The Israeli military claims it has definitive proof that at least six Al Jazeera journalists are operatives for Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups.
The Israeli Defense Forces accused journalists Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salama, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Saraj, Ismail Abu Omar, and Talal Aruki of working with the terror groups as members of their military and propaganda wing.
The six journalists were allegedly named in Hamas documents the IDF recovered and released on Wednesday, listing their work with the terror group, training, telephone numbers and salaries.
The documents claim al-Sharif headed a rocket launching unit and served on Hamas’ elite Nukhba Force in its Nuseirat battalion.
Salama was allegedly a member of the Islamic Jihad working as the deputy chief of its propaganda team in Shaboura. Saraj was also named as an Islamic Jihad member in Bureij.
Shabat allegedly served as a sniper for Hamas’ Beit Hanoun battalion, and Aruki was identified as a team commander for Hamas’ Nuseirat unit.
Abu Omar was named as a training company commander in the East Khan Younis battalion, and he was one of the Al Jazeera employees injured in an Israeli airstrike in February while covering the war.
The IDF claims that their work with the terror groups and in Al Jazeera allowed them to spearhead propaganda efforts against Israel, specifically over the controversial operations in northern Gaza.
“These documents are proof of the involvement of Hamas terrorists in the Qatari media network, Al Jazeera,” the IDF said in a statement.
Al Jazeera has vehemently denied the claims made against its journalists, who have maintained nonstop coverage of the war since Oct. 7 when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed 1,200 people.
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The coverage tends to be critical of Israel’s military operation in the Palestinian enclave over the growing death count and humanitarian crisis.
Israel has repeatedly accused Al Jazeera of serving as a mouthpiece for Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as slamming its main funder, Qatar, which has also been accused of directly funding the Gazan terror group.
Qatar serves as a key US ally in the region and has helped lead the stalled cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Israel’s allegations against Al Jazeera have yet to be independently verified.
Last month, Israeli troops conducted a raid against Al Jazeera’s bureau in the West Bank, ordering the office to remain shuttered for at least 45 days.
It followed a controversial police raid in May at the outlet’s office in East Jerusalem, where officers seized Al Jazeera’s equipment and blocked its coverage in the country, the first time Israel had ever shuttered a foreign news outlet.
With Post wires
