CNN Fires Gaza-Based Photojournalist Discovered to Be Embedded With Hamas

Benjamin Lindsay
Thu, November 9, 2023 

CNN has severed ties with Gaza-based photojournalist Hassan Eslaiah after he was discovered to be embedded with terrorist group Hamas.

The news network said in a statement Thursday that their working relationship with the freelancer began after the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel — attacks that the organization maintained it “had no prior knowledge of.”

“We had no prior knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks. Hassan Eslaiah, a freelance journalist who has worked with a number of international and Israeli outlets, was not working for the network on Oct. 7. As of today, we have severed all ties with him,” the statement read.

The decision came following a report from the pro-Israel watchdog group Honest Reporting that named several Gaza-based photojournalists working for major news media companies including CNN, The New York Times, the Associated Press and Reuters and raised “ethical questions” regarding their proximity and relation to Hamas.

Of Eslaiah, Honest Reporting wrote that he “crossed into Israel, took photos of a burning Israeli tank and then captured infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Azza.” The group also said that it “obtained screenshots of Eslaiah’s now-removed tweets on X in which he documented himself standing in front of the 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.'”

Additionally, an undated photo of Eslaiah posing in an embrace with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (pictured above) resurfaced Wednesday, further raising concerns over the photographer’s relationship with the organization. Sinwar masterminded the Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 Israelis last month.

The watchdog group also leveled what The New York Times categorized as “vague allegations” against the Western news outlets of having preexisting knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks — an accusation that the companies uniformly denied Thursday.

AP, which also had a working relationship with Eslaiah, also ended their relationship with the photographer in the aftermath of the Honest Reporting’s findings.

“We are no longer working with Hassan Eslaiah, who had been an occasional freelancer for AP and other international news organizations in Gaza,” the AP said in a statement.

Violence captured by Hassan Eslaiah during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel (Credit: AP)

According to Mediaite, newly minted CNN CEO Mark Thompson addressed the claims against Eslaiah and their relationship with the freelancer in a Thursday morning editorial call, saying it was “unfortunate news.”

“We’ve discovered that a stringer may have been there during the attack with Hamas on Oct 7. CNN had no prior knowledge of the attack,” Thompson reportedly said.

The post CNN Fires Gaza-Based Photojournalist Discovered to Be Embedded With Hamas appeared first on TheWrap.

Major News Outlets Refute Notion They Had ‘Advance Knowledge’ of Hamas Attack

Natalie Korach
Thu, November 9, 2023 a



Multiple news outlets sought to distance themselves from freelance photojournalists previously employed by the outlets, amid allegations that the Gaza-based reporters were present during the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.

A pro-Israel watchdog group Honest Reporting published an article that claimed that the work of several photojournalists prompted “ethical questions,” about how much information they had ahead of the attack, especially considering their working ties to Western outlets. The outlets in question included CNN, The New York Times, The Associated Press, and Reuters.

The outlets responded to the claims with various statements, distancing themselves from the work of the Gaza-based freelancers.

“The accusation that anyone at The New York Times had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks or accompanied Hamas terrorists during the attacks is untrue and outrageous,” the Times said in a statement. “It is reckless to make such allegations, putting our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza at risk.”

“The advocacy group Honest Reporting has made vague allegations about several freelance photojournalists working in Gaza, including Yousef Masoud,” the statement continued. “Though Yousef was not working for The Times on the day of the attack, he has since done important work for us. There is no evidence for Honest Reporting’s insinuations.”

“We are gravely concerned that unsupported accusations and threats to freelancers endangers them and undermines work that serves the public interest,” the Times’ statement concluded.

The AP said the outlet had “no knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks before they happened.”

“We are no longer working with Hassan Eslaiah, who had been an occasional freelancer for AP and other international news organizations in Gaza,” said the AP.

According to Mediaite, newly minted CNN CEO Mark Thompson addressed the claims in a Thursday morning editorial call, saying it is “unfortunate news.”

“We’ve discovered that a stringer may have been there during the attack with Hamas on Oct 7. CNN had no prior knowledge of the attack,” Thompson continued.

Reuters also released a statement saying that the outlet “categorically denies that it had prior knowledge of the attack or that we embedded journalists with Hamas on October 7.”

