Armed Israeli soldiers broke into the Ramallah office of Al Jazeera TV channel
Armed soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) broke into the office of the Palestinian branch of the Qatari TV channel Al Jazeera in Ramallah in the West Bank. Representatives of the TV channel said in Telegram on September 22.
"Israeli occupation forces confiscate documents and equipment in the office of Al Jazeera channel in Ramallah," the publication reads.
According to the channel's correspondent, the Israeli military demanded that the channel be closed for 45 days and that all journalists leave the building.
As the journalist noted, a similar episode involving the Israeli military occurred in East Jerusalem, where the 45-day ban on the office of Al Jazeera TV channel has been extended for several months.
In May of this year, the Israeli government unanimously decided to suspend the activities of Al Jazeera in the country. The Cabinet of Ministers explained this by the fact that the channel is a well-oiled machine for provocations and harms the security of the state.
The TV company commented on the decision of the government of the Jewish state and called it a "criminal act". Al Jazeera said that Israel's steps violate the human right to access to information.
In early April, the Israeli parliament passed a temporary law giving the government the authority to temporarily restrict the work of foreign media if they are recognized as a threat to national security. The decrees to suspend Al Jazeera were signed as part of its implementation.
The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian movement Hamas subjected Israel's territory to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, as well as invaded border areas in the south of the country and took hostages. On the same day, Tel Aviv began retaliatory strikes against targets in the enclave.
