Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets as terrorist groups under a new military order signed by Defence Minister Israel Katz, alleging links to Hamas and incitement in occupied Jerusalem and beyond. The order targets local online platforms that focus on developments in Jerusalem and at Al-Aqsa Mosque, accusing them of using their coverage to stir unrest without presenting public evidence to substantiate the claims. Palestinian media actors and rights advocates say the move fits a broader pattern of restrictions on Palestinian journalism, alongside bans and curbs on other regional networks operating in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The designations deepen concerns over media freedom as the war in Gaza continues and access to independent reporting from the territory remains heavily constrained.
General Context and Background
Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets as targets of a military order that formally labels them “terrorist organisations”, a step that enables the authorities to shut them down, seize assets and pursue staff under counterterrorism powers. According to reporting from Al Jazeera, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz signed the directive designating the platforms as terrorist entities, citing alleged affiliation with Hamas and accusing them of helping to provoke disturbances, particularly in Jerusalem. As reported by journalists at The New Arab, the outlets named in the order are Al-Asima News, Quds Plus, Alquds Albawsala, Maraj and Maydan Alquds, all of which publish local online coverage focused on occupied Jerusalem and Palestinian affairs.
According to The New Arab, the order was confirmed by Israel’s attorney general, who indicated there was no legal obstacle to applying terrorism designations to the media platforms under Israeli law. Channel 12, cited in coverage by Anadolu Agency, reported that Israeli authorities accuse the outlets of “incitement” through their focus on developments in occupied East Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. None of the platforms reportedly maintains physical offices in East Jerusalem, but their online presence and local networks provide real-time updates and footage from the city and its holy sites.
Al Jazeera’s reporting notes that the Israeli Ministry of Defense has not publicly provided evidence for its allegations against the five outlets, despite asserting they serve Hamas and broader efforts to instigate unrest. Media-rights and monitoring groups have previously warned that similar designations and accusations against Palestinian civil society and media entities often rely on classified material that is not disclosed for public scrutiny. UN experts have, in earlier and separate cases involving Palestinian organisations, criticised the use of terrorism labels in ways that can effectively criminalise human rights and civic work, though those prior statements did not address the current media designations directly.
Why Did Israel Designate These Palestinian Outlets?
Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets as terrorist groups on the grounds that they allegedly maintain links to Hamas and play a role in spreading incitement, particularly related to Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. According to Anadolu Agency and The New Arab, Israeli media cited by officials contend that the platforms’ coverage of confrontations, raids and religious tensions contributes to mobilising protests and clashes in the occupied city. The military order brings these outlets under Israel’s counterterrorism framework, which allows authorities to block their websites, restrict financial channels and take legal action against individuals associated with them.
As reported by Nour Odeh of Al Jazeera, the move comes in a context where Palestinians in the occupied West Bank face extensive movement restrictions, including multiple gates and checkpoints that fragment communities and make access to occupied East Jerusalem highly limited without Israeli permits. Odeh explained that Palestinians rely heavily on local digital outlets to serve as their “eyes and ears” in Jerusalem, where journalists and camera crews can document events, including Israeli raids, settler incursions and changes in policing at religious sites. According to Al Jazeera’s report, the loss or curtailment of these platforms reduces a crucial source of real-time information for Palestinians who cannot enter the city themselves.
Following the announcement of the order, Alasima News stated it was suspending all media activities until further notice, illustrating the immediate chilling effect of the designations. In a statement reported by Anadolu Agency, the outlet described the ban as “a new step added to Israel’s record of repression and gagging”, accusing Israeli authorities of trying to isolate Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa from the wider world and to monopolise the narrative about events there. According to that statement, Alasima News expressed pride in what it called years of work to keep Jerusalem at the centre of the Palestinian cause and pledged that efforts to silence coverage would not erase the reality on the ground.
Al Jazeera’s coverage notes that Israeli officials have previously made terrorism-related allegations against Palestinian journalists that later came under question or were not substantiated publicly. Odeh pointed out that in some past cases, Palestinian journalists and media workers faced arrest, detention or even lethal force after being accused of links to militant groups, underscoring how serious such designations can be for individuals in the media sector. Rights groups and press-freedom advocates have repeatedly warned that broad terrorism labels can blur the line between legitimate security concerns and efforts to suppress critical or unwanted reporting.
