Report: AP and Reuters photographers ‘witnessed and recorded Hamas massacre’
'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,' Benny Gantz says
Israeli ministers are seeking urgent clarification from Reuters and Associated Press over claims that four of their photographers took photos of Hamas terrorist on 7 October when they massacred 1,400 Israelis.
Honest Reporting names four AP photographers whose names were credited on pictures from the Israel-Gaza border area on 7 October: Hassan Eslaiah, Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali.
According to the report, Eslaiah, a freelancer who also works for CNN, “crossed into Israel, took photos of a burning Israeli tank, and then captured infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Azza”.
Hones Reporting said it had 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’.”
Not long after, a photo of Eslaiah with Hamas leader and mastermind of the October 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar, appeared on social media.
And here is footage of Eslaiah after he crossed into Israel and took photos of a burning Israeli tank. He then captured infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Azza.
Note that he is not identifiable as a member of the press. But AP & CNN deemed it acceptable to use his services. pic.twitter.com/fA0VI2df2i
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 8, 2023
The report also claims that Masoud, who works for The New York Times as well, was there as well — just in time to set foot in Israeli territory and take more tank pictures.
Question for @AP @Reuters and @cnn – do all your freelance photographers join terrorist groups on the backs of motorcycles to massacre Israeli civilians?
Or just the ones from Gaza? pic.twitter.com/PkD2AvgLeq
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) November 9, 2023
“Ali Mahmud and Hatem Ali were positioned to get pictures of the horrific abductions of Israelis into Gaza. Mahmud captured the pickup truck carrying the body of German-Israeli Shani Louk and Ali got several shots of abductees being kidnapped into the Strip,” the report said.
Reuters has published pictures from two photojournalists, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih, who apparently also were at the border, taking pictures of a burning Israeli tank on the Israeli side of the border.
The same way the international media is always asking for a response from us- we are now demanding a response from them.
Who are those journalists?
Were they involved in the attack?
Did they know in advance?
And are you going to fire them? pic.twitter.com/ecBZ9JFdlF— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) November 9, 2023
“Abu Mustafa went further: He took photos of a lynch mob brutalising the body of an Israeli soldier who was dragged out of the tank,” the report said.
“The Associated Press had no knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks before they happened. he role of the AP is to gather information on breaking news events around the world, wherever they happen, even when those events are horrific and cause mass casualties. AP uses images taken by freelancers around the world, including in Gaza,” Spokeswoman for the Associated Press, Nicole Meir, was quoted saying by the Daily Wire.
National Unity party leader and member the “war cabinet”, Benny Gantz, reacted harshly to the publication, saying: “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.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also commented on the report, saying: “Those who were at the massacre and took pictures, those who were at the massacre and looted, those who were at the massacre and remained silent; they are terrorists! And there is one law for terrorists.”
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