Hamas condemns closure of Al Jazeera’s Ramallah bureau, says Israel trying to cover up losses

Hamas politburo member Izzat al-Rishq condemns Israel’s decision to close Al Jazeera’s Ramallah bureau.

In a press statement, the official says the measure is a “violation of the freedom of the press… retaliation against [Al Jazeera’s] professional role in exposing the crimes of the occupation” and “an attempt to cover up the actions of the resistance in Gaza, and Hezbollah’s targeting of military bases deep inside [Israeli territory].”

Al-Rishq adds that Hamas “stands in solidarity with Al Jazeera.”

The Qatari channel’s Ramallah bureau was raided this morning by IDF troops, who presented staff with a military closure order for 45 days.

Israel took the network off the air and blocked its broadcasts from inside Israel for 45 days for violating national security in May, following an emergency law passed in April. The ban was renewed four times, subject to court approval by the Tel Aviv-Jaffa District Court. In a June ruling, the court found that there was a direct and causal connection between individuals who have carried out terror attacks inside Israel and the consumption of Al Jazeera content.

It also determined that there was a “close connection” between Al Jazeera and Hamas, that some Al Jazeera reporters in Gaza had become “assistants and partners” to the Palestinian terror group, and that some of them had even carried out terror attacks.