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Media Give Platform to Gaza Journalists Who Infiltrated Israel or Praised Hamas Massacre
The bodies of people, some of them elderly, lie on a street after they were killed during a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, southern Israel, Oct. 7, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ammar Awad
International media outlets have given an uncritical platform over the last month to independent Gaza journalists and social media influencers who either infiltrated Israel to cover Hamas’ atrocities on October 7, or praised them.
The New York Times, Reuters, NBC News and LA Times have legitimized these journalists’ and influencers’ presence inside Israel — or their extremist views — by using their materials or quoting them as reliable witnesses.
On October 9, two days after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel and despite plenty of other sources to rely upon, The New York Times published a piece putting front and center a Gaza reporter who broadcast live from the massacre.
Muthana Al-Najjar, an independent Gaza-based journalist who operates a Telegram channel with over 200k subscribers, entered Israel on October 7 to document the butchering of Israelis by Hamas.
His stand-up to camera from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, as gunshots are heard in the background, shocked many Israelis that day. He did not wear a press vest or a helmet to make him identifiable as a member of the press. He clearly did not feel under threat from the Hamas terrorists in his midst. He also shared a picture showing two of the terrorists triumphantly stepping on the body of a murdered Israeli, with a comment translated from Arabic: “Their dead under the feet of the warriors of al-Qassam Brigades.”
Yet The New York Times didn’t see any problem in dedicating an empathetic piece to Al-Najjar’s October 7 coverage (in the middle section of this news wrap). He was even interviewed to give a first-hand account:
Mr. Al-Najjar, a freelance reporter who posted the footage to social media, initially entered Israel through a breach in the fence along the perimeter with Gaza. He said it was the first time he had ever left Gaza in his life, because of the blockade imposed by Israel and backed by Egypt that restricts movement in and out of the enclave.
While women were raped, families tortured to death and children burnt alive, The New York Times still made sure to highlight how it was the first time Al-Najjar set foot — like the terrorists — on Israel’s territory. And the terrorists clearly let him do his job uninterrupted.
The piece also mentions Al-Najjar’s filming the kidnapping of a terrified mother and her two children and a video in which he seems to document himself taking a ride on a motorbike into the kibbutz where the abduction took place.
The author of the piece, Yousur Al-Hlou, attempts to humanize Al-Najjar by including sentences like: “The person filming, Muthana Al-Najjar, a 39-year-old from Gaza, can be heard asking the gunmen not to harm them.”
The piece shamefully ends with Al-Najjar’s quote concerning dead terrorists he had recognized, which makes it seem as if they were victims rather than perpetrators:
Mr. Al-Najjar said that as he was leaving Nir Oz, he saw at least two gunmen whose faces he recognized lying dead in a field, and he thought there were likely others.
“There are dozens missing there, as well as dead and injured,” Mr. Al-Najjar said. “No one knows how many.”
It is worth noting that Al-Hlou is also the author of a piece published by The New York Times on November 9, featuring a video by none other than discredited photojournalist Hassan Eslaiah, who was exposed by HonestReporting a day earlier and whose acquaintance with Yahya Sinwar — the Hamas mastermind of the October 7 attacks — has been made public.
The piece presents the work of three Gazan self-proclaimed journalists (see below for further details on two of them). It does clarify they are not neutral observers. But it includes an Instagram video featuring one of them that — according to the Arabic watermark (circled in red in the screenshot above) — has been shot by Eslaiah. It seems like Eslaiah even interviewed the person he had filmed, although the question answered is edited out.
While one can only hope that Al-Hlou and her editors at The New York Times missed this tiny detail, they should have done a better job checking the source of what they wished to present to their audience. Especially considering CNN and AP announced within hours after the HonestReporting expose that they had cut ties with Eslaiah.
Reuters, LA Times and NBC News Rely on Influencers Who Praised Hamas Attack
Furthermore, a joint investigation by The Jerusalem Post and HonestReporting has revealed the names of several Gazan social media influencers who have praised Hamas’ October 7th attack, and whose work is used, reported on, or relied upon by international media.
