Foreign Journalist threatened in gaza they admit after leaving gaza

[mord]

http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Journalists-threatened-by-Hamas-for-reporting-use-of-human-shields-369619



 
Journalists threatened by Hamas for reporting use of human shields
By LAHAV HARKOV
07/31/2014 19:16
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Foreign correspondents asked to leave enclave for social media posts on Hamas' utilization of civilian sites to attack Israel.
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Twitter [Illustrative] Photo: REUTERS

International press in Gaza has hardly reported on how Hamas operates in this round of fighting and photos or video of Hamas fighters from recent weeks are rare, the reason for which became apparent this week as several journalists reported being threatened and even expelled from Gaza for reporting the terrorist organization uses civilian sites to attack Israel.

Reporters from Italy and the US corroborated the IDF's explanation for explosions near Shifa Hospital and by a playground in Shati on Tuesday, that it was a result of rockets misfired by Gazan terrorists.
Related:

    Hamas tells social media activists to always call the dead ‘innocent civilians’
    Gaza reporters’ tweets: Hamas using human shields

However, one altered his report and another waited to leave Gaza because he feared retribution from Hamas.

Italian journalist Gabriele Barbati tweeted a photo on Tuesday as he went through the Erez crossing  into Israel.

Barbati then he tweeted the following in Italian and English: "Out of Gaza far from Hamas retaliation: Misfired rocket killed children [yesterday] in Shati. Witness: militants rushed and cleared debris."
He followed that tweet with another: "@IDFSpokesperson said truth in communique released yesterday about Shati camp massacre. It was not Israel behind it."

    Out of #Gaza far from #Hamas retaliation: misfired rocket killed children yday in Shati. Witness: militants rushed and cleared debris
    — gabrielebarbati (@gabrielebarbati) July 29, 2014


    @IDFSpokesperson said truth in communique released yesterday about Shati camp massacre. It was not #Israel behind it
    — gabrielebarbati (@gabrielebarbati) July 29, 2014


The Wall Street Journal's Middle East Correspondent based in Egypt Tamer El-Ghobashy tweeted a photo of rubble with the explanation: "An outside wall on the campus of Gaza's main hospital was hit by a strike. Low level damage suggest Hamas misfire."

Soon after, El-Ghobashy deleted the tweet, similar to his Wall Street Journal colleague Nick Casey, who tweeted a photo of a Hamas official using Shifa hospital for media appearances last week and then deleted it.

El-Ghobashy then replaced the same tweet with the same photo and the text: "The outer wall of Gaza City's main hospital was struck. Unclear what the origin of the projectile is."

The French newspaper Liberation published an article last week detailing how Hamas interrogated French-Palestinian journalist Radjaa Abu Dagga and threatened to throw him out of Gaza – all in Shifa hospital. The article was later removed at Abu Dagga's request.

A cached version of the article described Hamas fighters, dressed in civilian clothing with guns hidden under their shirts, gathered a few meters from the emergency room.

They interrogated Abu Dagga and insisted that he is working for for the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, even though he said he works for French media and an Algerian radio station. Then, he was told he must leave Gaza and leave his papers behind.

Reporters Without Borders confirmed to Liberation that many journalists reported being threatened by Hamas, though the organization's website criticizes Israel.

Then, he wrote that he deleted the first tweet because it was speculative. However, he speculated that the IDF struck a UN school in Bet Hanoun a week earlier, which the IDF Spokesperson denied, and did not delete that tweet.

Pro-Palestinian activists and journalists, including Fadi Arouri from Al-Ayyam, reported on Wednesday that RT (formerly Russia Today) correspondent Harry Fear was told to leave Gaza after he tweeted about Hamas rockets being fired into Israel from near his hotel.

In another tweet from last week, Fear called Al-Wafa hospital "the hospital with human shields."

A writer for the anti-Israel site Electronic Intifada tweeted that he is celebrating Fear's expulsion from Gaza, the "best news ever," by eating a lot of sweets.

Of course, these expulsions only work when Hamas allows journalists to leave Gaza. Last week, Huffington Post Middle East Correspondent Sophia Jones tweeted: "The Israeli side of the border with Gaza was briefly open today, but Hamas did not let journalists leave Gaza."

    The Israeli side of the border with gaza was briefly open today, but Hamas did not let journalists leave Gaza.
    — Sophia Jones (@Sophia_MJones) July 20, 2014


Foreign Ministry Spokesman Paul Hirschson said the Israeli government is aware of the phenomenon but does not know how widespread it is.

"It's disconcerting," he said. "I'm not sure we've seen a Hamas fighter from the foreign media."

Hirschson said that, while he does not expect reporters to put themselves directly in the line of fire, danger "comes with the turf" for conflict reporters, and "it is inconceivable that there is zero visual footage of Hamas, as if they don't exist."

On the Israeli side, Hirschson said: "The Foreign Ministry in particular, but the IDF Spokesman as well, have been very open and loud in our insistence that foreign media should be let into Gaza. Years ago the army wouldn't let them in because it's dangerous, but now we say they're adults, they know it's dangerous and this is their job.

"We welcome them coming here and monitoring us," he said of journalists.