Israel’s government has moved to shut down the operations of the Al Jazeera television network in the country, branding it a mouthpiece for Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the cabinet agreed to the closure while the war in Gaza is ongoing.
Police raided the Qatari broadcaster’s office at the Ambassador hotel in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Al Jazeera called claims it was a threat to Israeli security a “dangerous and ridiculous lie”.
The channel said it reserved the right to “pursue every legal step”.
Israel’s communications minister Shlomo Karhi said equipment had been taken in the raid.
A video posted by the minister on X / Twitter shows police officers and inspectors from the ministry of communications entering a hotel room.
According to Reuters, the Israeli satellite service Yes displayed a message that read: “In accordance with the government decision, the Al Jazeera station’s broadcasts have been stopped in Israel.”
The blockage is effectively only partial, however, as the channel is still accessible through Facebook in Israel.
Foreign journalists are prohibited from entering Gaza, and Al Jazeera staff were the only reporters on the ground.
Israeli authorities have for years accused the network of anti-Israel bias.
Their criticism of the channel has intensified since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. Some 128 of the hostages are still missing, and at least 34 are presumed dead, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Last month, Israel’s parliament passed a law giving the government the power to temporarily shut down foreign broadcasters deemed a threat to national security during the war with Hamas.
Communications Minister Karhi said the ban “takes immediate effect”. You must recertify every 45 days.
According to the interim order, this could lead to the closure of offices, removal of Al Jazeera’s website and confiscation of equipment.
Qatar, home of Al Jazeera, is mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the conflict, which has now lasted almost seven months.
Previous negotiations brokered by Qatar resulted in a temporary ceasefire and the release of 105 Israeli hostages in November.
Al Jazeera accused Israel of targeting its own personnel.
Journalists were killed in an Israeli airstrike, including Hamza al-Dahdou, son of Al-Jazeera Gaza bureau chief Wael al-Dahdou. Israel denies attacking journalists.
“While Israel is suppressing press freedom in an effort to cover up its crimes by killing and arresting journalists, it does not prevent us from fulfilling our obligations,” the network said in response to Sunday’s ban. I mentioned it in response.