One of them is Doaa Rouqa, a freelance Reuters photojournalist, who has over 270k followers on Instagram. On October 7, she posted praise for Hamas’ attack on her Facebook page.
One post reads in Arabic: “October, Gaza, Glorious — history will record. Alaqsa flood.” Another, showing a picture of Hamas terrorists inside Israel, reads: “May God protect them. #alAqsa Flood … A morning and day like no other on the road to liberation and great victory, God willing.”
This overt support for terror did not prevent Reuters from buying her photos, which according to the news agency’s database, mainly feature Gazans suffering at Al-Shifa Hospital.
Did Reuters check Rouqa’s background or ask about her ability to deliver impartial coverage from where, according to the Israeli army, Hamas commanders are hiding?
Other outlets, like NBC News, have written about “the unfiltered coverage” of popular digital creators like Motaz Azaiza or Hind Khoudary:
The unfiltered coverage, as seen in the Instagram post below, adds a unique element to the broader journalistic efforts to capture what’s happening in Gaza.
But NBC News failed to mention that Khoudary is a Hamas collaborator who had turned Palestinians working for peace with Israelis over to Hamas.
It also failed to mention that Azaiza had posted on social media platform X a video of the kidnapping of Israelis into Gaza. He also posted a video showing Hamas terrorists inside Israel with a triumphant caption reading in Arabic: “The Gazans entered the settlements!!!!!!!! With jeeps we see in the streets of Gaza.”
The piece includes a video of Khoudary and Azaiza shot by another Gaza influencer with 2.4 million followers on Instagram, Ahmed Hijazee. On October 7, Hijazee posted on X the following praise for Hamas’ October 7 attack with a heart emoji and a Palestinian flag: “The men of the resistance are traveling inside our occupied territory.”
He also posted a video showing the terrorists celebrating over the mutilated body of an Israeli soldier, with an emoji of a handshake and a comment saying in Arabic: “The talk is about kidnapping a soldier and bringing him to the center of Bani Shaila. He was presented in front of the people.”
Khoudary and Azaiza are also mentioned in a Los Angeles Times piece from October 29. The piece quotes them as unbiased witnesses who had bravely shared their experiences of a weekend blackout in Gaza. Nowhere does it mention Khoudary’s background or Azaiza’s uploads.
International media should not be a careless mouthpiece for pro-Hamas voices. They should not lend legitimacy or credibility to people who praise terrorism.
The least they can do is properly vet and question the Gazan journalists and social media influencers they give a platform to or rely upon, bearing in mind how the territory is run by a terrorist organization that controls the flow of information.
The audience has a right to know that these people are not neutral bystanders supplying objective materials and information. The media have a duty to exercise transparency.
The post Media Give Platform to Gaza Journalists Who Infiltrated Israel or Praised Hamas Massacre first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hezbollah Says Lebanon Move on Army Plan Is ‘Opportunity,’ Urges Israel to Commit to Ceasefire
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and members of the cabinet stand as they attend a cabinet session to discuss the army’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, September 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms “an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown.”
Lebanon’s cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
But it said continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon would hamper the army’s progress. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lebanese information minister Paul Morcos stopped short of saying the cabinet had formally approved the plan.
Qmati told Reuters that Hezbollah had reached its assessment based on the government’s declaration on Friday that further implementation of a US roadmap on the matter was dependent on Israel’s commitment. He said that without Israel halting strikes and withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon, Lebanon’s implementation of the plan should remain “suspended until further notice.”
Lebanon’s cabinet last month tasked the army with coming up with a plan that would establish a state monopoly on arms and approved a US roadmap aimed at disarming Hezbollah in exchange for a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.
Qmati said that Hezbollah “unequivocally rejected” those two decisions and expected the Lebanese government to draw up a national defense strategy.
Israel last week signaled it would scale back its military presence in southern Lebanon if the army took action to disarm Hezbollah. Meanwhile, it has continued its strikes, killing four people on Wednesday.
A national divide over Hezbollah’s disarmament has taken center stage in Lebanon since last year’s devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Iran-backed Shi’ite Muslim group.
