Israeli forces have raided the West Bank office of news network Al Jazeera and ordered it to shut down.
The early morning raid in the city of Ramallah sparked condemnation, with the Foreign Press Association urging Israel to reconsider and saying the action “threatens press freedom”.
Al Jazeera, a Qatar-funded broadcaster, aired footage of Israeli troops ordering the office to be shut for 45 days live on its Arabic-language channel.
The network later aired what appeared to be Israeli troops tearing down a banner on a balcony used by the Al Jazeera office. The media company said it bore an image of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist shot dead by Israeli forces in May 2022.
Follow the latest updates on the Middle East
Ramallah bureau chief Walid al Omari said the Israeli order to shut down accused Al Jazeera of “incitement to and support of terrorism”.
He said the soldiers had confiscated the office’s cameras before leaving.
The news outlet later called the raid “a criminal act” and held the Israeli government responsible for the safety of its journalists.
In a statement, the network added it would take legal action to protect its rights and promised to continue its coverage.
“Al Jazeera rejects the draconian actions, and the unfounded allegations presented by Israeli authorities to justify these illegal raids,” it said.
Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi said in a statement confirming the closure that Al Jazeera was “the mouthpiece” of Gaza’s Hamas and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“We will continue to fight in the enemy channels and ensure the safety of our heroic fighters,” Mr Karhi said.
The country’s military said the channel’s offices had been sealed and its equipment confiscated.
A closure order by the Israeli Army is put up on the door to the Ramallah Al Jazeera office. Pic: Reuters
The raid and order to shut Al Jazeera’s office was met with condemnation. The Foreign Press Association said it was “deeply troubled by this escalation”.
“Restricting foreign reporters and closing news channels signals a shift away from democratic values,” the association said.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate also denounced the Israeli raid and order to shut.
Israeli soldiers on a street near the Al Jazeera office in Ramallah this morning. Pic: Reuters
“This arbitrary military decision is a new aggression against journalistic work and media outlets,” it said.
In May, Israeli police raided Al Jazeera’s broadcast position in East Jerusalem, seizing equipment there, preventing its broadcasts in Israel and blocking its websites.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Al Jazeera has maintained 24-hour coverage in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s grinding ground offensive.
It has accused Israeli authorities of deliberately targeting and killing several of its journalists, including Samer Abu Daqqa and Hamza al Dahdooh, who were both killed in Gaza during the conflict.
Al Jazeera has also previously rejected accusations that it harmed Israel’s security as a “dangerous and ridiculous lie” that puts its journalists at risk.