The outlet said that they “acquired photographs from two Gaza-based freelance photographers who were at the border on the morning of October 7, with whom it did not have a prior relationship.”

The post Major News Outlets Refute Notion They Had ‘Advance Knowledge’ of Hamas Attack appeared first on TheWrap.

New York Times and CNN deny their Gazan freelancers knew about Hamas plan to attack Israel

Ben Farmer
Fri, November 10, 2023

The claims made by pro-Israel site, HonestReporting, have been called 'outrageous and irresponsible' - Shutterstock/HAITHAM IMAD/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The New York Times, CNN and other major international news outlets have strongly rejected Israel’s accusations that Gaza-based freelance photographers were accomplices in Hamas’s Oct 7 attacks.

A report by HonestReporting, a pro-Israel site, earlier this week suggested photojournalists working with Reuters, The Associated Press, CNN and The New York Times could not have taken photos of the attacks without prior knowledge and being “part of the plan”.

Pictures filed by the photographers that day included Hamas gunmen escaping to Gaza with kidnapped Israeli citizens, Hamas attackers climbing on a disabled Israeli tank, images of Hamas invaders outside a kibbutz and buildings burning.

The HonestReporting claims led the office of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, to declare the journalists were “accomplices in crimes against humanity” and “their actions were contrary to professional ethics”.

Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, declared the photojournalists should be treated as terrorists if it was proven they had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks, which killed 1,400 Israelis.

Danny Danon, an MP for the ruling Likud party, went on to say they had taken “an active part in the massacre” and “we will hunt them down together with the terrorists”.

“Is it conceivable to assume that ‘journalists’ just happened to appear early in the morning at the border without prior coordination with the terrorists?” HonestReporting wrote on its website on Wednesday. “Or were they part of the plan?”
No evidence to back up claim

Gil Hoffman, the executive director of HonestReporting, later admitted the group had no evidence to back up the suggestion the reporters had prior knowledge of the Hamas attacks.

He claimed that “some people with an agenda” had made HonestReporting “look bad”.

“They acted as if we were stating facts instead of asking questions,” Mr Hoffman said.

The media organisations all said they had no prior knowledge of the attacks, and had not embedded journalists with Hamas.

They said they had no arrangements in advance with any of the journalists to provide photos and the pictures were taken some time after the attacks first began.

The New York Times dismissed the claims as “untrue and outrageous”.

Yousef Masoud filed this photograph 90 minutes after the attack began - Yousef Masoud/AP

The newspaper said that Yousef Masoud, whose photographs of an Israeli tank captured by Hamas were used by the newspaper and AP, did not know in advance of Hamas’s plans. His first photographs that day were filed 90 minutes after the attack began.

Reuters used pictures credited to Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih, two freelancers it had no prior relationship with.

Its first photo was published more than 45 minutes after Israel said gunmen had crossed the border, the news agency said.

Besides Mr Masoud, AP used photos that day credited to Hassan Eslaiah, Ali Mahmoud and Hatem Ali.

AP and CNN said on Thursday that they would no longer work with Mr Eslaiah, one of the freelance photographers, after HonestReporting posted a photo of Mr Eslaiah being kissed by Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader.

The CPJ said these claims put journalists at further risk - Hatem Ali/AP

Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) warned the Israeli government’s rhetoric could endanger journalists.

Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, CPJ’s advocacy and communications director, said: “Targeting journalists with disinformation only endangers them.

“Attempts to smear, delegitimise and criminalise journalists who are doing their job, are outrageous and irresponsible, and they put journalists at further risk.”

At least 39 journalists and media workers have been killed in the conflict so far, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The deadliest month-long period for journalists since the committee began tracking such figures in 1992.

Israel minister accuses Gaza-based journalists of having prior knowledge of Hamas attack

Maroosha Muzaffar
Fri, November 10, 2023 

Israel’s communications minister accused Gaza-based journalists of four western media outlets of having “prior knowledge” of the Hamas attacks on 7 October.

The accusations were levelled against journalists of the New York Times, Reuters, CNN, and the Associated Press. All of the four organisations have categorically denied the allegations.

In a letter to these organisations, Shlomo Karhi claimed that the journalists, including photojournalists, “may have maintained a troubling connection with the perpetrators”. He added: “It is alleged that some of your employees were present, documenting these horrors, effectively becoming participants in this horrifying event”.

