Journalists Push Back After Israel Accuses Six Al Jazeera Reporters in Gaza of Having Ties to Hamas: 'Propaganda and Fake News'

Journalists and media outlets are pushing back at claims that the six of the few remaining Al Jazeera reporters in Gaza have ties to Hamas, as Israel claims, with one calling it "propaganda and fake news."

On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces shared a post claiming six "Al Jazeera journalists have been exposed as Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists," citing "disclosed intelligence information and numerous documents found in Gaza."

Journalists quickly rebuked the allegation, including Jeremy Scahill, cofounder of Drop Site News, an independent publication.

"Anyone claiming Israel has offered 'irrefutable' proof to back up these allegations is either ignorant of the systematic campaign of lies, propaganda and fake news unleashed by Israel or is trying to aid and abet the murder of more journalists," Scahill wrote. "That is what is irrefutable."

He also called the accusation "an assassination threat and an attempt to preemptively justify their murder."

The IDF's latest assertion follows a deadly pattern of targeting Palestinian journalists covering Gaza, the only ones allowed in the city since Israel forbids foreign journalists from entering.

An investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists, a US nonprofit promoting free press and defending journalists' rights, found that at least 128 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Israel since Oct. 7, 2023, making it the deadliest period for journalists since the CPJ began gathering data in 1992.

Jodie Ginsberg, the CEO of CPJ, tweeted that the organization is "aware of the accusations currently being made by Israel against @AlJazeera journalists," adding that it "has a long history of smearing Palestinians as terrorists without providing credible evidence, and with deadly consequences."

As the IDF's accusations gained tractions, additional correspondents spoke out against the claims. Muhammad Shehada, a journalist based in Palestine, reported the IDF has been repeatedly threatening the six journalists, demanding them "to abandon their work or else." He added, "This lie should NOT pass."

"Anyone who cares about the freedom of the press should condemn Israel murdering and terrorizing journalists," Taylor Lorenz, a former columnist at The Washington Post, posted on Instagram.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Costs of War Project at Brown University estimated 1.9 million people in Gaza (90% of its population) has been displaced and are currently living in temporary shelters without access to money purchase any necessities, including food, clean water, and medicine.

The same report estimated 5% of Gaza's population, 114,000 people, which includes 42,010 confirmed deaths, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, 62,413 who have died from starvation, and at least 10,000 who are dying or buried beneath the rubble (most roads in Gaza are inaccessible, according to reporting by PBS).