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Foreign Media Journalists in Gaza Participated in Hamas’ ‘Loyalty’ Day
An aerial view shows the bodies of victims of an attack following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip lying on the ground in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, Oct. 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg
Journalists working for foreign media outlets in Gaza have participated in Hamas’ “Day of Loyalty to the Palestinian Journalist” — an annual event hosted by the terror group’s Government Media Office with the stated aim of aligning the media with Hamas’ agenda — an exclusive HonestReporting investigation revealed.
Here are the highlights:
AP’s staff photographer Hatem Moussa delivered a video address at Hamas’ 2014 Loyalty Day event. It appears that his message was displayed on the same screen as the message of Abu Ubaida, the terror group’s military wing spokesperson. It was also published in propaganda style by Hamas’ official news agency.
AP’s photographer Fatima Shbair and AFP’s Mohammed Baba spoke in a promotional video for the 2021 event, in which they were also honored by Hamas for receiving international awards.
Two journalists were honored in the 2021 event as Hamas media office’s “work partners:” Yasser Qudih, who infiltrated into Israel on October 7 and recently won the Pulitzer Prize with Reuters’ photography staff, and The New York Times’ photographer Samar abu Elouf, who recently won the prestigious Polk Award.
At the 2022 event, two journalists were honored for serving on the judging panel of the Government Media Office’s media contest: Reuters cameraman Fadi Shanaa and AP’s Adel Hana, whom we exposed for teaching Hamas’ media courses.
Other journalists were honored in 2021 and 2022 for winning international awards. These included Reuters photographer Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, who recently also won the 2024 Staff Photography Pulitzer, and AP photographer Khalil Hamra.
In 2022, the terror group also gave monetary awards to two journalists who were exposed by HonestReporting for their infiltration into Israel and their links to Hamas — Hassan Eslaiah, who worked for AP and CNN, and Ashraf Amra who worked for Reuters.
The following details were compiled based on a review of Palestinian social and mainstream media. HonestReporting has reached out to the relevant media agencies for comment.
Message For Hamas
AP’s award-winning photographer Hatem Moussa, who has been working for the agency since 1998, delivered a recorded video message at Hamas’ Day of Loyalty event on December 31, 2014.
His address, in which he mainly thanked fellow journalists, was recorded after his injury in the 2014 Gaza war and posted by a colleague on Facebook.
But according to Hamas’ news agency, al-Rai, which seems to have added “context” to his words, his message was to expose “the occupation’s practices and crimes against Palestinians.”
And what’s most disturbing is that the report includes a picture of another speaker at the event, whose message was apparently displayed on the same screen: Abu Ubaida, Hamas’ military wing spokesperson, who threatened to kill Israeli hostages at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war:
Hamas’ Abu Ubaida address
AP’s Hatem Moussa’s address.
It goes without saying that a journalist working for one of the world’s top media outlets cannot participate in an official Hamas event, nor deliver any message there while apparently sharing a stage with an armed terrorist. It compromises his objectivity and exposes disturbing ties to a proscribed terror group.
Moreover, it directly aids Hamas, which used Moussa’s appearance for its own propagandist goals.
Serving Hamas
Moussa’s colleague, AP’s photographer Fatima Shbair, followed suit. Her message, as well as that of AFP’s photographer Mohammed Baba, was included in a promotional video featuring award-winning journalists honored by Hamas in the December 31, 2021, Loyalty Day event.
Both Shbair and Baba thanked the Hamas Media Office in a gushing display of emotion, with Shbair calling its efforts “incredible” and Baba voicing hope the office will “adhere to its pledge.”
Here are the translated relevant clips from the full promo, which was shared on the Office’s Facebook page:
As long as the battle continues, we must continue conveying the truth, and getting this picture out to the world. What the Government Press Office does every year to honor Palestinian journalists and their efforts on the ground is incredible. It encourages all of the journalists to carry on with the mission.
To the Government Press Office, which every year celebrates and honors journalists and photographers, I say this: This demonstrates your connection to the journalists, and I hope you will always adhere to your pledge.
When journalists from the world’s leading news agencies appear in a propaganda video for Hamas, their journalistic integrity is as good as gone. They practically voice support and allegiance to the terror group’s agenda.
But they’re not alone.
In the 2021 and 2022 Loyalty Day events, several journalists working for international media were honored by Hamas for working with the Government Media Office, serving as judges in the Office’s media contest, or winning international awards.
In 2021, according to a Facebook Live stream posted on the Office’s page, those honored as its “work partners” were photographers Yasser Qudih and Samar Abu Elouf.
Qudih infiltrated into Israel on October 7 and recently won the Pulitzer Prize with Reuters Photography Staff, and Elouf —– who was also honored at the event for winning an international award — is a New York Times photographer, who recently won the prestigious Polk Award.
