Israel Extends Closure Of Al Jazeera’s Ramallah Office By 60 Days

RAMALLAH (Palestine), Oct 11 (Bernama-IRNA) -- The Israeli regime has renewed, for the seventh time, the closure of Al Jazeera’s office in the city of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, for a period of 60 days starting on Saturday morning, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

According to a report by Al Jazeera Arabic, a notice ordered by the Israeli military commander in the West Bank was placed at the entrance of the City Centre Building, where Al Jazeera’s office is located on the eighth floor.

Israel accuses the Qatari news network of what it calls “aiding terrorists”, as the channel has been extensively covering the regime’s war in Gaza and its crackdown on Palestinians in the West Bank, which intensified following the start of the Gaza conflict in early October 2023.

Israel initially closed Al Jazeera’s Ramallah office for 45 days in September 2024 when troops stormed the building. The regime later revoked the press credentials of Al Jazeera’s journalists, following a decision in May that year to ban the channel from broadcasting within Israel.

The network described the restrictions and other oppressive measures as an attempt to “prevent the world from witnessing the reality of the situation in the occupied territories and the ongoing war on Gaza, and the devastating impact on innocent civilians,” according to Al Jazeera English.

Israel’s restrictions on the news network are part of a wider campaign widely believed to be aimed at silencing pro-Palestinian voices.

Nearly 300 journalists and media workers have been killed in the Gaza war, including 10 from Al Jazeera, the network reported earlier this week, citing the Shireen Abu Akleh Observatory.

-- BERNAMA-IRNA