By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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Israel's decision to remove an Associated Press camera that showed livestream footage of Gaza on Tuesday has sparked backlash online.
The AP livestream provided a rare glimpse into the devastation in Gaza, as no independent journalists are permitted in the area. The outlet said that it followed Israeli military censorship rules, reporting that typically the livestream showed smoke rising over the area.
Israeli officials allegedly warned the AP about removing the cameras last Thursday, saying that their presence violated a new media law that banned Al Jazeera broadcasts and shuttered its operations in Israel. On Tuesday, the Israeli government confiscated the camera and broadcasting equipment, claiming that the camera's stream violated the law by providing content to Al Jazeera.
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The AP said that Al Jazeera, headquartered in Doha, Qatar, is "among thousands of clients" that view the video feed. An updated report by the AP said that the U.S. allegedly urged Israel to reverse its decision to confiscate the camera. The most recent update from the AP said that the Israeli communications minister ordered the government to return the equipment to the AP.
Since October, Israeli military operations have killed more than 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials. Israel's offensive in Gaza began after Hamas' attack on the country late last year, which killed about 1,200 people. Hamas also took some 250 people hostage, about half of whom were freed during a ceasefire in November.
When reached for comment, the AP directed Newsweek to one of its news stories for a statement.
"The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment," said Lauren Easton, vice president of corporate communications at the news organization in the report.
"The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country's new foreign broadcaster law. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world."
Newsweek reached out to the Israeli government via email for comment.
"In accordance with the government decision and the instruction of the communications minister, the communications ministry will continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state," the Israeli Communications Ministry said in a statement, according to the AP.
The move by the Israeli government sparked an immediate backlash online.
"Israel is now using its Al Jazeera ban as a pretext to seize equipment belonging to one of the world's largest news agencies, stripping millions of people of a view into Gaza at a time of war and mass atrocities," the non-profit Freedom of the Press Foundation posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"Israel has killed over a hundred journalists, shut down Al Jazeera's operations & now is going after AP. What will be enough for Joe Biden to stop sending Netanyahu arms?" actor and former New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon posted.
"The AP's live feed provided a view of actions in Gaza, where no independent journalists are able to operate due to Israeli and Egyptian restrictions on entry," CNN anchor Jim Sciutto wrote.
"IOW (in other words), nothing to see here, according to Israel. Shameful," X user @bluepolitics_ wrote.
Update 5/21/24, 2:32 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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