Lebanon is under pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah’s domestic rivals to disarm the group. But Hezbollah has pushed back, saying it would be a serious misstep to even discuss disarmament while Israel continues its air strikes on Lebanon and occupies swathes of territory in the south.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem last month raised the specter of civil war, warning the government against trying to confront the group and saying street protests were possible.
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UK Police Arrest Dozens at Latest Protest for Banned Palestine Action
Demonstrators attend the “Lift The Ban” rally organised by Defend Our Juries, challenging the British government’s proscription of “Palestine Action” under anti-terrorism laws, in Parliament Square, in London, Britain, September 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
British police arrested dozens more people on Saturday under anti-terrorism laws for demonstrating in support of Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned by the government as a terrorist organization.
Britain banned Palestine Action under anti-terrorism legislation in July after some of its members broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged military planes. The group accuses Britain’s government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
Police have arrested hundreds of Palestine Action supporters in recent weeks under anti-terrorism legislation, including over 500 in just one day last month, many of them over the age of 60.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered near parliament in central London to protest against the ban on Saturday, with many holding up signs that said: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said officers had begun arresting those expressing support for Palestine Action. Police did not say how many arrests were made but a Reuters witness said dozens of people were detained.
Palestine Action’s ban, or proscription, puts the group alongside al-Qaeda and ISIS and makes it a crime to support or belong to the organization, punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
“I can be unequivocal, if you show support for Palestine Action – an offense under the Terrorism Act – you will be arrested,” Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said on Friday. “We have the officer numbers, custody capacity and all other resources to process as many people as is required.”
Human rights groups have criticized Britain’s decision to ban the group as disproportionate and say it limits the freedom of expression of peaceful protesters.
The government has accused Palestine Action of causing millions of pounds worth of criminal damage and says the ban does not prevent other pro-Palestinian protests.
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Macron’s Meeting with American Jewry ‘Won’t Happen’ Amid Palestinian Recognition Drive, Surge in Antisemitism
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference in Paris, France, June 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
i24 News – French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to set up a meeting with American Jewish leaders later this month on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
i24NEWS has learned that the meeting won’t happen, firstly because Macron was only available for the meeting ahead of the UN General Assembly during Rosh Hashanah, and yet, a person invited to meet with Macron and who has knowledge of the discussions told i24NEWS the sit-down simply wasn’t going to happen, anyway.
“I think the organizations, for the most part, would not have participated,” the person said, adding that AIPAC, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee would have likely received invitations, among other entities.
“The guy has a 15% popularity rating in France. It’s not our job to help him out,” the person said.
Asked by i24NEWS whether Macron’s push for greater Palestinian state recognition or his lack of action in tackling antisemitism at home led to the stance of organized American Jewry, the person said it’s more of “the climate” which allows one to say ‘Look, the American Jews met with me,’ regardless of the content.”
The person said they are sure, if a meeting would have happened, that everybody in the room would have taken a hard line with Macron, including his “statements on Israel, the failure to respond to antisemitism” and France’s announcement this summer that it will recognize a Palestinian state later this month, and is leading an effort to get more countries to do the same.
But, the person told i24NEWS they are convinced that, in the end, while no final decision actually had to be taken, there was enough pressure that a consensus would have been reached to decline the meeting.
Of the timing of Rosh Hashanah allowing for leadership to not be forced to officially say no to Macron, the person said “G-d saves us every time.”
Another source familiar with the matter noted that it cannot be ruled out that Macron may eventually succeed in arranging a meeting with certain representatives, as the organizations are not a single unified body. However, he is unlikely to be welcomed by the overwhelming majority of groups representing American Jewry.
i24NEWS has also learned that French President Emmanuel Macron explored the possibility of visiting Israel ahead of the convention, but was advised by the Prime Minister’s Office that the timing was inappropriate. The message came as Macron continues to push for recognition of a Palestinian state, a move Israel strongly opposes. Sources further told i24NEWS that Israel is weighing additional retaliatory measures against Macron, including the potential closure of the French consulate in Jerusalem, which primarily serves Palestinians in the West Bank.