This story has been updated to include new facts from the Israeli military, and additional context.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Sunday that all three of the male hostages rescued on Saturday were held by Abdallah Aljamal, a “journalist” who contributed to the Palestine Chronicle and Al Jazeera.
As Breitbart News reported Saturday, four hostages — Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40 — were rescued in a joint operation by the IDF, ISA, and the Israeli police. One Israeli police officer, Arnon Zamora, was killed in the operation.
Aljamal and his wife and father were reportedly killed in the Israeli raid after soldiers entered his home. As Breitbart News reported, he was revealed to have had another job, as the spokesperson for the Hamas-run Palestinian Department of Labor in Gaza.
But speculation also mounted that he had held one or more hostages, given that some Israeli sources said soldiers had only entered the two apartments where hostages were held.
The IDF announced:
Following the completion of IDF and ISA [Israel Security Agency] examinations of reports on the subject, it can be confirmed that Abdallah Aljamal was an operative in the Hamas terrorist organization, who held the hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv captive in his family home in Nuseirat.
The hostages were held captive by Abdallah Aljamal and members of his family in their home. This is further evidence of the deliberate use of civilian homes and buildings by the Hamas terrorist organization to hold Israeli hostages captive in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli security forces will continue to make every effort to bring the hostages home.
According to a report by Israel Hayom, Al-Jazeera denied any connection to Aljamal, adding: “This man is not from Al-Jazeera, nor did he work for Al-Jazeera at all, nor is he listed as working for Al-Jazeera either now or in the past, and we do not know him, and all the rumors spread are empty of content and not true at all.”
However, he is listed on Al Jazeera’s website as “a Gaza-based reporter and photojournalist” who “often reports from the ongoing ‘March of Return’ protests at the fence separating besieged Gaza from Israel.”
According to former IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus, significant numbers of Palestinians unaffiliated with terror groups entered Israel and participated in the October 7 atrocities alongside the terrorists.
Last month, the Israeli government shut down Al Jazeera, accusing the Qatar-based channel of pro-terror propaganda since the Hamas massacre, citing security concerns and involvement in incitement.
Hamas, a radical U.S.-designated Islamic terror organization, whose charter calls openly for the murder of Jews, previously presented an award to Al Jazeera, claiming the network possessed “high professionalism” for defending Palestinian positions during the 2021 conflict that saw over 4,000 rockets indiscriminately fired by the Gaza terror group at Israeli population centers.
This picture, taken from the #Hamas site, shows @AlJazeera receiving a commendation for its coverage last month during the war between #Israel and terrorists based in #Gaza.
The media are supposed to act as a watchdog. Not as willing advocates for genocidal war criminals. pic.twitter.com/o646nuralH
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) June 10, 2021
CIA documents linked to the raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan revealed the al-Qaeda terror chief praised Al Jazeera as a potential ally.
In 2019, congressman Jack Bergman wrote, “Al Jazeera’s record of radical anti-American, anti-Semitic, and anti-Israel broadcasts warrants scrutiny from regulators to determine whether this network is in violation of US law.”
As Breitbart News has noted, the Palestine Chronicle is registered in the U.S. as a 501(c)3 charitable non-profit organization.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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