The network warned that these allegations might be a pretext to target its correspondents since Israel has killed a record number of journalists since the genocide started over a year ago.
Al-Jazeera denounced on Wednesday the Israeli army’s allegations against its journalists working in the besieged Gaza Strip while the Gaza Government Media Office accused Israel of inciting against Palestinian journalists.
The network issued a statement to refute the Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee’s claims in which he said that “documents by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad that were found in Gaza unveiled the affiliation of six Al-Jazeera network journalists to the two movements.”
URGENT! These 6 Palestinians are among the last journalists surviving Israel’s onslaught in Gaza (with 130+ of their colleagues killed in the last year). Declaring them “terrorists” sounds like a death sentence.
They must be protected at all cost. https://t.co/8AHQ0F4f4l— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) October 23, 2024
Al-Jazeera said in its statement that these fabricated accusations are a blatant attempt to silence the small number of remaining journalists in Gaza.
It added that these baseless allegations come in the wake of what Al-Jazeera exposed on potential war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza.
According to Al-Jazeera, Israel’s unfounded allegations came in light of the ongoing efforts by its journalists to convey unfolding events in the north of Gaza and document the humanitarian crisis resulting from the bloody Israeli military operation and siege.
Al Jazeera vehemently condemns Israeli military allegations that six of its journalists in Gaza are affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The network says it fears Israel may use the accusations as a pretext to attack the journalists. pic.twitter.com/qEvGirHkeV
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 23, 2024
Laying the Grounds
Al-Jazeera stated that these allegations are a new episode in a series of systematic targeting by the Israeli occupation army against it.
It warned that these allegations might be a pretext to target its correspondents since Israel has killed a record number of journalists since the genocide started over a year ago.
The Qatari-based network called on the international community to swiftly take action to protect its journalists and ensure their safety, and put an end to the Israeli crimes against Palestinian journalists.
For its part, the Government Media Office in Gaza said that the Israeli occupation army is inciting against Palestinian journalists paving the way to commit further crimes against them.
The media office categorically denied the allegations made by the Israeli occupation army that claims that a group of journalists are leaders in the Palestinian resistance movements.
Israel’s allegations spread outrage on social media where users debunked Israel’s allegations claiming it is a stark threat to the Palestinian journalists’ lives.
The list of journalists includes renowned journalists Anas Al-Sharif, Talal Rahman Aruki, Alaa Abdul Aziz Salama, Hassan Shabat, Ismail Omar and Ashraf Saraj.
Ari Ingel, head of “apolitical” “Creative Community for Peace”, reposts baseless Israeli army claim that journalists covering Israel’s war crimes in Gaza are terrorists, justifying their targeting. His “peace group” promotes anti-Palestinian racism & whitewashes Israel’s killing. pic.twitter.com/4pWYJKLmHJ
— Adalah-NY (@AdalahNY) October 23, 2024
Not a First
After launching a precision missile strike that killed Al-Jazeera journalist Ismail al-Ghoul and freelance cameraman Rami al-Rifi on July 31, Israel accused al-Ghoul of being part of the Nukhba elite forces of Hamas.
This fact-free claim triggered the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to denounce such smears, presenting a list of similarly debunked claims and placing more attention on the issue.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) said on October 4 that the Israeli occupation army committed in September 185 violations against Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, Anadolu news agency reported.
The syndicate revealed in a statement that in September alone, the Israeli occupation army killed two journalists in Gaza, and injured nine others by live bullets in the West Bank.
(AJA, PC)
