Israel Defense Forces Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told Newsmax on Thursday that the use of Gaza-based freelancers by The Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, and The New York Times is concerning because they report only "what Hamas allows."
"Frankly, why did they decide to invade into Israel?" Conricus asked during an appearance on Newsmax's "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "They're based in Gaza. They have no business going into Israel. And that is an odd thing, odd behavior from a journalistic point of view. What I am concerned with is something that is so many times overlooked. These journalists, they're under Hamas control; and they only report what Hamas allows them to report.
"Why is that important?" he asked. "Because when AP reports something from Gaza, then the whole world thinks that is true. Who gathers the information on the ground? People like we saw here that get kisses and embraces from [Hamas leader and mastermind of the Oct. 7 Israel attack] Yahya Sinwar. This is not a new phenomenon; it's coming to light now because of these events, but I think that is something that we should all be looking at and inspecting."
On Thursday, AP, Reuters, and CNN disavowed any foreknowledge of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed more than 1,400 Israelis and left hundreds more injured or taken hostage by the Palestinian militant group.
The international news agencies were responding to a report by Jerusalem-based media watchdog HonestReporting, which suggested that six freelance photojournalists in Gaza may have been able to document the attack so quickly because they were informed in advance of Hamas' deadly incursion.
According to the watchdog group, Hassan Eslaiah, who has worked for both AP and CNN, crossed into Israel and took photos of a burning Israeli tank, as well as Hamas fighters entering Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
HonestReporting posted a photo of Eslaiah on X being side-hugged and kissed on the cheek by Sinwar.
The AP said it is "no longer working with Hassan Eslaiah, who had been an occasional freelancer for AP and other international news organizations in Gaza."
CNN told Ynetnews that it had found no reason "to doubt the journalistic accuracy" of Eslaiah's work, but said "we have decided to suspend all ties with him" in light of the report.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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