Palestinians pray over the bodies of journalists, including Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qreiqeh, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral outside Gaza City’s Shifa hospital complex, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Jehad Alshrafi/AP

Palestinian Territories:

The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday ordered the suspension of broadcasts by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the network of airing “inciting content”, official media reported.

“The specialised ministerial committee, comprising the ministries of culture, interior and communications, has decided to suspend broadcasts and freeze all activities of Al Jazeera satellite channel and its office in Palestine,” the official Wafa news agency said.

“The decision also includes temporarily freezing the work of all journalists, employees, crews and affiliated channels until their legal status is rectified due to Al Jazeera’s violations of the laws and regulations in force in Palestine,” the report said.

“This decision comes in response to Al Jazeera’s insistence on broadcasting inciting content and reports characterised by misinformation, incitement, sedition and interference in Palestinian internal affairs,” it added.

An Al Jazeera employee contacted by AFP confirmed that the network’s office in Ramallah had received a suspension order on Wednesday.

Later on Wednesday, the channel aired images of what appeared to be Palestinian security officers entering the network’s office in Ramallah and handing over the suspension orders but there was still no reaction from the channel to the Palestinian Authority’s move.

Militant group Hamas condemned the decision to ban the network.

“This decision aligns with a series of recent arbitrary actions taken by the Authority to curtail public rights and freedoms, and to reinforce its security grip on the Palestinian people,” Hamas said in a statement.

“We call on the Palestinian Authority to immediately reverse this decision … It is crucial to ensure the continuation of media coverage that exposes the occupation and supports the steadfastness of our people.”

– ‘Incitement campaign’ –

Tensions between the Doha-based network and the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, have risen in recent weeks following the channel’s coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in Jenin.

In late December, the channel had condemned what it said was an “incitement campaign” by Fatah against the network in some areas of the occupied West Bank.

“This campaign follows the network’s coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and resistance fighters in Jenin,” it said in a statement at the time.

“During its coverage of the tragic events in Jenin, Al Jazeera ensured the presence of all voices, including those of the resistance fighters and the spokesperson for the Palestinian security forces.”

The security forces of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited control over the West Bank, have been engaged in deadly clashes with gunmen since early December, triggered by the arrests of several militants.

They are fighting members of the Jenin Battalion, most of whom are affiliated with either Islamic Jihad or Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.

The violence in Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of armed groups in the northern West Bank and a frequent target of Israeli military raids, has killed 11 people including PA security personnel, militants and civilians.

The Palestinian Authority’s decision comes more than three months after Israeli forces raided the network’s office in Ramallah.

The network is already banned from broadcasting from Israel amid a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has only worsened during the ongoing war in Gaza.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jerusalem:

The Israeli military confirmed on Thursday it had killed Al Jazeera journalist Ismail Al-Ghoul in an airstrike in Gaza, saying he was a Hamas operative who had taken part in the October 7 attack on Israel, without offering proof for the assertion.

Al Jazeera dismissed what it said were “baseless allegations” which it said were an attempt to justify the deliberate killing of its journalists.

“The network condemns the accusations against its correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul, without providing any proof, documentation or video,” it said in a statement, adding that it reserved the right to take legal action against those responsible.

The Qatari broadcaster said on Wednesday that Al-Ghoul and cameraman Ramy El Rify were killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza City while on an assignment to film near the house of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas chief killed in Iran earlier on the same day.

The Israeli military said Al-Ghoul was a member of the elite Nukhba unit who took part in the Oct. 7 attack and instructed Hamas operatives on how to record operations. It said he was involved in recording and publicizing attacks on Israeli troops.

“His activities in the field were a vital part of Hamas’ military activity,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

Al Jazeera said Al-Ghoul had worked for the network since November 2023 and his only profession was as a journalist.

It said he had been arrested and detained at Al-Shifa Hospital in the northern part of the Gaza Strip when it was taken by Israeli forces in March before being released, which it said “debunks and refutes their false claim of his affiliation with any organization.”

The Israeli government has banned Al-Jazeera from operating in Israel, accusing it of posing a threat to national security.

Al Jazeera, which has been heavily critical of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, has denied inciting violence.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said the deaths of the two Al Jazeera crew raised to 165 the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli fire since Oct 7.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shut down talks of ceasefire negotiations, citing an unwillingness to comply with Hamas’s conditions for ending the conflict in Gaza.

Here are 10 points on this big story:

Jerusalem:

Israeli authorities raided a Jerusalem hotel room used by Al Jazeera as its office after the government decided to shut down the Qatari-owned TV station’s local operations on Sunday, an Israeli official and an Al Jazeera source told Reuters.

Video circulated online showed plainclothes officers dismantling camera equipment in a hotel room, which the Al Jazeera source said was in East Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet shut down the network for as long as the war in Gaza continues, saying it threatened national security.

Al Jazeera said the move was a “criminal action” and the accusation that the network threatened Israeli security was a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that put its journalists at risk.

It reserved the right to “pursue every legal step”.

The network has criticised Israel’s military operation in Gaza, from where it has reported throughout the war.

“The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu posted on social media following a unanimous cabinet vote.

A government statement said Israel’s communications minister signed orders to “act immediately”, but at least one lawmaker who supported the closure said Al Jazeera could still try to block it in court.

