The Qatar-based media network Al Jazeera has received an award from Islamic terrorist outfit Hamas for its alleged ‘unbiased’ coverage of the recent clashes between the terrorist group and Israel Defence Forces.
On Tuesday, terror outfit Hamas released a statement announcing that they had honoured Al Jazeera news network for its coverage of the recent clashes at the Gaza and praised the Qatar-based media group for its coverage of the “Sword of Jerusalem” battle.
The deputy head of the terror outfit Khalil al-Hayya hailed the Qatari channel Al Jazeera for its ‘high professionalism’ during its coverage of the “Sword of Jerusalem” battle and for demonstrating its affiliation with the cause of the ‘oppressed’ Palestinian people. Hamas referred to the recent clashes between Israel and Palestinians and the subsequent terror attacks on Israel as the Battle of the “Sword of Jerusalem”.
Bestowing the award on Al Jazeera for its coverage, Hamas deputy chief Al-Hayya added that they were proud of the Al Jazeera ‘journalists’, who proved themselves to be the knights of speech and sacrifice during the coverage of the events.
Hamas praised Al Jazeera’s “high professionalism,” saying the network “demonstrated its affiliation with the cause of the oppressed Palestinian people.” “We are proud of the effective Al Jazeera crews,” Al-Hayya noted. (https://t.co/5blBBVo53p) https://t.co/CEHQtIXSUj
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) June 10, 2021
Terrorist Al-Hayya claimed that Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the battle was ‘from the heart’ even as it faced “great dangers” from the Israel Defence Forces and the Israeli occupation targeting their headquarters in Gaza.
The Hamas terrorists also saluted Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Givara Budeiri, who was recently arrested by the Israeli forces for instigating a crowd near Sheikh Jarrah compound at East Jerusalem. The Hamas delegation also spoke to the director of Al-Jazeera’s office in Palestine and praised Al Jazeera’s coverage during the clashes.
The delegation included members of the movement’s political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, Issam al-Daalis, Yasser Harb, and leaders Bassem Naim, Fawzi Barhoum, Muhammad Hamada and Hazem Qassem.
Al Jazeera’s links with Hamas
It is important to note that Al Jazeera has been accused of supporting Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and during the clashes, the Israeli Defence Forces had bombed the Al Jalaa building that housed Al Jazeera and other international media outlets, including the Associated Press in Gaza city after they found that the building housed Hamas terrorists.
Following the counter-terror operations, the Israel military said that Al Jalaa tower, which housed offices of major international media outlets, was home to a Hamas intelligence unit that operated several advanced electronic warfare devices meant to interfere with the military’s GPS reception, potentially affecting guided IDF weapons.
A few days after the operation, IDF chief Aviv Kohavi had revealed that journalists, knowingly or unknowingly, drank their morning coffee alongside Hamas electronics experts at the tower’s ground-level cafeteria.
Palestinian terror attacks against Israel
The nation of Israel and the Hamas terrorist forces were recently locked in a fierce battle, one of the worst in recent years. What was triggered from attacks on Israeli policemen at the Al Aqsa mosque, soon worsened to a military conflict. Hamas had fired thousands of rockets on Israel, targeted civilians, and Israel had opened airstrikes against Hamas in the Gaza strip. Several Israeli citizens had been killed in the rocket strikes, while the Iron Dome blocked over 90% of rockets. The death toll of Palestinians was much higher, considering that hundreds of Hamas rockets landed short of Isreal and fell inside Gaza.
In response to Hamas’s terror attacks, Israel had carried out its defensive counter-terror operations to eliminate terror threats emanating from Gaza. The Israeli army has struck more Hamas targets in the coastal enclave after Hamas started targeting civilians inside Israel. In a swift operation, the IDF also demolished a building that housed international media offices, including Al Jazeera’s in the Gaza Strip. The IDF has said that the building was being used by the Islamic terror group Hamas, making it a valid military target.
