Hamas honored journalists for AP, NYT, other major media at annual 'loyalty' day events: report

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Jonathan Polin and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, attend a demonstration by the families of the hostages taken captive in the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Palestinian militants calling for the hostages' release, near Kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel by the border with Gaza on August 29, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. | Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Journalists working for news media outlets, including The New York Times and The Associated Press, have participated in Hamas' annual loyalty day events, according to a pro-Israel media watchdog group.

The group HonestReporting released a report Sunday based on the group's research into Palestinian social media accounts and media reports. The report "unveils the disturbing relationship between Gaza's rulers and the journalists tasked with covering them."

HonestReporting, which has raised questions about the objectivity of major news outlets regarding their coverage of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, is now questioning journalists' involvement in Hamas’ “Day of Loyalty to the Palestinian Journalist" events over the years.

The organization shared a December 2014 Facebook video of AP staff photographer Hatem Moussa delivering a video address at Hamas' 2014 Loyalty Day event. Moussa's message appears to have been delivered on the same screen as Abu Ubaida, the terror group's military wing spokesperson.

Hamas' official news agency reported on the AP photographer's remarks, with Moussa regretting that he was unable to attend due to an injury sustained during the 2014 Gaza war. During his address, Moussa reportedly called on journalists to "expose" the occupation's crimes and practices against Palestinians.

During the 2021 and 2022 Loyalty Day events, several journalists working for major media outlets received awards from Hamas. The terror group honored these reporters for working with the Government Media Office, serving as judges in the office's media contest, or winning international awards, according to the watchdog group.

Hamas honored Yasser Qudih in 2021, who later won a Pulitzer Prize with Reuters' photography staff for his photos of the Oct. 7 attacks.

The terror group also honored The New York Times' freelance photographer Samar abu Elouf, who recently won the George Polk Award for her work. Hamas recognized the two journalists as the "work partners" of its media office.

"In 2022, the terror group also gave monetary awards to two journalists who were exposed by HonestReporting for their infiltration into Israel and their links to Hamas — Hassan Eslaiah, who worked for AP and CNN, and Ashraf Amra, who worked for Reuters," the watchdog group reported.

Another AP photographer, Fatima Shbair, appeared alongside AFP's Mohammed Baba in a 2021 promotional video for a Day of Loyalty event. Reuters cameraman Fadi Shanaa and AP's Adel Hana were honored during a 2022 event for serving on the judging panel of the Government Media Office's media contest. In the video, both wore an official scarf of the Hamas Government Media Office.

In a May X post, media analyst Eitan Fischberger shared a photo of Elouf speaking at a Hamas event where she was honored in 2012. Fischberger questioned if the outlet was aware that Elouf taught media courses for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a terrorist group in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

As for Hana, HonestReporting raised concerns in July about the journalist having taught media training courses under the supervision of the Hamas-run Information Ministry. Hana shared photos online in 2016 and 2017 showing him teaching a photography course.

In response to an inquiry from The Christian Post, a Reuters spokesperson stated, "We stand by our coverage of Gaza and our team, who operate within the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles."

The New York Times, The Associated Press and AFP did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.

The watchdog group's latest report is not the first time it has raised concerns about the media's coverage on Israel.

Last month, HonestReporting released a report about Dr. Fadel Naim, a Gaza hospital director frequently quoted by various media outlets. The group questioned Naim's reliability, as Naim has celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman