According to the IDF, journalists Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salama, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Saraj, Ismail Abu Omar, and Talal Aruki have been working covertly with these groups in both military and propaganda capacities.

The IDF disclosed these allegations after recovering documents from Hamas, which allegedly list the journalists' roles, training details, telephone numbers, and salaries. The documents reportedly detail that al-Sharif was the head of a rocket launching unit and served on Hamas' Nukhba Force within its Nuseirat battalion. Salama was described as the deputy chief of the Islamic Jihad’s propaganda team in Shaboura, while Saraj was identified as a member of the same organization in Bureij.

Additional revelations include accusations that Shabat served as a sniper within Hamas' Beit Hanoun battalion. Aruki was implicated as a team commander for the Nuseirat unit of Hamas, and Abu Omar was named as a training company commander in the East Khan Younis battalion. Notably, Abu Omar was among the Al Jazeera staff injured during an Israeli airstrike in February while reporting on the conflict.

The IDF claims that the intersections between their journalistic work and alleged terrorist activities have allowed these individuals to drive significant propaganda efforts against Israel, specifically criticizing its controversial operations in northern Gaza. "These documents are proof of the involvement of Hamas terrorists in the Qatari media network, Al Jazeera," an IDF statement declared.

In response, Al Jazeera has firmly denied the claims against its journalists. The network, which has provided continuous coverage of the war since the October 7th invasion of Israel by Hamas militants, rebuffed the allegations as baseless. The network’s coverage has often been critical of Israel, particularly focusing on the rising death toll and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The Israeli government has a history of accusing Al Jazeera of acting as a propaganda arm for Hamas and Hezbollah. Moreover, Qatar, which funds Al Jazeera and has been involved in cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, has also been accused of providing direct financial support to the Gaza-based terror group.

The allegations put forth by Israel against Al Jazeera have not been independently verified. In the recent past, Israeli authorities have taken direct actions against the network, including a raid on Al Jazeera’s West Bank office, which was subsequently ordered to shut down for 45 days. Further back in May, Israeli police conducted a controversial raid on Al Jazeera’s East Jerusalem office, confiscating equipment and halting its operations in the country for the first time.