""No different from terrorists": Israelis are furious about the photographers who documented the massacre

November 9, 2023   

Israel is reacting sharply to an investigation published by the HonestReporting website, which revealed that photographers who worked for well-known international news agencies and media outlets acted alongside Hamas terrorists who carried out the massacre on Black Sabbath. War Cabinet member, Minister Benny Gantz, said: "If there were journalists who knew about the massacre, who remained silent and filmed while children were being massacred - they are no different from the terrorists and their punishment is the same." Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman: "The photographers and their employers are complicit in the massacre on Black Sabbath, they all bear the blame. They all need to be brought to justice." The National Information Division in the Prime Minister's Office demands that immediate action be taken regarding "photographers in the service of Hamas." The statement he issued read: "I view with great seriousness the phenomenon of press photographers working with international media outlets joining in covering the brutal massacres of Hamas terrorists on Saturday, 10/7/2023, in the communities surrounding Gaza. "These media personnel are complicit in crimes against humanity. This is a violation of the rules of professional ethics. The Government Press Office issued an urgent letter tonight to the heads of the media systems in which these photographers are employed, requesting clarification on the matter. The national information system demands that immediate action be taken." The investigation raises the question: What were the photographers doing on the border between Gaza and Israel that morning of the massacre, was their arrival coordinated in advance with Hamas terrorists, and did they know in advance partial details of the planned massacre? The investigation mentioned four names of photographers. One of them, Hassan a-Salih, a freelancer - who also crossed the border into Israeli territory along with the terrorists. He photographed a burning tank and infiltrated Kibbutz Kfar Gaza. A-Salih documented himself on his Twitter account in front of the Israeli tank. He did not wear a press vest or helmet. In the past, he was photographed hugging Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. https://twitter.com/HonestReporting/status/1722374178991444219 Two other photographers, Ali Mahmoud and Hatem Ali, were stationed at the site with the aim of photographing Israelis who had been kidnapped to Gaza. Mahmoud documented the van carrying her body Ali took pictures of other hostages. The names of the photographers were later removed from the agency's database. Another major agency also published pictures of two press photographers who were also on the border during the Hamas attack. One of them even photographed Gazan civilians abusing the body of a soldier who had been removed from a tank. One of Ali's pictures was even labeled as the agency's "picture of the day." In the meantime, the photographer, Hassan al-Salih, realized that his life was in danger. On the channel he operates on the Telegram network, he wrote: "I am now subject to a major incitement campaign in the Israeli media, after I covered the ongoing war in Gaza. In light of this systematic media incitement against me, I hold the relevant authorities responsible and warn against harming press teams and local news agencies operating in the Gaza Strip." A CNN spokesperson said in response to the publication of the investigation: "We are aware of the statements and images associated with Hassan al-Salih - a photographer who worked independently. Although we have found no reason at this stage to doubt the journalistic work he did for us, we have nevertheless decided to suspend all ties with him." The news agency said: "We use images from freelancers around the world, including in Gaza. Hassan al-Salih was a freelancer and sometimes worked for us. The agency's role is to gather information about news events around the world, wherever they occur, even when these events are terrible and with mass casualties." https://twitter.com/BismuthBoaz/status/1722364833482317886