IDF Says 6 Al Jazeera Journalists Are Hamas, Islamic Jihad Militants, Shares Names – News18

Last Updated:October 23, 2024, 23:58 IST

IDF said that they found documents in Gaza that validate their claim.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it found documents in the Gaza Strip that allegedly link six Al Jazeera journalists to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant groups. The IDF said Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salameh, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Sarraj, Ismail Abu Omar and Talal al-Arrouqi are posing as journalists while they are involved in fighting for Hamas and the PIJ.

The IDF has identified Anas al-Sharif as allegedly serving as the leader of a rocket-launching unit and a member of the Nukhba Force within Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion.

Alaa Salameh has been named as the deputy head of the propaganda division for the Shaboura Battalion affiliated with Islamic Jihad.

Hossam Shabat is reportedly a sniper operating within Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion.

Ashraf al-Sarraj has been identified as a member of the Bureij Battalion associated with Islamic Jihad.

Ismail Abu Omar is said to be a training company commander in the East Khan Younis Battalion and was injured in an Israeli airstrike several months ago.

Talal al-Arrouqi is described as a team commander in Hamas’s Nuseirat Battalion.

The military has released documents that it claims contain personnel spreadsheets, lists of training programs, contact directories and salary records.

The IDF asserted that these documents “unequivocally prove” the journalists’ roles as members of the military wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

“These documents are proof of the involvement of Hamas terrorists in the Qatari media network, Al-Jazeera,” the IDF said in a statement.

Location :

Tel Aviv, Israel