Watch: Hamas Spokeswoman Admits to Intimidating Journalists

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Jewish Journal

August 15, 2014

In a Skype interview with Lebanese TV, Hamas spokeswoman Isra Al-Mudallal acknowledged that Hamas soldiers in Gaza confronted foreign journalists depicting Hamas missile launch sites and gave them a choice: report a different story, or leave.

“So when they were conducting interviewers,” said Al-Mudallal, ” or when they went on location to report, they would focus on filming the places from where missiles were launched. Thus, they were collaborating with the occupation. These journalists were deported from the Gaza Strip.”

Since the current round of conflict in Gaza began, the Israeli press as well as the government have accused the Western media of focusing on the death and injury caused by Israeli attacks, while refusing to depict Hamas fighters and rockets embedded in civilian populations.

On Friday, Al-Mudallal, in a conversation translated by MEMRI, The Middle East Media Research Institute, confirmed the Israeli accusations that Hamas deceived, threatened, deported and intimidated journalists in Gaza .

“The security agencies would go and have a chat with these people,” she said. “They would give them some time to change their message, one way or another.

“Some of the journalists who entered the Gaza Strip were under security surveillance,” the spokeswoman said. “Even under these difficult circumstances, we managed to reach them, and tell them that what they were doing was anything but professional journalism, and that it was immoral.”