Israeli authorities seized camera and transmission equipment from the Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the US news agency of violating a ban they had imposed on Al Jazeera.
The complaint was filed by AP, which has a Qatari satellite channel among the thousands of clients receiving live video feeds from the agency.
The Israeli government ordered the closure of Al Jazeera’s offices in Israel on May 5, and also banned the Qatari channel’s website from broadcasting in the country.
The AP “strongly regrets the Israeli government’s actions in ending our long-running live coverage of Gaza and confiscating AP equipment,” Lauren Easton, the agency’s vice president of corporate communications, said in a statement.
Representatives from the Ministry of Communications arrived at AP’s facilities in the southern city of Sderot this afternoon (local time) and confiscated the equipment.
They provided the AP with a document signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi alleging the agency was violating the Foreign Broadcasters Law.
Shortly before the equipment was seized, the AP reported an overall picture of the northern Gaza Strip.
The agency said it complied with Israeli military censorship rules, which prohibit broadcasting details such as troop movements that could endanger soldiers.
According to the AP, live footage typically shows smoke rising from the ground.
The detention followed a verbal order Thursday to stop live broadcasting, which the news organization refused to do.
“The termination was not based on the content of the broadcast, but rather on the Israeli government’s abuse of the country’s new foreign broadcast law,” Easton said.
The agency’s vice president asked Israeli authorities to return the equipment and allow the live broadcast to resume.
It’s about being able to “continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world,” he added.
The Israeli Ministry of Communications also said in a statement that it “will continue to take all necessary measures to limit emissions that harm the security of the state.”
The Israeli government has long had a difficult relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing the Qatari channel of bias against Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “terrorist channel” broadcasting incitement against Israel.
Al Jazeera is one of the few international news channels remaining in Gaza during the war, broadcasting scenes of airstrikes and overcrowded hospitals and blaming Israel for mass killings.
The war in the Gaza Strip began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took more than two hundred hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
More than 35,600 Palestinians have since been killed in the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants when counting casualties.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.