Israeli forces conducted a raid on the offices of Al Jazeera in Ramallah, West Bank early on Sunday, ordering the news broadcaster to shut down for an initial period of 45 days.
Armed and masked soldiers entered the building during a live broadcast, where they presented the closure order to Walid al-Omari, the bureau chief, who read it aloud to viewers.
The operation follows a pattern of previous raids by Israeli authorities, including incidents in Nazareth and occupied East Jerusalem in May, where the Qatari-based network was labelled a threat to national security.
Al-Omari condemned the action, stating, “Targeting journalists this way always aims to erase the truth and prevent people from hearing the truth.”
Witnesses reported that soldiers confiscated equipment from outside the office and removed a poster of Shireen Abu Aqla, a journalist killed by Israeli fire while covering a raid in the West Bank.
Initially, Israel had claimed she was shot by Palestinians, but later assessments indicated a “high probability” that one of its soldiers was responsible.
The relationship between Al Jazeera and the Israeli government has soured considerably since the outbreak of war in Gaza, with the broadcaster being among the few outlets permitted to cover the conflict on the ground.
The Israeli government has repeatedly accused Al Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for terrorism, a claim the network has firmly denied.
In April, a new law was passed by the Israeli parliament granting the government authority to temporarily close foreign media deemed a threat to national security, with 45-day bans that can be renewed.
As of now, the Israeli government has not issued a statement regarding Sunday’s raid.
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