TEL AVIV, Israel (Diya TV) — Israel’s military said Wednesday six Al Jazeera journalists working in Gaza are “operative members” of militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The reporters, identified as Anas Al-Sharif, Alaa Salama, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf Saraj, Ismail Abu Amr and Talal Aruki, have links to military wings of these organizations that take part in both media and terror operations, the Israel Defense Forces said according to the Jerusalem Post.
The IDF alleged that the information against the journalists was available through intelligence operations conducted in Gaza. They presented evidence-the ‘Recovered Documents’ -to prove that the journalists were affiliated with the terrorist organizations through personnel records, training course details, phone directories, and salary records of the militants. “These documents unequivocally prove that they function as military terrorist operatives of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip,” an IDF statement said. The military also claimed that the journalists were conducting propaganda operations to promote Hamas’s interests against Israel.
In response, Al Jazeera issued a statement on X denouncing the “unfounded” accusations as “fabricated.” The network based in Qatar implied that Israel was using the accusations to hide behind its rationale for targeting journalists in areas of conflict. “Al Jazeera strongly denies the membership of its journalists in any terrorist organization and condemns attempts to silence the media,” the statement added.
Earlier this year, one of the journalists identified by the IDF, Ismail Abu Amr, was injured in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. Al Jazeera had then rejected claims that he was connected with Hamas-a position repeated after the latest IDF admissions. Subsequently, however, documents allegedly placing Abu Amr among the pro Hamas journalists were leaked by the IDF.
This has further flamed long-standing tensions between Israel and Al Jazeera. The network has been on more than one occasion accused by Israel of biased reporting as well as providing a voice to the terrorists. International press freedom advocates, worried that under the guise of security threats journalists are being increasingly targeted in conflict zones, raise worrying questions about the latest development.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has filed a claim for an independent investigation based on its claims, elaborating that journalists must not be prosecuted for their profession. “Accusations of ties to terrorism are serious, but they must be supported by transparent and verifiable evidence,” the CPJ said in a statement.
The IDF maintains that it also has further investigations under way, and it has not publicly disciplined the six journalists.
