Istanbul, May 22: Hamas has accused Israel of attempting to conceal the Israeli military’s actions in the Gaza Strip by shutting down the Associated Press’s live feed from the region. The accusation follows the Israeli Communications Ministry’s confiscation of a camera and broadcasting equipment from the AP’s office in Sderot, southern Israel. Israeli authorities claim the news agency violated the country’s foreign broadcaster law by sharing footage with Al Jazeera.
In a statement, Hamas denounced the seizure as a “random and oppressive action against press freedom,” intended to “conceal Israel’s crimes and violations against the Palestinian people from the global public.” The group labeled Israel’s actions as “fascist,” undermining its assertions of respecting human rights and press freedom.
The Associated Press condemned the confiscation as an “abusive use” of Israel’s new foreign broadcaster law, which the Knesset passed last month. This law permits the closure of foreign networks and the confiscation of their equipment if their broadcasts are deemed to pose “an actual harm to the state’s security.” This recent enforcement also led to the raiding of Al Jazeera’s offices and the seizure of their equipment.
Israel has continued its military operations in Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. Since last October, more than 35,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, with nearly 79,900 others injured. The ongoing conflict has devastated large parts of Gaza, exacerbating shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of genocide, demanding measures to prevent further atrocities and ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza’s civilians.
