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Israel-Hamas War Live Updates: Israel accuses 6 Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being Palestinian militants

On Wednesday, the Israeli army accused six Al Jazeera journalists covering the ongoing war in Gaza of being current or former paid fighters for Palestinian militant groups. Israel stated that it had gathered intelligence and found documents allegedly confirming the ties of these journalists to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The six journalists, all Palestinian men, were said to have held roles ranging from sniper and infantry soldier to propaganda operatives. Four of them were linked to Hamas, while two were alleged to have connections to PIJ.

Al Jazeera, however, vehemently denied these allegations, describing them as fabricated and part of a broader effort by Israel to stifle media coverage in Gaza. In a statement, the network said, “This is a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region, thereby obscuring the harsh realities of the war from audiences worldwide.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also criticised Israel’s claims, noting that the country has made similar accusations in the past without providing credible evidence. The CPJ highlighted a previous incident in which Israel made unverified claims about Al Jazeera journalists, including a document alleging that one of them had received a Hamas military ranking at the age of 10.

The accusations against Al Jazeera come amid rising tensions between the network and the Israeli government. Since the war began, four Al Jazeera journalists have been killed in Gaza, and the network has faced continuous hostility from Israeli authorities. Earlier this year, an Israeli court ordered the closure of Al Jazeera’s operations within Israel. Furthermore, Israel raided Al Jazeera’s offices in Ramallah in the West Bank, shutting down the bureau there. Despite these challenges, Al Jazeera remains one of the few media outlets still broadcasting from Gaza, providing live coverage of the conflict.

The accusations have reignited long-standing criticism of the Qatari-based network, which has faced pushback from multiple governments in the past. Israel’s latest move is seen by many as part of a broader effort to limit independent reporting on the war in Gaza, where more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, according to local health authorities.