Shafaq News/Reuters on Thursday denied Israeli allegations that it was aware of Hamas preparations for an attack on Israeli-controlled areas in Gaza surrounding.
In a recent report, media watchdog HonestReporting accused Reuters of potentially having advance knowledge of a Hamas attack on Israel – a claim the news agency vehemently denies.
According to the report, on the morning of Oct. 7, at least four photojournalists, including ones whose photographs were later used by Reuters, were allegedly accompanying Hamas militants.
The journalists identified are Hasan Eslaiah, Yusef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali.
HonestReporting obtained screenshots of deleted tweets from Eslaiah, including a selfie with a burning Israeli tank and a caption in Arabic stating, “Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements.”
The report also highlights a photo of Eslaiah with a Hamas leader.
Reuters refuted these allegations, stating they had no prior relationship with the freelance photographers involved.
“Reuters acquired photographs from two Gaza-based freelance photographers who were at the border on the morning of Oct. 7, with whom it did not have a prior relationship. The photographs published by Reuters were taken two hours after Hamas fired rockets across southern Israel and more than 45 minutes after Israel said gunmen had crossed the border,” they stated.
The agency also emphasized that its staff journalists were not present at the locations mentioned in the HonestReporting report.
On Oct. 7, Hamas attacked Israeli settlements with rockets, leading to casualties and hostage-taking. Afterwards, Israeli army launched a massive assault on Gaza killing more than 10,000 Palestinians in less than a month.
By the night of Oct. 8, Israel announced control restoration over most infiltrated areas, declaring a state of war for the first time since 1973. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to eliminate Hamas, and Defense Minister Yoav Galan announced a full-scale offensive in Gaza.
Netanyahu declared the second stage of the war on Oct. 28, with the Israeli government approving the expansion of the ground invasion into Gaza.