Supporting Details and Wider Media Crackdown
Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets against the backdrop of a wider clampdown on media covering the war in Gaza and the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Since the escalation of Israel’s military operations in Gaza following October 2023, international and Palestinian journalist organisations have documented severe risks for reporters working in the territory and increasing limitations on access. According to Al Jazeera’s report, Israeli authorities have barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza independently, allowing only tightly controlled visits embedded with the Israeli military, which restricts what can be observed and reported.
The monitoring group Shireen.ps, named after veteran Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, has recorded nearly 300 journalists and media workers killed in Gaza since the war began, a figure cited in Al Jazeera’s coverage of the latest designations. Abu Akleh herself was shot and killed while reporting in the occupied West Bank in 2022, an incident that provoked international scrutiny of Israeli military conduct toward journalists. Press-freedom organisations and UN human rights mechanisms have raised concerns that the high death toll among media workers in Gaza reflects both the intensity of the conflict and the particular vulnerability of those documenting it.
Israel has also taken legal and administrative steps against regional broadcasters. Al Jazeera reports that Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi recently extended by 90 days an existing prohibition on the network’s operations in Israel, preventing broadcasters and internet providers from carrying its content. In May 2024, Israel’s cabinet invoked newly passed legislation allowing the temporary closure of foreign news channels deemed threats to national security and moved to shut down Al Jazeera’s operations inside the country. The New Arab notes that Israeli authorities have also pressured digital platforms, including YouTube, to block Al Jazeera livestreams within Israel, leveraging domestic law to limit distribution of its coverage.
The New Arab’s reporting frames the latest steps as part of a pattern that disproportionately affects non-Western and regional media outlets perceived as providing independent or pro-Palestinian narratives. Palestinian journalists have previously reported arrests, interrogations and restrictions on movement linked to their coverage of sensitive issues such as protests in Jerusalem, confrontations at Al-Aqsa Mosque and military operations in the West Bank. International watchdogs have warned that measures that reduce pluralism in the media environment can make it more difficult for audiences inside and outside the region to access diverse accounts of events on the ground.
What Are the Implications and Possible Next Steps?
Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets as terrorist groups in a move that could have far-reaching implications for the media landscape in Jerusalem, the occupied Palestinian territories and the broader coverage of the conflict. Under Israeli counterterrorism legislation, entities labelled as terrorist can face asset freezes, closure of offices and websites, restrictions on financial transactions and criminal liability for staff and associates. For online news platforms that depend on digital infrastructure and social-media distribution, such measures can quickly curtail operations or force them into self-censorship to avoid legal exposure.
As reported by Al Jazeera, Palestinian audiences, particularly in the fragmented geography of the West Bank, depend on Jerusalem-based digital outlets for on-the-ground reporting from locations they often cannot access themselves. If multiple such platforms are disabled or pushed offline, the flow of real-time information from key flashpoints, including Al-Aqsa Mosque and surrounding neighbourhoods, may become increasingly constrained. That information deficit could, in turn, increase dependence on official Israeli narratives or international outlets whose reach and focus differ from local Palestinian media.
Rights organisations and UN mechanisms have previously urged Israel to ensure that counterterrorism tools are not used to undermine legitimate human rights or journalistic work, warning that overbroad designations can chill civil society as a whole. While those statements predate the current media designations, they highlight concerns that may re-emerge as international bodies assess the latest actions toward Palestinian outlets. Any future legal challenges or diplomatic responses would likely revolve around questions of evidence, proportionality and the compatibility of such measures with international human rights standards on freedom of expression and press freedom.
In the meantime, The New Arab and Anadolu Agency report that at least one of the designated outlets has already halted its work, and others face uncertain futures under the shadow of the new order. The combined effect of deaths of journalists in Gaza, restrictions on foreign media access, bans on major regional broadcasters and terrorism labels on local platforms suggests a media environment under intense pressure. Observers and advocates are likely to track whether additional Palestinian outlets receive similar designations and how the current order is enforced in practice over the coming weeks and months.
Israel designates five Palestinian news outlets as terrorist groups at a time when the conflict in Gaza and tensions in Jerusalem remain high, further entrenching a trend of growing restrictions on Palestinian and regional media. The military order signed by Defence Minister Israel Katz allows authorities to target Al-Asima News, Quds Plus, Alquds Albawsala, Maraj and Maydan Alquds, citing alleged Hamas links and incitement but without publicly disclosed evidence. With journalists facing lethal risks in Gaza, foreign media largely excluded from the territory, and major broadcasters like Al Jazeera constrained inside Israel, the designations deepen worries over the future of independent reporting on the ground and over the ability of Palestinian audiences to access diverse, locally grounded coverage of events that shape their daily lives.
