Israel reveals that Hamas has a secret channel of communication with Al Jazeera

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday disclosed documents proving close cooperation between Hamas and Qatari news network Al Jazeera.

The revelation came a day after the Israeli military confirmed that six journalists from the Arab media outlet in the Gaza Strip belonged to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations.

Documents reflecting the relationship between Al Jazeera and Hamas include concealments of failed rocket launches, a ban at the news network on criticizing Hamas, and even the establishment of a secure channel of communication between the Qatari media outlet and the terrorist group.

In 2022, Hamas sent instructions to Al Jazeera to conceal a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad that, instead of crossing into Israeli territory, killed several Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the documents indicate.

On that occasion, Hamas requested that Al Jazeera not use the word massacre to explain what happened and forbade journalists from criticizing the terrorist group.

The documents released by the IDF further show that in the same year, during an Israeli campaign against Islamic Jihad terrorist targets, Hamas instructed journalist Tamer Al-Misshal to support "the resistance" in Gaza and did not allow criticism of the large number of failed launches by Islamic Jihad to be expressed on his program.

The IDF further indicated that in 2023, Hamas established a secure line with Al Jazeera in order to be able to communicate with the Qatari media in secret and in emergency situations. The terrorist group dubbed this confidential communication channel "Al Jazeera Phone."

The documents reveal that "Hamas directs Al Jazeera's media coverage to serve its own interests, preventing the public in Gaza and around the world from discovering the truth about its crimes against Gazan civilians," the Israeli military said.

Israel revealed that six journalists from Al Jazeera are Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists

As mentioned, the IDF revealed in a statement issued on Wednesday that six journalists from Al Jazeera belong to the Palestinian terrorist organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The Israeli military indicated that, based on intelligence information and numerous documents found during a series of operations in the Gaza Strip, it was able to confirm that Anas Al-Sharif, Alaa Salama, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf Saraj, Ismail Abu Amr and Talal Aruki, six journalists from Al Jazeera in Palestinian coastal territory, are in fact terrorists.

Abu Amr was injured during an IDF offensive in Gaza. While Al Jazeera denied he was a member of Hamas, documents recovered by Israel show that the Qatari news network lied.

The IDF added that the documents that were discovered included lists of training courses for terrorist activities, phone books and invoices, among other things.

The Israeli military remarked that most of the journalists the IDF revealed as members of Hamas' military wing lead everything related to the terrorist group's propaganda on Al Jazeera, especially in northern Gaza.

Al Jazeera: A nest of Islamic terrorists

This is not the first time Israel has accused Al Jazeera employees of being involved in terrorist activities.

Throughout the war between Israel and Hamas following the Oct. 7 massacre, the Jewish state has accused other Al Jazeera journalists of being part of the ranks of this terrorist organization and Islamic Jihad.

American journalist Jonathan Schanzer mentioned some of them in an article published in Commentary earlier this year. Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists disguised as journalists included Ismail al-Ghoul, Ismail Abu Omar, Hamza al-Dahdouh (who was killed in an IDF operation), Mustafa Thuraya and Muhammad Wishah.