Hamas Media Office honors Yasser Qudih.
Hamas Media Office honors The New York Times’ freelancer Samar Abu Elouf.
In 2022, as seen in another Facebook Live of the annual event, Hamas honored AP’s veteran photographer Adel Hana and Reuters cameraman Fadi Shanaa, for serving on a judging panel for one of its media contests. Both donned an official scarf of the Hamas Government Media Office:
Hamas Media Office honors AP’s Adel Hana.
Hamas Media Office honors Reuters’ Fadi Shanaa.
Elouf’s and Hana’s commendation by Hamas is hardly surprising — Elouf had also spoken at a Hamas event she was honored at in 2012, as revealed by media analyst Eitan Fischberger.
And Hana was exposed by HonesReporting last July as having instructed media training courses supervised by the Hamas-run Information Ministry.
But the fact that they and other foreign media journalists in Gaza have actively served the Hamas government as “work partners” or official judges paints an even darker picture, equivalent to serving the Nazi propaganda ministry of Joseph Goebbels. Because those chosen for such positions are most likely those who abide by the standards that serve the propagandist terrorists, not the standards of ethical journalism.
Other journalists in the 2021 and 2022 events played a more passive yet unethical role by receiving honors for winning international awards. These included Reuters photographer Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, who recently also won the 2024 Staff Photography Pulitzer, and AP photographer Khalil Hamra.
How objective can their coverage of Hamas be after receiving such honors from them?
Hamas Media Office honors Reuters freelancer Ibraheem Abu Mustafa.
Hamas Media Office honors AP’s Khalil Hamra.
Lastly, Hamas has also given monetary awards to show its “loyalty” to Gazan journalists — making it clear that the equation is in fact the opposite.
Among those receiving the de-facto bribery in 2022 were two journalists exposed by HonestReporting last year: Hassan Eslaiah, who infiltrated into Israel on October 7 and was fired from CNN and AP after the exposure of his cozy photo with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. And Ashraf Amra, who worked for Reuters and shared a call on social media to infiltrate into the Jewish state.
No Transparency
The fact that the “Loyalty Day for the Palestinian Journalist” is organized by a so-called “government” body (as opposed to a military one) shouldn’t confuse anyone — the media office is de-facto run by Hamas.
And the office’s head, Salama Maarouf, is a Hamas official who shares podiums with figures like Ghazi Hamad, who vowed to repeat the October 7 massacre, in which 1,200 people were slaughtered in Israel:
Head of Hamas Government Media Office, Salama Maarouf (middle), delivering statement near Hamas official Ghazi Hamad (right).
Because these figures are in power, the extravagant show of “loyalty” to journalists in Gaza is in fact a show of deterrence to anyone who is not loyal to Hamas’ agenda.
For example, here is what Maarouf said back in 2015 about the purpose of the Loyalty Day:
Marouf explained that the “Day of Loyalty to the Palestinian Journalist” has been firmly established as part of the Palestinian national agenda, not just the media’s, emphasizing that the compass of the resistance should also be the compass of the Palestinian journalist.
The conclusion is clear: Whether they willingly cooperated with Hamas or not, these Gaza journalists cannot be objective. The give-and-take relationship with the terror group is too deep and official to detach from.
International media outlets must be transparent about the fact that their news from Gaza is one-sided.
They should also look into their journalists’ official and personal relations with Hamas, and discipline those who actively cooperate with the terrorists.
News consumers deserve nothing less.
HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Foreign Media Journalists in Gaza Participated in Hamas’ ‘Loyalty’ Day first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Security Warning to Israelis Vacationing Abroad Ahead of holidays
A passenger arrives to a terminal at Ben Gurion international airport before Israel bans international flights, January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) published the latest threat assessment to Israelis abroad from terrorist groups to the public on Sunday, in order to increase the Israeli public’s awareness of the existing terrorist threats around the world and encourage individuals to take preventive action accordingly.
The NSC specified that the warning is an up-to-date reflection of the main trends in the activities of terrorist groups around the world and their impact on the level of threat posed to Israelis abroad during these times, but the travel warnings and restrictions themselves are not new.
“As the Gaza war continues and in parallel with the increasing threat of terrorism, the National Security Headquarters stated it has recognized a trend of worsening and increasing violent antisemitic incidents and escalating steps by anti-Israel groups, to the point of physically harming Israelis and Jews abroad. This is in light of, among other things, the anti-Israel narrative and the negative media campaign by pro-Palestinian elements — a trend that may encourage and motivate extremist elements to carry out terrorist activities against Israelis or Jews abroad,” the statement read.
