The Associated Press told Breitbart News on Wednesday that it had no foreknowledge of the October 7 terror attack by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, despite evidence that its photographers seemed to capture terrorists in action in real time.
On October 7, Hamas terrorists were not the only ones who documented the war crimes they had committed during their deadly rampage across southern Israel. Some of their atrocities were captured by Gaza-based photojournalists working for the Associated Press and Reuters news agencies whose early morning presence at the breached border area raises serious ethical questions.
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What were they doing there so early on what would ordinarily have been a quiet Saturday morning? Was it coordinated with Hamas? Did the respectable wire services, which published their photos, approve of their presence inside enemy territory, together with the terrorist infiltrators? Did the photojournalists who freelance for other media, like CNN and The New York Times, notify these outlets?
Judging from the pictures of lynching, kidnapping and storming of an Israeli kibbutz, it seems like the border has been breached not only physically, but also journalistically.
Four names appear on AP’s photo credits from the Israel-Gaza border area on October 7: Hassan Eslaiah, Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali.
Eslaiah, a freelancer who also works for CNN, crossed into Israel, took photos of a burning Israeli tank, and then captured infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Azza.
.@AP, @Reuters, and @CNN photographer in Gaza, Hassan Eslaiah, on a motorbike with a grenade on his way to the massacre of women and children 👇
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) November 9, 2023
pic.twitter.com/qaneaE6oL8
HonestReporting has obtained screenshots of Eslaiah’s now-removed tweets on X in which he documented himself standing in front of the Israeli tank. He did not wear a press vest or a helmet, and the Arabic caption of his tweet read: “Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements.”
More: Here is Hassan Eslaiah, an @AP and @CNN contributor, taking a selfie while being kissed by Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza and architect of the 10/7 slaughter. https://t.co/V1J5cfUpCS pic.twitter.com/SrFQ4cUdzw
— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 8, 2023
The Associated Press responded to a Breitbart News media query with the following statement:
The Associated Press had no knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks before they happened.
The role of the AP is to gather information on breaking news events around the world, wherever they happen, even when those events are horrific and cause mass casualties.
AP uses images taken by freelancers around the world, including in Gaza.
Reuters had not responded by the time of this article’s publication.
The Israeli prime minister wants answers
“These journalists were accomplices in crimes against humanity; their actions were contrary to professional ethics.” – Netanyahu
The National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the PMO views with utmost gravity that photojournalists working with international media joined in covering the brutal acts of murder perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on October 7th in the communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 9, 2023