Subject: Re: Were reporters embedded with Hamas?
I'd assume that there would at least be some kind of background checking?

Sure. But it's not like Hamas has a company directory that you can quickly confirm whether someone is or is not a member, much less any less formal relationship that still might cause a newswire to evaluate the relationship of the journalist to the combatants in the war coverage. If this guy doesn't have any formal affiliation with Hamas that could be discoverable in a basic background check (almost certainly conducted from outside Gaza), they'd never know he was involved. You know, unless and until he posts a video on his FB page.