The Ministry of Interior of the Hamas movement decided to prevent the two Saudi "Al-Arabiya" and "Al-Hadath" channels from operating in the Gaza Strip, because of their involvement in "broadcasting fabricated news that offends the Palestinian resistance."
The French news agency quoted a source in the ministry as saying that the ban came against the background of the two channels broadcasting reports about the arrest of a Hamas cell accused of collaborating with Israel. Hamas previously denied these reports and described them as fabricated.
The ban includes "providing any person or company from the sector with any services for Al Arabiya and Al Hadath," according to a collaborator with Al Arabiya.
A journalist, who preferred not to be named, said that the ministry informed him of the decision, which was broadcast by Al-Arabiya television via its screen and website.
Al-Arabiya channel reported on its website that Hamas "issued a decision on Wednesday that prohibited the appearance of any journalist on both Al-Arabiya TV and Al-Hadath from Gaza," noting that Hamas also decided to "punish anyone who provides information services to Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath."
The Ministry of the Interior, affiliated with Hamas, denied the news reported by Al-Arabiya TV, confirming that "the channel's practice of misleading and working to promote rumors and lies."
Hamas political bureau member Musa Abu Marzouk confirmed the news of the cell’s arrest, but made it clear in an interview with the “Al-Mayadeen” channel that broadcasts from Beirut that “what was published by the media about accusing leaders of Al-Qassam accusations is incorrect. Hamas arrested some collaborators with the occupation, They do not have a common bond, and they are not leaders in the movement or in Al-Qassam, one of whom fled towards the occupation.
He added, "What is spreading lies and deceit, and we hope the media, especially the Arab, to be accurate and not to be turned into the Hebrew media."
In the year 2013, Hamas was closed by decision of the Attorney General, Al-Arabiya offices in Gaza. The movement then accused Al-Arabiya channel of broadcasting "incorrect news."
The Islamist movement allowed cooperative political analysts and journalists to appear on the channel during its 2014 war with Israel.
For its part, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the decision to prevent the Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath channels from working in the Strip, describing, in a statement, the reality of media freedoms in the Gaza Strip as "dangerous".
"The campaign of arrests and summonses for journalists, restrictions on freedom of the press work, and the continued closure and prevention of media institutions from working are contrary to national morals and values," she said.