Hamas TV switches broadcaster as French satellite pulls the plug

After going briefly off air due to Hollande’s intervention, terrorist group finds new transmitter for its Al-Aqsa channel

Palestinian terror group Hamas was forced to find a new broadcaster for its Al-Aqsa TV channel on Friday after French satellite giant Eutelsat halted transmissions.

The move came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday called French President Francois Hollande, the Hebrew-language Walla website reported. Netanyahu asked Hollande to intervene to halt the broadcast of Al-Aqsa, and Eutelsat agreed. Netanyahu thanked the president for helping prevent incitement against Israelis and Jews, Walla said.

But the channel was not off air for long, according to the Ynet news website. The terror group on Friday announced it had a new satellite broadcaster, and provided details of the new frequencies.

Still, it was unclear whether Al-Aqsa would have the same audience figures as before, or could even be seen at all in Europe. Eutelsat satellites transmit broadcasts from more than 6,000 channels, covering Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The company reportedly reaches over 270 million homes around the world.

An image of Tel Aviv terrorist Nashat Milhem aired by Hamas, which hacked into satellite broadcasts of an Israeli TV show on Friday, March 11, 2016 (screen capture: Channel 2)

In possible retribution, Hamas on Friday night hacked into private satellite dishes broadcasting Israel’s Channel 2 station, airing a chilling warning that it would never stop attacking Israeli targets.

“Get out of our country,” the message said in Hebrew and Arabic, against a backdrop of footage from terror attacks and funerals in Israel, along with cartoons of would-be attackers armed with guns, hatchets and knives. The three-and-a-half minute interruption also included footage of Arab Israeli terrorist Nashat Nilhem, who gunned down three people in a January 1 shooting spree in Tel Aviv.

The hack was followed by a volley of rocket fire from Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas. All four rockets fell in open areas in southern Israel.

Israel on Thursday night raided a West Bank television station affiliated to Palestinian terror group Islamic Jihad, shutting the offices and confiscating equipment, as part of a crackdown on Palestinian incitement.