Israel accuses 6 Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza of being Palestinian militants

abcnews.go.com:

The Israeli army has accused six Al Jazeera journalists covering the war in Gaza of also being current or former paid fighters for Palestinian militant groups

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli army on Wednesday accused six Al Jazeera journalists covering the war in Gaza of also being current or former paid fighters for Palestinian militant groups. Al Jazeera rejected the claims.

Israel cited documents it purportedly found in Gaza, and other intelligence it gathered, in making the accusations against the journalists, all of whom are Palestinian men. It said four are or have been affiliated with Hamas, and two with Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Al Jazeera said the accusations were “fabricated” and “part of a wider pattern of hostility” toward the pan-Arab network. It said the claims were “a blatant attempt to silence the few remaining journalists in the region, thereby obscuring the harsh realities of the war from audiences worldwide.”

The Associated Press has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the documents Israel posted online to support its claims.

Al Jazeera is based in the energy-rich nation of Qatar, where many senior Hamas officials are based. The Gulf Arab country, which funds Al Jazeera, also has been a key player in Gaza cease-fire negotiations, along with the U.S. and Egypt.

Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif, Hossam Shabat, Ismael Abu Omar, and Talal Arrouki were accused by Israel of ties to Hamas. Ashraf Saraj and Alaa Salameh were accused of ties to Islamic Jihad.

The men have held various roles, according to documents Israel cited — sniper, infantry soldier, fighter, captain, training coordinator and “propaganda.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists released a statement on Wednesday