As the war between Israel and Hamas goes unabated, the closure of Al Jazeera operations in Israel is being further extended by Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, Anadolu Agency reported on Sunday.

Regarding the ban, the Israeli minister asserted, saying that it was “unanimously adopted by the government, based on updated opinions from all security sources, which state unequivocally that the channel’s broadcasts are a real threat to the security of the state.”

“We will not allow the Al Jazeera terrorist channel to broadcast in Israel and endanger our soldiers,” Kahri said in a statement.

“The closure orders will be extended in the future as well,” he added.

The minister, however, according to Anadolu Agency, did not specify if the ban was extended for too long. Israel Hayom newspaper, however, reported that the closure was extended for 45 days.

Meanwhile, the Tel Aviv District Court on Wednesday last week upheld a 35-day ban on Al Jazeera television, instead of the 45 days requested by Karhi, reported Anadolu Agency.

On May 5, the Israeli government voted unanimously to close the Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, nearly six months after first announcing its intentions to do so due to security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi signed an executive order immediately after the vote passed, and it thus came into effect right away.

Al Jazeera has drawn a lot of criticism from Israeli leaders, especially for its thorough reporting of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.

Israel has since, characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimize civilian casualties.

First Published: Jun 10 2024 | 7:39 AM IST