Israeli army falsely accuses six Al Jazeera journalists of being Hamas operatives

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have published a document alleging that six Al Jazeera journalists working in Gaza are linked to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The document listed the names of Anas al-Sharif, Talal Aruki, Alaa Salama, Hosam Shabat, Ismail Farid, and Ashraf Saraj. It also included alleged records of training courses and salaries they allegedly received as members of these groups.

Al Jazeera was banned by Israel in September, following a raid by IDF soldiers who handed over a permanent closure notice to the bureau office in Ramallah, West Bank.

In response, the Qatar-based media network vehemently condemned the accusations, stating, "Al Jazeera categorically rejects the Israeli occupation forces’ portrayal of our journalists as terrorists and denounces their use of fabricated evidence."

The statement continued, "The Network views these fabricated accusations as a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region, thereby obscuring the harsh realities of the war from audiences worldwide."

Al Jazeera said that these accusations surfaced following its recent investigative report that identified Israeli soldiers who shared their reckless and ridiculing behaviour on social media after bombing Palestinians.

The video evidence in the documentary also exposed brutal torture being inflicted on Palestinian hostages, with Israeli soldiers physically abusing them while they were stripped naked.

Palestinian journalist Talal Aruki also denied the allegations in a video, detailing his professional history to refute Israeli claims that he worked for Hamas.

Despite facing violence and threats, Palestinian journalists continue to report on Israeli war crimes, while all communication with Gaza has been cut off as Israeli forces blacked out phone and internet connections in the enclave.

At least 176 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, while covering the Israeli military offensive. They were clearly marked as journalists by the vests they wore.

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, the occupation army arrested 36 journalists, later releasing four, while 32 remain detained.