The New York Times in its statement said there was “no evidence” to support such claims about its freelancer in Gaza. “The accusation that anyone at The New York Times had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks or accompanied Hamas terrorists during the attacks is untrue and outrageous. It is reckless to make such allegations, putting our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza at risk.”

Reuters said it “categorically denies that it had prior knowledge of the attack or that we embedded journalists with Hamas on Oct 7”.

The Israeli government demanded clarifications from the four media outlets after an article titled “Broken Borders: AP & Reuters Pictures of Hamas Atrocities Raise Ethical Questions” was published by Honest Reporting. This website claims to expose “anti-Israel media bias”.

The article claims that “on October 7, Hamas terrorists were not the only ones who documented the war crimes they had committed during their deadly rampage across southern Israel. Some of their atrocities were captured by Gaza-based photojournalists working for the Associated Press and Reuters news agencies whose early morning presence at the breached border area raises serious ethical questions”.


Mr Karhi wrote on X: “Terrorists disguised as journalists? I demand immediate clarifications from the international media bodies published in the investigation.”


Reuters clarified in its statement: “Reuters acquired photographs from two Gaza-based freelance photographers who were at the border on the morning of Oct 7, with whom it did not have a prior relationship.

“The photographs published by Reuters were taken two hours after Hamas fired rockets across southern Israel and more than 45 minutes after Israel said gunmen had crossed the border. Reuters staff journalists were not on the ground at the locations referred to in the Honest Reporting article.”


Associated Press also denied the claim that it had any “prior knowledge” of the Hamas attack. Julie Pace, senior vice president and executive editor of AP, said: “It was a fast-moving development in a very small territory. We carried out a very typical news-gathering process when a big event, a big moment, is happening and we need to figure out what it is and inform the world about it.”

“We had no prior knowledge of the October 7th attacks,” a CNN spokesperson said.

However, the Associated Press and CNN said on Thursday that they would no longer work with one of the freelancers, Hassan Eslaiah, whose picture with the Hamas chief and allegedly the mastermind of the 7 October attacks was published by the pro-Israel media watchdog.

“Hassan Eslaiah, who was a freelance journalist working for us and many other outlets, was not working for the network on October 7th. As of today, we have severed all ties with him,” CNN said.

Reuters rejects allegations of foreknowledge of Hamas attack

The New Voice of Ukraine
Thu, November 9, 2023 

Reuters denies allegations that it was aware of Hamas terrorists' preparations for an attack on Israel

In a recent report, media watchdog HonestReporting accused Reuters of potentially having advance knowledge of a Hamas attack on Israel – a claim the news agency vehemently denies.

According to the report, on the morning of Oct. 7, at least four photojournalists, including ones whose photographs were later used by Reuters, were allegedly accompanying Hamas militants.

The journalists identified are Hasan Eslaiah, Yusef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali.

HonestReporting obtained screenshots of deleted tweets from Eslaiah, including a selfie with a burning Israeli tank and a caption in Arabic stating, “Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements.”

The report also highlights a photo of Eslaiah with a Hamas leader, raising ethical concerns about the role of journalists in conflict zones.

Read also: Israel's political challenges in the war with Hamas

Reuters refutes these allegations, stating they had no prior relationship with the freelance photographers involved.

“Reuters acquired photographs from two Gaza-based freelance photographers who were at the border on the morning of Oct. 7, with whom it did not have a prior relationship. The photographs published by Reuters were taken two hours after Hamas fired rockets across southern Israel and more than 45 minutes after Israel said gunmen had crossed the border,” they stated.

The agency also emphasized that its staff journalists were not present at the locations mentioned in the HonestReporting report.

Read also: Ukraine backs Israel's right to defend itself, urges political resolution to conflict with Hamas

On Oct. 7, Hamas attacked Israel with rockets, leading to casualties and hostage-taking. In response, the Israel Defense Forces initiated Operation Iron Swords, intensifying strikes on the Gaza Strip.

By the night of Oct. 8, Israel announced control restoration over most infiltrated areas, declaring a state of war for the first time since 1973. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to eliminate Hamas terrorists, and Defense Minister Yoav Galan announced a full-scale offensive in Gaza.

