Gaza: RSF is alarmed by the Israeli army's serious accusations against six Al-Jazeera journalists and calls for their protection
Israeli’s armed forces have published a series of documents purporting to show that six Al-Jazeera journalists belong to the military branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) maintains that the mere publication of these documents does not constitute sufficient proof of affiliation, nor a licence to kill.
Some of the journalists named were among the last to report on the Israeli military offensive in the north of the Palestinian enclave. But through its Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army has accused six Palestinian journalists from Al-Jazeera of terrorism. According to documents allegedly seized in the Gaza Strip and published on the Israeli armed forces website on 23 October, the reporters targeted by these accusations belong to the regiments of fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine, two movements on the list of terrorist organisations of the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and, in the case of Hamas, Egypt. The tables made public list the names of Talal Mahmoud, Anas Al-Sharif, Hossam Shabat, Alaa Salameh, Ashraf Al-Saraj and Ismail Abu Omar, with personnel numbers, ranks, dates of birth and recruitment, and injuries, although it is not possible to authenticate this information.
On 1 August, the Israeli army brought similar charges against another Al-Jazeera reporter in Gaza, Ismail al-Ghoul, who had been killed the day prior in an Israeli strike. RSF's investigation unit demonstrated the inconsistencies in the documents purporting to support the accusations against Ismail al-Ghoul.
“We are appalled by the continued unfounded accusations by the Israeli forces that Al-Jazeera and its journalists are linked to terrorist groups. This is clear retaliation for Al-Jazeera’s sustained reporting on the war in Gaza, while Israeli authorities have worked to systematically eliminate journalists and journalism in Gaza and the surrounding areas. These six reporters are now at high risk of being targeted and need urgent protection. With more than 140 journalists already killed since the start of the war, every remaining voice now plays an increasingly vital role in showing the world what is happening in Gaza. The targeted killing of journalists is a war crime – this violence must immediately stop.
Assault on the most influential media outlet in the Arab world
Following these accusations against the six Al-Jazeera journalists, on Thursday, 24 October the Israeli army published documents purporting to prove the news channel's affiliation with Hamas, claiming that direct editorial directives were given by Palestinian Hamas to the Doha-based international news channel.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, the Israeli authorities have repeatedly targeted Qatari television, which Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has accused of being actively involved in the attacks of 7 October 2023.
The first milestone in this escalation against the most influential media outlet in the Middle East, with programmes in both English and Arabic, was the Israeli parliament's vote in early April 2024 for a law banning foreign media that undermined the security of the State from broadcasting in Israel. The following month, in May, the Israeli government unanimously decided to close Al-Jazeera ‘s office in East Jerusalem, prompting the revocation of the press cards of several of the channel's journalists. On 22 September, another attack on the channel took place in the middle of a live broadcast. Israeli soldiers interrupted Walid Al-Omari, the head of the Al-Jazeera bureau in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on air following an order to close the bureau for a renewable period of 45 days.
Two Al-Jazeera journalists in urgent need of evacuation from Gaza
While Qatari television is one of the few international media to devote most of its programming to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, many of its journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in the course of their work. Two of them, Ali al-Attar and Fadi Alwahidi, remain in hospital in critical condition, urgently needing medical evacuation if their lives are to be saved. RSF remains mobilised, alongside the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU), to gain clearance from the Israeli authorities for these journalists to be permitted safe passage from Gaza to receive medical treatment abroad.
Since 7 October 2023, more than 140 journalists have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, according to a count carried out by RSF.
