Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Al Jazeera of involvement in the October 7 Hamas attacks. Netanyahu stated that the channel was harming Israeli security and pledged to close its operations in the country. The Knesset passed legislation on Monday empowering the government to shut down foreign news networks. Netanyahu announced on his official platform that Al Jazeera would no longer broadcast from Israel, and he planned to act immediately under the new law to halt the channel’s activities.
Al Jazeera responded, claiming that its office was bombed after the Hamas attacks, and condemned Israel’s actions as part of a series of attacks against the network. The network also stated that one of its journalists was killed in Israel before the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
The recently enacted law allows the Israeli government to ban any foreign news network considered a ‘security risk.’
In a separate development, thousands of Israelis rallied in Jerusalem, calling for Netanyahu’s resignation and more efforts to release captives held in Gaza. The protesters closed a major municipal route after demonstrating in front of the Israeli parliament on Sunday night.
Netanyahu faces mounting pressure as opponents of his right-wing government join forces with families of the roughly one hundred hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. Hamas took approximately 250 prisoners on October 7, with Israel estimating that 130 are still in Gaza and 33 are believed to be dead.
