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Israel’s military accused multiple Al Jazeera journalists of being operatives for Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

What Israel is saying: In an announcement, Israel accused six Al Jazeera journalists of being operatives for Hamas and the PIJ, alleging their involvement in terrorist activities while using their media roles to advance Hamas’s propaganda. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have recovered documents in Gaza—such as spreadsheets, training course lists, salary records, and phone logs—that purportedly provide clear evidence linking the journalists to these militant groups. The IDF specifically alleged that some of the accused, like Anas Al-Sharif, were involved in rocket launching squads, while others, such as Alaa Salama, participated in propaganda efforts and sniper activities. Israel argues that these individuals used their positions at Al Jazeera to promote Hamas’s message on an international scale.

What Al Jazeera is saying: Shortly after the IDF’s announcement, Al Jazeera pushed back on the claims, vehemently denying the accusations and accusing Israel of fabricating evidence to silence its reporting from Gaza. The network labeled the claims as baseless and part of a wider effort to target journalists covering the war, particularly following its recent investigations into potential Israeli war crimes. Al Jazeera has also maintained that its journalists were being unfairly portrayed as terrorists and emphasized that they are working under extreme conditions to report on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Journalist organization responds: In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists said they were “aware of accusations made by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against several journalists in Gaza accusing them of being members of militant groups. Israel has repeatedly made similar unproven claims without producing credible evidence. After killing Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail Al Ghoul in July, the IDF previously produced a similar document, which contained contradictory information, showing that Al Ghoul, born in 1997, received a Hamas military ranking in 2007 – when he would have been 10 years old.”