Israeli forces have raided the West Bank office of news network Al Jazeera and ordered it shut down, the network said.
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 live on its Arabic-language channel ordering the office to be shut for 45 days.
The network later aired what appeared to be Israeli troops tearing down a banner on a balcony used by the Al Jazeera office. Al Jazeera said it bore an image of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist shot dead by Israeli forces in May 2022.
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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.
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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 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.
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“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.
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Al Jazeera has maintained 24-hour coverage in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s grinding ground offensive that has killed and wounded members of its staff.
