Al Jazeera condemns Israel's 'criminal' decision to shut down offices

Qatar-based network Al Jazeera condemned as "criminal" a move by the Israeli government to ban the broadcaster from operating over its coverage of the Gaza war.

"We condemn and denounce this criminal act by Israel that violates the human right to access information," Al Jazeera said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, in Arabic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday his government had decided unanimously to close the channel.

Al Jazeera has been the focus of months of criticism by Netanyahu and his government in the latest round of a long-running feud that began well before Israel's war on Gaza.

Israel's Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said he had issued the order to shutter the channel, confiscate equipment and restrict broadcasting to Al Jazeera's websites in a separate joint statement with the Israeli premier.

Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, Al Jazeera aired continuous on-the-ground reporting of the effects of Israel's assault.

The network's office in Gaza has been bombed in the conflict and two of its correspondents have been killed.

'Concealing the truth'

Hamas slammed the Israeli government's decision to shut down Al Jazeera in the country as a "blatant violation of press freedom" and an effort to hide the "truth" of the Gaza war.

The Palestinian resistance group said in a statement the decision to close the Qatar-based news channel was "a repressive and retaliatory measure against the professional role of Al Jazeera in exposing the crimes and violations" in Gaza, and "represents the culmination of the declared war against journalists ... aimed at concealing the truth".