating in acts of violence while documenting them for propaganda purposes.

Aslih drew global attention after live-streaming himself on October 7 from inside Israeli territory, where he was seen documenting the burning of an Israeli tank and the infiltration of Kibbutz Kfar Aza—both scenes of brutality during the Hamas-led massacre. He posted photos of himself next to Israeli military equipment and tweeted, “Live from the towns of the Gaza Strip,” implying active participation in the attacks rather than detached reporting.

According to Israeli sources, Aslih did not wear any journalistic insignia, such as a press vest or helmet, while “covering” the events. In one of the livestreamed videos from the Oct 7 massacre, he was spotted holding a grenade on the back of a motorcycle being driven by a terrorist back to Gaza from Israel. He was photographed smiling with Hamas commander Yahya Sinwar in a 2020 image that went viral after his role in the massacre was revealed.

On Monday, the IDF confirmed it had eliminated Aslih in a "precision strike" carried out after extensive aerial surveillance and intelligence-gathering to minimize civilian harm. The same strike reportedly killed another individual and injured nine others, according to Palestinian reports.

Aslih’s death comes amid a growing scandal involving major Western news outlets. He was previously contracted as a freelance photojournalist by CNN and AP, both of which have faced backlash for employing individuals with alleged ties to Hamas. CNN stated Aslih was not working for them on October 7 but was hired afterward. AP cut ties with him in November 2024 following a report by the watchdog group Honest Reporting that exposed his deep affiliations with Hamas.

The controversy intensified with a lawsuit filed by American survivors of the October 7 Nova music festival attack, and relatives of victims against the Associated Press under the Antiterrorism Act, accusing the outlet of "materially supporting terrorism" by employing freelancers affiliated with Hamas. “There is no doubt that AP’s photographers participated in the October 7th massacre,” the complaint reads. “AP knew, or at the very least should have known, through simple due diligence, that the people they were paying were longstanding Hamas affiliates and full participants in the terrorist attack.”

The suit alleges that four freelance photographers were embedded with Hamas terrorists during the massacre, with Aslih named as the central figure. It cites photographic evidence of Aslih riding back into Gaza on a motorcycle with Hamas fighters, and posing in earlier years with Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s top commander in Gaza.

The New York Times, CNN, and Reuters also reportedly used photos taken by Aslih during and after the massacre. Following revelations about his Hamas ties, AP issued a statement asserting that it had no prior knowledge of the October 7 attacks or Aslih's involvement.

Critics argue that news organizations failed in their duty to vet contributors, effectively providing cover and compensation to individuals involved in terrorism. “AP willfully chose to turn a blind eye,” the lawsuit claims, “and instead profited from its terrorist photographer’s participation in the massacre through its publication of the ‘exclusive’ images.”