The funeral of Ismaïl al-Ghoul, a journalist for the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera, who was killed along with cameraman Rami al-Rifi in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza on July 31, 2024. (Credit: Omar al-Qattaa/AFP)
For many Palestinians and regional observers, these developments mark a new episode in Israel’s years-long conflict with the Qatari news channel Al-Jazeera, which has flared up since Oct. 2023. On Wednesday, Israel accused six journalists from the Arabic news channel of being affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad—groups considered as terrorist organizations within Israel. Naming each of these journalists specifically, the Israeli army released documents—whose authenticity cannot be verified—that it claims were found in Gaza, allegedly proving their military affiliation with the Palestinian groups. These documents reportedly include Hamas and Islamic Jihad personnel lists, payroll records, and military training courses, which, according to the Israeli army, “are evidence of Hamas operatives’ involvement within the Qatari media network.”...
For many Palestinians and regional observers, these developments mark a new episode in Israel’s years-long conflict with the Qatari news channel Al-Jazeera, which has flared up since Oct. 2023. On Wednesday, Israel accused six journalists from the Arabic news channel of being affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad—groups considered as terrorist organizations within Israel. Naming each of these journalists specifically, the Israeli army released documents—whose authenticity cannot be verified—that it claims were found in Gaza, allegedly proving their military affiliation with the Palestinian groups. These documents reportedly include Hamas and Islamic Jihad personnel lists, payroll records, and military training courses, which, according to the Israeli army, “are evidence of Hamas operatives’ involvement within the Qatari...