ISRAEL AT WARReport: AP, Reuters photographers accompanied Hamas infiltration of Israel, documented the massacres
ISRAEL AT WAR
Report: AP, Reuters photographers accompanied Hamas infiltration of Israel, documented the massacres
A report published by watchdog HonestReporting reveals that, alongside Hamas terrorists, photographers and freelancers from Reuters, AP, CNN and the New York Times, documented Hamas’ massacres, including the lynching of a soldier and abductions of Israelis to Gaza. CNN admitted to suspending contact with their photographer, while AP has refused to comment.
Photojournalists from leading international media organizations participated in the infiltration of the terrorist organization Hamas from Gaza into Israel on October 7 and documented Hamas’ attack, says a report published Wednesday by media watchdog HonestReporting. According to the report, from the very beginning of the raid, journalists from various media outlets including AP, Reuters, CNN, and the New York Times accompanied Hamas terrorists from Gaza into Israel and, alongside Hamas terrorists themselves, documented the atrocities they committed against Israeli citizens, including the abduction and murder of Israelis.
On October 7 hundreds of terrorists from the terrorist organization Hamas broke through the border from Gaza and carried out a massacre of Israeli civilians inside Israeli territory. In the brutal massacres, at least 1,400 Israelis were murdered - babies, children, women and the elderly - via tactics reminiscent of ISIS. Thousands of Israelis were injured and over 200 women, children, babies, elderly people and soldiers were abducted by Hamas into Gaza. In response, the IDF has been attacking Hamas infrastructure in Gaza since October 7, in an attempt to dismantle it entirely.
HonestReporting works to expose biases against Israel in global media. The authors of the report raise serious questions regarding journalistic ethics regarding the presence of photographers during the infiltration and subsequent attack. There are also questions of whether their activity was coordinated with Hamas, if leading news agencies approved the entry of their photographers into Israeli territory at the side of Hamas terrorists, and if the photographers, including freelance photographers from CNN and the New York Times, informed their employers of their activities.
According to HonestReporting, four names appear on AP's photo credits from the Israel-Gaza border area on October 7: Hassan Eslaiah, Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud and Hatem Ali. Following the publication of the report by HonestReporting, CNN told Israeli news website Ynet that they were suspending one of their photographers. AP, however, has refused to comment on whether it intends to take any action. They have continued to publish new photos, as recently as the last few days, from the very photographer who documented the abduction of 85-year-old Yaffa Adar from her home at Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Eslaiah, who also works for CNN, crossed the border into Israel, photographed a burning IDF tank and documented the infiltration of terrorists into Kibbutz Kfar Aza. He posted photos to X, which have since been deleted, in which he recorded himself standing in front of the incinerated tank. "Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements," he posted on X, attaching more photos from the border. Masoud, who works for AP as well as the New York Times, was also present.
Mahmoud and Ali filmed the abduction of Israelis to Gaza. According to HonestReporting, photo credits have since been removed from some photos in the AP database. After the report was published, a photo surfaced of AP photographer Hassan Eslaiah hugging the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.
Reuters published photos from two journalists, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih, who were also at the border during the infiltration. They took photos of a burnt tank in Israeli territory and Mostafa documented the lynching of an IDF soldier who was pulled from the tank. While Reuters warned its readers that the photo was difficult to view, they nevertheless included it among their "Images of the Day."
