Four top columnists quit UK’s Jewish Chronicle after writer accused of fabrications about Gaza war

Four prominent columnists of The Jewish Chronicle announce their resignation as the British newspaper deals with a scandal involving a freelance writer alleged to have fabricated claims relating to the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.

David Baddiel, Jonathan Freedland, David Aaronovitch and Hadley Freeman say they will no longer write for the Jewish outlet, according to statements and posts on X.

The British newspaper launched an investigation after publishing an article by freelancer Elon Perry this month in which he alleged a document had been uncovered in the Gaza Strip proving that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning to smuggle himself and some of the remaining Israeli hostages kidnapped on October 7, out of Gaza via the Philadelphi Corridor and from there to Iran.

However, the Israel Defense Forces said it was unaware of any such document actually existing, and as the claim was similar to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent talking points, some have speculated that false information was being distributed as part of a disinformation campaign.

The Jewish Chronicle’s initial announcement last week that it was investigating Perry came days after the IDF said it was launching an internal probe after documents recovered from Gaza were recently leaked to foreign press in an apparent attempt to influence public opinion on the hostage negotiations.

Perry has also faced questions about his biography, including his claims to have served as a commando soldier during Operation Entebbe and that he was a professor at Tel Aviv University for 15 years.

“While we understand he did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we were not satisfied with some of his claims,” the Jewish Chronicle said Friday, without further elaborating. “We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr. Perry.”