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By Abeer Salman, Irene Nasser and Niamh Kennedy, CNN
(CNN) — Israel’s military has raided and ordered the closure of Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, the network said.
Al Jazeera broadcast live footage early on Sunday of Israeli soldiers entering its offices in Ramallah, capturing the reactions of bureau chief Walid Omary and staff members live on air.
During the video broadcast by Al Jazeera, a soldier can be heard informing Omar of a military order to close Al Jazeera’s office for 45 days.
Reading the military order given to him on air, Omary said staff members had only ten minutes to take their personal belongings and cameras and vacate the office.
When Omary asked the Israeli soldiers why the office was being closed, he was told the reason had been provided in the written military order.
A security guard on shift at the time told CNN the soldiers used explosives to breach the building’s entrance.
“My eyes were heavy, and I was almost asleep when I suddenly saw them breaking the main door,” said Abu Amer. “I stood up to see what they were doing. They threw the first bomb and then the second.”
“I tried to run away to the stairs and get some distance from them. I was so scared.”
Al Jazeera’s office in Ramallah has been operational for decades. It became even more essential for the network after Israel shut down its Jerusalem office and seized some of its communication equipment in May, prompting condemnation from the United Nations and rights groups over what they said were Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s moves to restrict press freedoms.
CNN sees extensive damage
After Al Jazeera staff left the Ramallah office, live footage showed Omary and others in the street outside, as the journalist said soldiers had taken over the office and were confiscating materials.
Shortly after, as Israeli soldiers approached Omary, the live video feed was cut, and Omary could be heard saying that soldiers had taken the camera and broadcast equipment the team had been using.
At the scene, CNN found extensive damage to the exterior and interior of the ‘City Center’ building which also houses several stores and other offices. Several steps leading up to the building were damaged and missing tiles whilst the main door was entirely missing.
The entrance to the Al Jazeera workspace had been entirely sealed off with iron doors which the security guard told CNN were installed by the Israeli military. Three CCTV cameras were also missing after being confiscated by officers by Israeli soldiers.
Al Jazeera condemned what it called “a criminal act by the Israeli occupation forces” and the “unfounded allegations” used by the Israeli to justify the raid and closure.
“The raid on the office and seizure of our equipment is not only an attack on Al Jazeera but an affront to press freedom and the very principles of journalism,” the broadcaster said in a statement.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA), which represents foreign press in Israel and the Palestinian territories, said it was “deeply troubled” by what it described as an “escalation which threatens press freedom.” The FPA called on the Israeli government to reconsider the decision.
The Israeli government has long complained about Al Jazeera’s operations, alleging anti-Israeli bias and accusing the network of being a “mouthpiece for Hamas.”
The Qatari-based news network, which has produced on the ground reporting of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, denies this. Several of its journalists have been killed or injured since the Gaza offensive began after the October 7 attacks.
The-CNN-Wire
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