Journalism has received several black eyes in recent weeks: Journalists have misreported on a missile strike on a hospital in Gaza, attributing it to Israel rather than Hamas, and were embedded with the Oct. 7 terrorist’s strike on civilians, and an NBC News reporter praised Hamas while the murderous rampage unfolded.
The Western Journal reported that authorities in Israel arrested the NBC News reporter who praised Hamas for killing more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and kidnapped more than 230.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Marwat Al-Azza, 45, was taken into custody last Friday. The Post described the reporter as a Palestinian who worked and lived in East Jerusalem.
Al-Azza’s Facebook post shows that the reporter was aware of the incursion and praised the several thousand terrorists who entered Israel and attacked more than a dozen border towns. Noteworthy is that most of the residents in those border towns employed Palestinians and were sympathetic to the poor living conditions their government leaders subjected them to.
Haaretz, Israel’s oldest newspaper, reported on Al-Azza, writing: “She wrote on the kidnapping of an elderly woman from a Gaza border community, ‘It’s killing me, it’s a black comedy, the old woman looks happy, a bit of action before she dies.’”
Haaretz likened Al-Azza’s posts as portrayed the unfolding massacre as a movie with Hamas terrorists featured as heroes.
“Sirens all the time, the Jews are hiding and the Arabs are out drinking coffee on their balconies,” Al-Azza wrote. “I feel like I’m watching a movie where the director is Palestinian and the protagonists are from Gaza.”
The Western Journal reported that Al-Azza is cooperating with police and has confirmed that she authored the Facebook posts.
Specific charges have not been made public, but several outlets have noted the reporter is charged with “serious offenses.”
A judge reportedly told Al-Azza during her initial hearing: “These are very serious offenses during a time of declared war when the respondent lives and makes a living in the same country that is under attack and yet chooses to incite and glorify the horrible acts committed against civilians.”
Al-Azza’s attorney told local reporters: “This is a normative woman, engaged in journalism, and her role is very important to everyone. She was asked in her investigation about her work. I believe that in the things attributed to her, she cooperated fully. She did not try to hide, saying ‘I had a hacker.’”
The judge denied Al-Azza’s request to be released while awaiting a trial.
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