Simon Kent

The Associated Press (AP) issued a statement Thursday in response to serious allegations against freelancers who contributed to AP’s coverage of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.

Meanwhile on  Thursday CNN suspended ties with a freelance journalist who embedded with Hamas during the Oct. 7 slaughter of innocent Israelis.

Freelancer Hassan Eslaiah was seen in footage receiving a kiss on the cheek from Gaza Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, photos shared to social media show.

Why Were 6 Journalists from AP, Reuters & CNN Present at the Oct 7th Hamas Attack on Israel / https://t.co/fADSGDLEk6 @AP @Reuters @CNN #journalists #Hamas_is_ISIS #October7massacre #IsraelAtWar @HonestReporting

— The Jewish Voice (@JewishVoice) November 9, 2023

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration is demanding answers from several prominent news agencies after criticism emerged of their photographers and their links to Hamas on the day of its barbaric attack.

As Breitbart News reported Wednesday, AP said that it had no foreknowledge of the attack, even though its photographers appeared alongside Hamas terrorists from the first moments they broke through the Gaza border fence.

The company has now issued this statement:

The Associated Press had no knowledge of the Oct. 7 attacks before they happened.

The first pictures AP received from any freelancer show they were taken more than an hour after the attacks began. No AP staff were at the border at the time of the attacks, nor did any AP staffer cross the border at any time.

Here’s @AP/@CNN photographer Hassan Eslaiah engaging in some bromance with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. pic.twitter.com/zEwnJp4trd

— FJ (@Natsecjeff) November 8, 2023

We are no longer working with Hassan Eslaiah, who had been an occasional freelancer for AP and other international news organizations in Gaza.

AP uses images taken by freelancers around the world. When we accept freelance photos, we take great steps to verify the authenticity of the images and that they show what is purported.

The role of the AP is to gather information on breaking news events around the world, wherever they happen, even when those events are horrific and cause mass casualties.

Israel’s Government Press Office (GPO), which regulates press access in Israel, has also issued a statement demanding explanations surrounding media coverage on the day.

GPO Director Nitzan Chen specifically called on the bureau chiefs of AP, Reuters, CNN and the New York Times to explain their links to the contributors as footage emerges of the alleged involvement on the day of Hassan Eslaiah.

As Joel Pollak reported for Breitbart News, news agencies have faced criticism in recent years for using photographers or local “stringers” who have sympathy for anti-Israel terrorist groups.

Often, these are the only photographers that groups like Hamas and Hezbollah will permit to work in the area.