News outlets deny advance knowledge of Hamas attack on Israel 

Several of the world’s leading news organizations are denying having prior knowledge of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, following explosive allegations from a pro-Israel media watchdog this week.

The HonestReporting group published an article Wednesday suggesting several freelance journalists working for The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN and Reuters either had advanced knowledge of the planned Hamas attack or did not do enough to warn their media companies or government officials about an imminent threat to Israel.

“What were they doing there so early on what would ordinarily have been a quiet Saturday morning? Was it coordinated with Hamas?” the group asked, attaching photos it said showed a number of photographers on the ground near the Israeli border shortly before the attack. “Did the respectable wire services, which published their photos, approve of their presence inside enemy territory, together with the terrorist infiltrators? Did the photojournalists who freelance for other media, like CNN and The New York Times, notify these outlets?”

“Judging from the pictures of lynching, kidnapping and storming of an Israeli kibbutz, it seems like the border has been breached not only physically, but also journalistically.”

Throughout the day Thursday, each of the news organizations mentioned in the article responded with forceful denials they had advance knowledge of the attack.

“The accusation that anyone at The New York Times had advance knowledge of the Hamas attacks or accompanied Hamas terrorists during the attacks is untrue and outrageous,” the Times said in a statement. “It is reckless to make such allegations, putting our journalists on the ground in Israel and Gaza at risk.”

“There is no evidence for Honest Reporting’s insinuations,” the outlet continued. “Our review of his work shows that he was doing what photojournalists always do during major news events, documenting the tragedy as it unfolded.”

In a statement of its own, the AP said “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,” the wire service wrote.

Reuters, meanwhile said it “categorically denies that it had prior knowledge of the attack or that we embedded journalists with Hamas on Oct. 7.”

The allegations have nonetheless sparked outrage in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying in a string of social media posts Thursday the Israeli government “views with utmost gravity that photojournalists working with international media joined in covering the brutal acts of murder perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on October 7th in the communities adjacent to the Gaza Strip.”

“These journalists were accomplices in crimes against humanity; their actions were contrary to professional ethics,” he said, noting it sent “an urgent letter to the bureau chiefs of the media organizations that employed these photographers and sought clarifications on the matter.”

Tensions between Israel and international news organizations remain high as the country’s ongoing war with Hamas stretches weeks and has killed thousands.

Earlier this month, Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni called on the Israeli government to investigate the death of video journalist Issam Abdallah, who witnesses said was killed in Lebanon by a shell that came from Israel.