Israeli troops raided the offices of the satellite news network Al-Jazeera in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early on Sunday.
Israel has also ordered the bureau to shut down amid a widening campaign by Israel targeting the Qatar-funded broadcaster as it covers the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Al Jazeera aired footage of Israeli troops live on its Arabic-language channel ordering the office to be shut for 45 days.
It follows an order issued in May that saw Israeli police raid Al Jazeera’s broadcast position in East Jerusalem, preventing its broadcasts in Israel and blocking its websites. The move marked the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet operating in the country.
Israel-Hizbullah close to ceasefire deal, says Israel’s envoy to Washington
Gaza: Five killed in Israeli air strike on house in Nuseirat refugee camp
Pope reprimands Vatican staff for gossiping, calling it ‘an evil that destroys social life’
The mystery is not why we Irish have responded to Israel’s barbarism. It’s why others have not
However, Al Jazeera has continued operating in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
There was no immediate acknowledgement of the shutdown by Israeli forces. Al Jazeera denounced the move as it continued broadcasting live from Amman in neighbouring Jordan.
The network has reported on the Israeli-Hamas war since the initial cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7th despite the deaths of staff members.
While including on-the-ground reporting of the war’s casualties, its Arabic arm often publishes verbatim video statements from Hamas and other regional militant groups. That has led to Israeli claims that the network has “harmed Israel’s security”. Those claims have been denied by Al Jazeera.