The measure, the statement said, includes closing Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel, confiscating broadcast equipment, cutting off the channel from cable and satellite companies and blocking its websites. It did not mention Al Jazeera’s Gaza operations.

Israeli satellite and cable television providers suspended Al Jazeera broadcasts following the government decision.

There was no official comment from the Qatari government, which deferred to Al Jazeera.

The network last month complained of “a series of systematic Israeli attacks to silence Al Jazeera”.

It said Israel deliberately targeted and killed several of its journalists, including Samer Abu Daqqa and Hamza AlDahdooh, both killed in Gaza during the conflict. Israel has said it does not target journalists.

Qatar established Al Jazeera in 1996 and views it as a way to bolster its global profile.

“Al Jazeera Media Network strongly condemns and denounces this criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information,” the network said in a statement. “Al Jazeera affirms its right to continue to provide news and information to its global audiences.”

The UN Human Rights Office also criticised the closure.

“We regret cabinet decision to close Al Jazeera in Israel,” it said on X. “A free & independent media is essential to ensuring transparency & accountability. Now, even more so given tight restrictions on reporting from Gaza. Freedom of expression is a key human right. We urge govt to overturn ban.”

Israel’s parliament last month ratified a law allowing the temporary closure in Israel of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to national security.

The law allows Netanyahu and his security cabinet to shut the network’s offices in Israel for 45 days, a period that can be renewed, so it could stay in force until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.

Qatar, where several Hamas political leaders are based, is trying to mediate a ceasefire and hostage release deal that could halt the Gaza war.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jerusalem:

Al Jazeera network went off the air in Israel Sunday, AFP correspondents said, after the government announced a decision to shut the Qatar-based broadcaster’s operations following a long-running feud.

Hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government announced the closure order for an initial period of 45 days, the screen on Al Jazeera’s Arabic and English channels went black with a message in Hebrew saying they had “been suspended in Israel”, the correspondents said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jerusalem:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet decided on Sunday to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel for as long as the war in Gaza continues, on the grounds the Qatari television network threatens national security.

“The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu posted on social media following the unanimous cabinet vote.

A government statement said Israel’s communications minister signed orders to “act immediately,” but at least one lawmaker who supported the closure said Al Jazeera could still try to block it in court.

The measure, the statement said, will include closing Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel, confiscating broadcast equipment, cutting off the channel from cable and satellite companies and blocking its websites.

The network is funded by the Qatari government and has been fiercely critical of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, from where it has reported around the clock throughout the war. The Israeli statement did not mention Al Jazeera’s Gaza operations.

Israel’s parliament last month ratified a law allowing the temporary closure in Israel of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to national security.

Al Jazeera made no immediate comment on Sunday, although it has previously rejected accusations that it was a threat to Israel’s security and said the shutdown was an effort to silence it.

The law allows Netanyahu and his security cabinet to shut the network’s offices in Israel for 45 days, a period that can be renewed, so it could stay in force until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.

Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders, is trying to mediate a ceasefire and hostage release deal that could halt the Gaza war.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jerusalem:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet decided on Sunday to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel for as long as the war in Gaza continues, on the grounds the Qatari television network threatens national security.

“The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” Netanyahu posted on social media following the unanimous cabinet vote.

A government statement said Israel’s communications minister signed orders to “act immediately,” but at least one lawmaker who supported the closure said Al Jazeera could still try to block it in court.

The measure, the statement said, will include closing Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel, confiscating broadcast equipment, cutting off the channel from cable and satellite companies and blocking its websites.

The network is funded by the Qatari government and has been fiercely critical of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, from where it has reported around the clock throughout the war. The Israeli statement did not mention Al Jazeera’s Gaza operations.

Israel’s parliament last month ratified a law allowing the temporary closure in Israel of foreign broadcasters considered to be a threat to national security.

Al Jazeera made no immediate comment on Sunday, although it has previously rejected accusations that it was a threat to Israel’s security and said the shutdown was an effort to silence it.

The law allows Netanyahu and his security cabinet to shut the network’s offices in Israel for 45 days, a period that can be renewed, so it could stay in force until the end of July or until the end of major military operations in Gaza.

Qatar, which hosts Hamas leaders, is trying to mediate a ceasefire and hostage release deal that could halt the Gaza war.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Al Jazeera Media Network logo is seen on its headquarters building in Doha, Qatar. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will shut down satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera immediately.

Mr. Netanyahu vowed to close the “terror channel” after parliament passed a law Monday clearing the way for the country to halt Al Jazeera from broadcasting from Israel.

Mr. Netanyahu accused Al Jazeera of harming Israeli security, participating in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and inciting violence against Israel.

“The terror channel Al Jazeera will not broadcast any longer from Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu wrote on X. “It is my intention to act immediately under the new law to stop the channel’s activities.”

Washington:

The United States is aware of reports that an Al Jazeera journalist was detained by Israeli Defense Forces, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a news briefing on Monday, adding that Washington has sought information from Israel on the incident.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera network accused the Israeli forces of “attacking” its correspondent Ismail Alghoul in Gaza while he was working, saying his equipment was also destroyed.

 IDF was not immediately available for comment on the incident.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)