Deir al-Balah, Gaza – Journalists gathered at Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital expressed anger and confusion over the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) decision to close Al Jazeera’s office in the occupied West Bank.
“Shutting down a major medium like Al Jazeera is a crime against journalism,” said freelance journalist Ikhlas al-Qarnawi.
“Al Jazeera’s coverage has documented Israeli crimes against Palestinians, especially during the ongoing genocide,” the 28-year-old journalist told Al Jazeera in the hospital, the most reliable Internet link in the Strip to report stories.
On Wednesday, the PA temporarily suspended Al Jazeera in the occupied West Bank for what it described as airing “inflammatory material and reports that were misleading and inciting strife” in the country.
The decision came after Fatah, the Palestinian faction that dominates the PA, banned Al Jazeera from reporting from the governorates of Jenin, Tuba and Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank, citing its coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and Palestinian armed groups. in the area.
Al Jazeera criticized the PA’s ban, saying the move is “in line with the (Israeli) occupation’s actions against its staff”.
‘Obscuring the truth’
Since the beginning of the war, around 150 journalists have worked from the journalists’ tents at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital, for 20 local, international and Arab media.
Journalists, including those from Al Jazeera, have been forced to work from hospitals after their headquarters and media offices were destroyed.
Al-Aqsa TV correspondent Mohammed Issa said from the hospital that the PA’s ban goes against international laws that guarantee freedom of journalism and could further endanger journalists.
“The PA’s decision obscures the truth and undermines the Palestinian narrative, especially a leading network like Al Jazeera,” Issa said, adding that the ban reinforces Israel’s narrative that “justifies the targeting of Palestinian journalists.”
“All media workers in Gaza oppose this decision that silences the largest Arab and global media during critical times in years.”
Wafaa Hajjaj, a freelance journalist working with TRT and Sahat, said the ban made her “sad” and “disappointed”.
“At a time when Israel is deliberately targeting and killing … journalists in Gaza, with our Jazeera colleagues at the forefront, without international or institutional protection, the PA’s move to the West Bank comes to worsen the situation,” Hajjaj said as she and her team went to the hospital to interview the wounded.
Israel has killed at least 217 journalists and media workers in Gaza since the start of its war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Four of them were Al Jazeera journalists: Samer Abudaqa, Hamza al-Dahdouh, Ismail al-Ghoul and Ahmed al-Louh.
“Al Jazeera’s trust will continue”
Although frustrated, Hajjaj told Al Jazeera that she hopes the PA will lift its ban “as soon as possible”.
“I believe that Al Jazeera will continue despite all the sanctions, as it has done for years.”
Yousef Hassouna, a photojournalist with 22 years of experience, also criticized the closure of Al Jazeera along with “every other media” targeted by such bans.
“This is an offense against all of us Palestinian journalists,” he said, adding that Al Jazeera is “an essential platform” covering Israel’s war in Gaza.
“Now more than ever, we Palestinian journalists need international support and protection, not restrictions or limitations,” Hassouna said.
‘Critical Errors’
Ismail al-Thawabtah, spokesman for the government media office in Gaza, said the Palestinian Authority had committed two serious mistakes in recent weeks.
“First: the attack in Jenin and the resulting military confrontation with our esteemed Palestinian people and resistance forces, and second: the closure of Al Jazeera’s office,” he said, adding that the move represented “serious violations of freedom of oppression”.
Al-Thawabtah said that both incidents required the PA to conduct a comprehensive review of policies and positions in line with the supreme national interests and respect for the rights of our Palestinian people and their fundamental freedoms.
As for the journalists gathered at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, they were united in their call to end the ban.
“As journalists, we are completely against it. I hope action will be taken to stop this decision immediately.” said freelance journalist al-Qarnawi, adding that the ban hurts more than just journalists.
“Our Palestinian people are the biggest losers.”
