Israeli military raids Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have infiltrated the office of Qatari news channel Al Jazeera in Ramallah, West Bank, demanding its closure for 45 days.

This information was reported by Al Jazeera via its Telegram channel, which claims that military personnel are also forcing employees to vacate the premises, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Earlier, an Israeli newspaper reported that the Tel Aviv District Court had extended the ban on Al Jazeera’s broadcasting and ordered the closure of its 21 offices in Israel for an additional 45 days.

On June 5, the court upheld the Israeli government's request to halt Al Jazeera’s broadcasts for 35 days, starting from May 5, when the Israeli Ministry of Communications issued a special order to shut down the channel's offices. Following this, on June 9, Communications Minister Shlomo Kar’i signed a decree extending the closure for another month and a half, a decision that was subsequently approved by the court.

The Knesset (Israeli Parliament) passed a law on April 1 allowing the Minister of Communications, with the Prime Minister's approval, to shut down foreign media outlets in Israel if their activities threaten state security. The Israeli government cited “provocative activities” as the reason for Al Jazeera’s shutdown on May 5.

Tensions in the Middle East escalated dramatically following the infiltration of Hamas militants from Gaza into Israeli territory on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of residents in border settlements and the kidnapping of over 240 hostages. In response, Israel imposed a complete blockade on Gaza and initiated retaliatory strikes against the enclave as well as parts of Lebanon and Syria, followed by a ground operation aimed at rescuing the hostages.