Netanyahu slams Hamas-linked journos used by CNN, NYT, Reuters and AP who were at Oct. 7 massacre
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday ripped mainstream Western media for working with photojournalists embedded with Hamas – calling them “accomplices in crimes against humanity” – as CNN formally severed ties with a freelancer who was photographed getting a kiss from the terror group’s leader.
Netanhayu’s office tweeted Thursday that it “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.
“These journalists were accomplices in crimes against humanity; their actions were contrary to professional ethics,” the leader said — demanding “immediate action be taken” by the outlets helping to employ them.
The anger followed a bombshell investigation by media watchdog Honest Reporting into journalists who were there to document the surprise Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,400 people, with more than 240 others taken hostage.
Overnight, Israel Minister of Communications Dr. Shlomo Karhi issued a scathing letter to the outlets named in the investigation — Reuters, The Associated Press, CNN, and The New York Times.
“The gravity of the situation demands a swift and thorough response. It is now a time for individuals, journalists, institutions, unions, and organizations around the world to make a clear choice,” he wrote in the missive, which he shared on X.
“We must decide whether we stand on the side of life and good and on the side of depraved terrorism, inhumanity, and evil.”
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The allegations published late Wednesday accused a handful of photojournalists of being too close to the terror group, suggesting it was why they were there for the Oct. 7 attack that took Israel by surprise. Many were seen without press identification at the time.
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet, said that “journalists who knew about the massacre, who remained silent and took pictures” were “no different from the terrorists.”
CNN was the first to cut ties with one of those identified — even while standing by his work for them.
The freelancer, Hassan Eslaiah, was even once pictured smiling while getting a kiss on the cheek from Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who is now known as the “Butcher of Khan Younis.”
“We are aware of the article and photo concerning Hassan Eslaiah, a freelance photojournalist who has worked with a number of international and Israeli outlets,” CNN told YnetNews early Thursday.
“While we have not at this time found reason to doubt the journalistic accuracy of the work he has done for us, we have decided to suspend all ties with him.”
Eslaiah – a freelancer who also worked for the AP – shared since-deleted tweets on the attack that placed him at the scene of Hamas’ incursion into Kibbutz Kfar Azza, and did not appear to be wearing a press vest or helmet, the report alleged.
Honest Reporting’s screenshots of Eslaiah’s tweets include a photo of the photographer in front of a burning tank alongside the caption “Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements.”
Another photo of the tank on a dusty road outside Khan Younis later appeared on AP’s website with Eslaiah’s credit, according to Honest Reporting.
The watchdog later updated its initial report with allegedly resurfaced footage of Eslaiah with the burning tank.
“In the above video, Eslaiah says in Arabic: ‘Everyone who were inside this tank were kidnapped, everyone who were inside the tank were kidnapped a short while ago by al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas’ armed wing], as we have seen with our own eyes,’” Honest Reporting claimed.
In addition to Eslaiah, Honest Reporting accused Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali of being inside the Hamas attack at the time their work was shared in AP’s photo credits.
Masoud’s work has also been linked to The New York Times, Honest Reporting said.
The outlet also named photojournalists Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih, whose work was published by Reuters “at the border just in time for Hamas’ infiltration.”
Abu Mustafa’s grisly image of an Israeli soldier’s body being lynched was later named one of the wires “Images of the Day.”
AP distanced itself from the allegations in a statement issued Thursday.
“The Associated Press had no knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks before they happened. The first pictures AP received from any freelancer show they were taken more than an hour after the attacks began,” the statement read.
“No AP staff were at the border at the time of the attacks, nor did any AP staffer cross the border at any time. We are no longer working with Hassan Eslaiah, who had been an occasional freelancer for AP and other international news organizations in Gaza.
“AP uses images taken by freelancers around the world. When we accept freelance photos, we take great steps to verify the authenticity of the images and that they show what is purported.”
Reuters also denied prior knowledge of the attack.
“We are aware of a report by HonestReporting and accusations made against two freelance photographers who contributed to Reuters coverage of the Oct. 7 attack,” the wire’s statement said.
“Reuters categorically denies that it had prior knowledge of the attack or that we embedded journalists with Hamas on Oct 7. 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.
“Reuters staff journalists were not on the ground at the locations referred to in the HonestReporting article.”
When asked about how much the agency paid its freelancers for the photos it published, Reuters told The Post it “does not discuss financial arrangements” as a “matter of policy.”
The New York Times eventually responded to The Post’s request for a comment on the allegations.
“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,” a spokesperson for the outlet said.
“It is reckless to make such allegations, putting our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza at risk. 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,” the denouncement continued.
“The advocacy group Honest Reporting has made vague allegations about several freelance photojournalists working in Gaza, including Yousef Masoud. 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. Our review of his work shows that he was doing what photojournalists always do during major news events, documenting the tragedy as it unfolded.”
With Post wires
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