“Therefore, the National Security Bureau is reinforcing its recommendation to the Israeli public to act with responsibility during this time when traveling abroad, to check the status of the National Security Bureau’s travel warnings (before purchasing tickets to the destination,) and to act in accordance with the travel warning recommendations and the level of risk in the country they are visiting,” it listed, adding that, as illustrated in the past year, these warnings are well-founded and reflect a tangible and valid threat potential.
The statement also emphasized the risk of sharing content on social media networks indicating current or past service in the Israeli security forces, as these posts increase the risk of being marked by various parties as a target. “Therefore, the National Security Council recommends that you do not upload to social networks, in any way, content that indicates service in the security forces, operational activity, or similar content, as well as real-time locations.”
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Israel Intensifies Gaza City Bombing as Rubio Arrives
Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip September 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Israeli forces destroyed at least 30 residential buildings in Gaza City and forced thousands of people from their homes, Palestinian officials said, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Sunday to discuss the future of the conflict.
Israel has said it plans to seize the city, where about a million Palestinians have been sheltering, as part of its declared aim of eliminating the terrorist group Hamas, and has intensified attacks on what it has called Hamas’ last bastion.
The group’s political leadership, which has engaged in on-and-off negotiations on a possible ceasefire and hostage release deal, was targeted by Israel in an airstrike in Doha on Tuesday in an attack that drew widespread condemnation.
Qatar will host an emergency Arab-Islamic summit on Monday to discuss the next moves. Rubio said Washington wanted to talk about how to free the 48 hostages – of whom 20 are believed to be still alive – still held by Hamas in Gaza and rebuild the coastal strip.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them (the Israeli leadership). We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” Rubio said before heading to Israel where he will stay until Tuesday.
ABRAHAM ACCORDS AT RISK
He was expected to visit the Western Wall Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem on Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and hold talks with him during the visit.
US officials described Tuesday’s strike on the territory of a close US ally as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests. Rubio and US President Donald Trump both met Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Friday.
Netanyahu signed an agreement on Thursday to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state – a move the United Arab Emirates warned would undermine the US-brokered Abraham accords that normalized UAE relations with Israel.
Israel, which blocked all food from entering Gaza for 11 weeks earlier this year, has been allowing more aid into the enclave since late July to prevent further food shortages, though the United Nations says far more is needed.
It says it wants civilians to leave Gaza City before it sends more ground forces in. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to have left but hundreds of thousands remain in the area. Hamas has called on people not to leave.
Israeli army forces have been operating inside at least four eastern suburbs for weeks, turning most of at least three of them into wastelands. It is closing in on the center and the western areas of the territory, where most of the displaced people are taking shelter.
Many are reluctant to leave, saying there is not enough space or safety in the south, where Israel has told them to go to what it has designated as a humanitarian zone.
Some say they cannot afford to leave while others say they were hoping the Arab leaders meeting on Monday in Qatar would pressure Israel to scrap its planned offensive.
“The bombardment intensified everywhere and we took down the tents, more than twenty families, we do not know where to go,” said Musbah Al-Kafarna, displaced in Gaza City.
Israel said it had completed five waves of air strikes on Gaza City over the past week, targeting more than 500 sites, including Hamas reconnaissance and sniper sites, buildings containing tunnel openings and weapons depots.
Local officials, who do not distinguish between militant and civilian casualties, say at least 40 people were killed by Israeli fire across the enclave, a least 28 in Gaza City alone.
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Turkey Warns of Escalation as Israel Expands Strikes Beyond Gaza
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not seen) at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, May 13, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas
i24 News – An Israeli strike targeting Hamas officials in Qatar has sparked unease among several Middle Eastern countries that host leaders of the group, with Turkey among the most alarmed.
Officials in Ankara are increasingly worried about how far Israel might go in pursuing those it holds responsible for the October 7 attacks.
Israel’s prime minister effectively acknowledged that the Qatar operation failed to eliminate the Hamas leadership, while stressing the broader point the strike was meant to make: “They enjoy no immunity,” the government said.
On X, Prime Minister Netanyahu went further, writing that “the elimination of Hamas leaders would put an end to the war.”
A senior Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, summed up Ankara’s reaction: “The attack in Qatar showed that the Israeli government is ready to do anything.”
Legally and diplomatically, Turkey occupies a delicate position. As a NATO member, any military operation or targeted killing on its soil could inflame tensions within the alliance and challenge mutual security commitments.
Analysts caution, however, that Israel could opt for covert measures, operations carried out without public acknowledgement, a prospect that has increased anxiety in governments across the region.
Israeli officials remain defiant. In an interview with Ynet, Minister Ze’ev Elkin said: “As long as we have not stopped them, we will pursue them everywhere in the world and settle our accounts with them.” The episode underscores growing fears that efforts to hunt Hamas figures beyond Gaza could widen regional friction and complicate diplomatic relationships.