Israeli forces conduct raid on Al Jazeera office in West Bank

RAMALLAH: Armed Israeli soldiers wearing masks stormed the office of Qatar-based news outlet Al Jazeera in Ramallah, occupied-West Bank early on Sunday morning.

According to Al Jazeera, the Israeli military then declared a 45-day closure on te network’s operations.

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The action is part of ongoing efforts by Israeli movement to limit media  and press reporting on Israeli atrocities in occupied Palestine.

The soldiers entered the premises and delivered the closure ‘order’ to the bureau chief for Al Jazeera for the occupied-West Bank, the network reported.

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During the incident, a soldier said that “there is a court ruling for closing down Al Jazeera for 45 days. I ask you to take all the cameras and leave the office at this moment”.

The raid has been condemned from different media and news outlets, who argue that such actions undermine press freedom and the ability of journalist to operate in conflict zones.

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According to the network itself, Al Jazeera has faced increasing restrictions in recent years, particularly under the current Israeli govemrent led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

There are reports pf Israeli soldiers also seizing and destroying equipment within the Al Jazeeera office. 

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The soldiers even reportedly tore down a poster of Shireen Abu Akleh, who was brutally killed by Israeli solders in 2022 while covering  a raid in Jenin. Israel government decided for a long time her senseless murder, claiming it was in ‘self-defense’.

This is not the first time Israeli authorities raided or destroyed a news outlet office. In 2021, an Israeli airstrike targeted a multistoreyed building housing the office of The Associated Press (AP) in the Gaza Strip.

As per the AP, they had repeatedly contacted Israeli authorities to stop the strike but the occupied govemrent did not respond.