Last Updated: February 12, 2024, 17:22 IST
Washah, from central Gaza’s Buriej, has been featured in Al Jazeera broadcasts in recent months, with the Qatari-owned station calling him one of their journalists. (Image: IDF)
Israeli military finds evidence linking Palestinian journalist from Al Jazeera to military role in Palestinian outfit. Controversy arises over journalist’s alleged dual role
A Palestinian journalist, who works for Doha-based Al Jazeera, reportedly holds the position of a commander in Hamas’s military wing, according to images and documents recovered by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip.
Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, on Sunday said that several weeks ago, troops found a laptop in a Hamas base in northern Gaza, which belongs to a man by the name of Mohamed Washah.
A laptop that belonged to Muhammad Washah, an @AlJazeera journalist, was recovered by IDF in the northern Gaza Strip. It has pics proving he also serves as a senior Hamas military operative in the anti-tank missile array and in late 2022 he moved to work on R&D of aerial weapons… افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) February 11, 2024
Washah, from central Gaza’s Buriej, has been featured in Al Jazeera broadcasts in recent months, with the Qatari-owned station calling him one of their journalists, The Times of Israel reported. The IDF spokesperson said that evidence recovered from the laptop reveals that Washah is also a “prominent commander” in Hamas’s anti-tank missile unit, and in late 2022, he began to work in research and development for the terror group’s air unit.
“A laptop that belonged to Muhammad Washah, an @AlJazeera journalist, was recovered by IDF in the northern Gaza Strip. It has pics proving he also serves as a senior Hamas military operative in the anti-tank missile array and in late 2022 he moved to work on R&D of aerial weapons for the organisation. Intelligence analysis carried out on the computer includes photos linking subject to his Hamas activity,” the spokesperson wrote on social media platform X.
Last month, two journalists of the Oatari channel killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah were later accused by the Israeli military of being members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups. In an earlier statement, Al Jazeera said it held “Israel accountable for systematically targeting and killing Al Jazeera journalists and their families”.
The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7 that Israeli officials say killed around 1,200 people. Vowing to destroy Hamas and bring home hostages abducted by militants to Gaza, Israel launched a massive offensive that has left much of the besieged territory in ruins. The health authorities in Gaza say the war has killed over 28,000 people.
(With agency inputs)