Netanyahu declared the second stage of the war on Oct. 28, with the Israeli government approving the expansion of the ground invasion into Gaza.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine


News outlets deny Israeli claim that freelance journalists knew of Hamas attack

BBC
Fri, November 10, 2023 



A number of news outlets have strongly rejected Israeli accusations that four freelance photographers they worked with in Gaza had prior knowledge of the Hamas attacks on 7 October.

Israeli minister Shlomo Karhi said "certain individuals" who had worked for Reuters, AP, CNN and the New York Times "had prior knowledge".

All four outlets have denied the claims, which have since been debunked.

The NYT said the "outrageous" accusations endangered freelancers.

Hamas launched devastating and unprecedented attacks on southern Israel on 7 October, killing more than 1,400 Israeli civilians and soldiers, and kidnapping more than 240.

Mr Karhi's comments followed a report on the pro-Israel website Honest Reporting, which suggested - without supporting evidence - that the photographers' presence may have been "part of the plan".

It said that the presence of the photographers on October 7 in the early hours of the attacks "raised ethical questions".

However, Gil Hoffman, Honest Reporting's executive director, has since confirmed the lack of evidence. AP quoted him on Friday as saying he was satisfied by explanations given by some of the journalists that they had no prior knowledge.

But he maintained that the site's questions were "legitimate", adding that "we don't claim to be a news organisation".

Images filed by the photographers included a burning Israeli tank, Palestinians breaching a fence at the Kfar Aza kibbutz and scenes from the attack itself.

In a statement made on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Israeli government's press office said the website's "disturbing findings" showed the photographers had crossed "every professional and moral red line".

Reuters, AP, CNN and the New York Times all issued statements saying there had been no arrangements in advance with any of the journalists to provide photos.

The New York Times described the accusations as "reckless".

"The Times has extensively covered the Oct. 7 attacks and the war with fairness, impartiality, and an abiding understanding of the complexities of the conflict," it said.

It also defended the work of freelance photojournalists in conflict areas, adding their jobs "often require them to rush into danger to provide first-hand witness accounts and to document important news.

"This is the essential role of a free press in wartime."

It said one of the photographers, Yousef Massoud, had not been working with the paper on that day but had "since done important work for us".

Associated Press said: "No AP staff were at the border at the time of the attacks, nor did any AP staffer cross the border at any time."

"When we accept freelance photos, we take great steps to verify the authenticity of the images and that they show what is purported," it added.

The agency said it was no longer working with one of the journalists, Hassan Eslaiah, who was found to have been pictured with Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar.

CNN said it had no prior knowledge of the attacks, but said it also would suspend its ties with Eslaiah.

Reuters also denied that it had prior knowledge of the attack or had "embedded journalists with Hamas" on 7 October.

On Thursday, Honest Reporting said they "did not accuse Reuters of collusion" but was rather raising "serious ethical issues regarding news outlets' association with these freelancers".

After the website's initial report, Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, said the photojournalists should be treated as terrorists if it was proven they knew in advance of the 7 October attacks.

An MP for the ruling Likud party, Danny Danon, also said the journalists would be added to a list of people marked for assassination because of their participation in the attacks.

Journalists are protected under international law which says they must be treated as civilians and protected as such during conflicts.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says at least 39 journalists and media workers have been killed since the current war began, including 34 Palestinians, four Israelis and one Lebanese.

"Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict in the face of an Israeli ground assault on Gaza City, devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, and extensive power outages," it said.

News organizations deny photojournalists had prior knowledge of Hamas attack

Muri Assunção, New York Daily News
Thu, November 9, 2023 

Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

The Associated Press, Reuters and The New York Times have denied suggestions their photojournalists had prior knowledge of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, after Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi demanded an investigation into “the possible actions and/or collusion of (their) employees” with Hamas.

Karhi published an open letter on Thursday expressing his “deep concern regarding recent reports about (the outlets’) employee’s alleged involvement in the tragic event in southern Israel” early last month when more than 1,400 were killed.

The letter, addressed to the AP, Reuters, the New York Times and CNN, was referring to a story published Wednesday by the advocacy group HonestReporting that raised questions about the presence of “Gaza-based photojournalists” working for the outlets at the “breached border area” in the early hours of Oct. 7.

