Jerusalem, 9 November, 2023 (TPS) — Israeli officials reacted with anger to a report suggesting that photographers associated with international news services may have had advance knowledge of Hamas’s plan to attack Israeli communities on Oct. 7.
They were reacting to a report by HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog, which identified six freelance photographers from Gaza who were present during the attacks, and whose work the Associated Press and Reuters are selling to other publications. The report was published on Wednesday.
The National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement on Thursday saying it “views with utmost gravity that photojournalists working with international media joined in covering the brutal acts of murder perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on Saturday October 7th in the communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.”
The statement added, “These journalists were accomplices in crimes against humanity; their actions were contrary to professional ethics,” and demanded that action be taken against the photographers.
Meanwhile, the Government Press Office sent an urgent letter to the bureau chiefs of the media organizations that employed these photographers and sought clarifications on the matter.
Minister without portfolio Benny Gantz also condemned the photographers, posting on X, formerly Twitter, “If there were journalists who knew about the massacre, who remained silent and took pictures while children were being massacred – they are no different from the terrorists and their punishment is sharp.”
In a follow-up tweet, Gantz wrote, “Journalists found to have known about the massacre, and still chose to stand as idle bystanders while children were slaughtered – are no different than terrorists and should be treated as such.”
HonestReporting identified the photographers as Hassan Eslaiah, Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, Hatem Ali, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih.
“What were they doing there so early on what would ordinarily have been a quiet Saturday morning? Was it coordinated with Hamas? Did the respectable wire services, which published their photos, approve of their presence inside enemy territory, together with the terrorist infiltrators? Did the photojournalists who freelance for other media, like CNN and The New York Times, notify these outlets,” HonestReporting asked.
HonestReporting also obtained screenshots of Eslaiah’s now-removed tweets on X in which he documented himself standing in front of an Israeli tank. He did not wear a press vest or a helmet, and the Arabic caption of his tweet read: “Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements.”
After the report was published, a video published on Eslaiah’s Facebook account was found in which he is riding on a motorcycle while holding a grenade. A separate photo surfaced of Eslaiah with Hamas leader and mastermind of the October 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar.
Eslaiah’s photos from Oct. 7 were used by the Associated Press and CNN.
The Israeli daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, reported that CNN suspended its ties with Eslaiah.