Journalists and media outlets are pushing back at claims that the six remaining Al Jazeera reporters in Gaza have ties to Hamas, as Israel claims, with one calling it "propaganda and fake news."
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces shared a post claiming six "Al Jazeera journalists have been exposes as Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists," citing "disclosed intelligence information and numerous documents found in Gaza."
Journalists quickly rebuked the allegation, including Jeremy Scahill, cofounder of Drop Site News, an independent publication.
"Anyone claiming Israel has offered 'irrefutable' proof to back up these allegations is either ignorant of the systematic campaign of lies, propaganda and fake news unleashed by Israel or is trying to aid and abet the murder of more journalists," Scahill wrote. "That is what is irrefutable."
Anyone claiming Israel has offered "irrefutable" proof to back up these allegations is either ignorant of the systematic campaign of lies, propaganda and fake news unleashed by Israel or is trying to aid and abet the murder of more journalists. That is what is irrefutable.
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) October 23, 2024
He also called the accusation "an assassination threat and an attempt to preemptively justify their murder."
The IDF's latest assertion follows a deadly pattern of targeting Palestinian journalists covering Gaza, the only ones allowed in the city since Israel forbids foreign journalists from entering.
An investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a US nonprofit promoting free press and defending journalists' rights, found that at least 128 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, making it the deadliest period for journalists since the CPJ began gathering data in 1992.
Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of CPJ, tweeted that the organization is "aware of the accusations currently being made by Israel against @AlJazeera journalists," adding that it "has a long history of smearing Palestinians as terrorists without providing credible evidence, and with deadly consequences."
We are aware of the accusations currently being made by Israel against @AlJazeera journalists. Israel has a long history of smearing Palestinian journalists as terrorists without providing credible evidence, and with deadly consequences. 1/3 https://t.co/ZPueb96hNa
— Jodie Ginsberg (@jodieginsberg) October 23, 2024
As the IDF's accusations gained tractions, additional correspondents spoke out against the claims. Muhammad Shehada, a journalist based in Palestine, reported the IDF has been repeatedly threatening the six journalists, demanding them "to abandon their work or else." He added, "This lie should NOT pass."
🚨Israel is now openly declaring its intention to murder Gaza's remaining top journalists to ensure informational blackout
— Muhammad Shehada (@muhammadshehad2) October 23, 2024
The journalists in question have been receiving repeated threats from the IDF to abandon their work or else
This lie should NOT pass unchallenged!... pic.twitter.com/XGeCYMXMTf
"Anyone who cares about the freedom of the press should condemn Israel murdering and terrorizing journalists," Taylor Lorenz, a former columnist at The Washington Post, posted on Instagram.
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