The organization — a New York-based media watchdog whose goal is to “combat ideological prejudice in journalism and the media, as it impacts Israel” — said photos taken at the time of the attack suggest the photographers may have had advance knowledge of the deadly assault.

“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?” the article read.

Karhi, when requesting the news outlets conduct “a thorough investigation into this matter,” said Israel was aware that “certain individuals within your organizations, including photographers and others, had prior knowledge of these horrific actions and may have maintained a troubling connection with the perpetrators.”

The New York Times slammed Honest Reporting’s “vague allegations” made against freelance photographer Yousef Masoud. After reviewing his work, the outlet found he was simply doing what photojournalists do: “documenting the tragedy as it unfolded.”

“The accusation that anyone at The New York Times had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks or accompanied Hamas terrorists during the attacks is untrue and outrageous,” the outlet said, adding the “reckless” allegations put “our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza at risk.”

The AP said it had “no knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks before they happened,” adding the first images it received were taken more than an hour after the attacks began.

Reuters “categorically” denied the allegations, saying it had no prior relationship with the Gaza-based freelance photographers. The photos were taken “two hours after Hamas fired rockets across southern Israel and more than 45 minutes after Israel said gunmen had crossed the border,” the organization added.

On Thursday, HonestReporting said on X it hadn’t accused Reuters of collision, but rather “raised some serious ethical issues regarding news outlets’ association with these freelancers and asked important and relevant questions that everyone deserves answers to.”

CNN said it had “no prior knowledge” of the attack, but in a statement to Mediaite, the network announced it had “severed all ties” with freelance photojournalist Hassan Eslaiah.

Speaking with the network’s staff in a Thursday morning call, CEO Mark Thompson called the allegations “unfortunate news.”

News outlets deny advance knowledge of Hamas attack on Israel

Dominick Mastrangelo
Thu, November 9, 2023



Several of the world’s leading news organizations are denying having prior knowledge of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, following explosive allegations from a pro-Israel media watchdog this week.

The HonestReporting group published an article Wednesday suggesting several freelance journalists working for The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN and Reuters either had advanced knowledge of the planned Hamas attack or did not do enough to warn their media companies or government officials about an imminent threat to Israel.

“What were they doing there so early on what would ordinarily have been a quiet Saturday morning? Was it coordinated with Hamas?” the group asked, attaching photos it said showed a number of photographers on the ground near the Israeli border shortly before the attack. “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?”

“Judging from the pictures of lynching, kidnapping and storming of an Israeli kibbutz, it seems like the border has been breached not only physically, but also journalistically.”

Throughout the day Thursday, each of the news organizations mentioned in the article responded with forceful denials they had advance knowledge of the attack.

“The accusation that anyone at The New York Times had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks or accompanied Hamas terrorists during the attacks is untrue and outrageous,” the Times said in a statement. “It is reckless to make such allegations, putting our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza at risk.”

“There is no evidence for Honest Reporting’s insinuations,” the outlet continued. “Our review of his work shows that he was doing what photojournalists always do during major news events, documenting the tragedy as it unfolded.”

In a statement of its own, the AP said “the first pictures AP received from any freelancer show they were taken more than an hour after the attacks began.”

“No AP staff were at the border at the time of the attacks, nor did any AP staffer cross the border at any time,” the wire service wrote.

Reuters, meanwhile said it “categorically denies that it had prior knowledge of the attack or that we embedded journalists with Hamas on Oct. 7.”

The allegations have nonetheless sparked outrage in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying in a string of social media posts Thursday the Israeli government “views with utmost gravity that photojournalists working with international media joined in covering the brutal acts of murder perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on October 7th in the communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.”

“These journalists were accomplices in crimes against humanity; their actions were contrary to professional ethics,” he said, noting it sent “an urgent letter to the bureau chiefs of the media organizations that employed these photographers and sought clarifications on the matter.”

Tensions between Israel and international news organizations remain high as the country’s ongoing war with Hamas stretches weeks and has killed thousands.

Earlier this month, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni called on the Israeli government to investigate the death of video journalist Issam Abdallah, who witnesses said was killed in Lebanon by a shell that came from Israel.