Israel throws out Al Jazeera, says global media outlet backs Hamas: Live updates
Palestinian Orthodox Christian women share the light of candles during the Easter mass at the church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City on May 5, 2024.
Arab media giant Al Jazeera said Sunday it would “pursue every legal step” to continue operations in Israel, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet voted to shut down the Qatari-based global outlet until the war in Gaza ends.
Netanyahu, who has long accused Al Jazeera of bias toward Hamas, said the cabinet determined the outlet was a threat to national security.
“Al Jazeera correspondents have harmed the security of Israel and incited against (Israeli) soldiers,” Netanyahu said. “The time has come to eject Hamas’s mouthpiece from our country.”
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Al Jazeera rejected those claims as a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that puts its journalists at risk. The network is funded by the Qatari government, which has been a key mediator in cease-fire talks. Like many media outlets around the world, however, Al Jazeera has been critical of Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
“The Israeli PM and his military… wanted everything to happen and be concealed without anybody reporting or talking about it,” said Al Jazeera reporter Hani Mahmoud.
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Developments:
∎ Hamas called the Israeli decision on Al Jazeera a “blatant violation of freedom of the press, and a repressive and retaliatory measure against Al Jazeera’s professional role in exposing the crimes of the occupation.”
∎ Pro-Palestinian rallies and protests continued to sweep across the U.S., with dozens of arrests and sometimes violent clashes with counterdemonstrators.
∎ Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said signs indicate Hamas won’t accept the latest hostage deal and that the military will launch its offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah in “the near future,” the Times of Israel reported. The U.S. is among scores of nations urging Israel not to invade the city, packed with more than 1 million Palestinians who have fled the fighting elsewhere in Gaza.
∎ Israel shut down humanitarian aid shipments through the Karem Abu Salem border crossing after a nearby rocket attack injured several people, Israeli officials said. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Netanyahu: Deal to end war now would keep Hamas in power
Netanyahu warned that Israel will make no deal that would free hostages in exchange for ending the war, saying that would keep Hamas in power and pose a threat to Israel. Israel is willing to pause fighting in Gaza in order to secure the release of hostages still being held by Hamas-led militants, he said.
“But while Israel has shown willingness, Hamas remains entrenched in its extreme positions, first among them the demand to remove all our forces from the Gaza Strip, end the war, and leave Hamas in power,” Netanyahu said. “Israel cannot accept that.”
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Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh said the militants remain committed to a “comprehensive” cease-fire that guarantees Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. He blamed Netanyahu for “the continuation of the aggression and the expansion of the circle of conflict, and sabotaging the efforts made through the mediators and various parties.”
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel throws out Al Jazeera, says global media outlet backs Hamas: Live updates