IDF confirms: 3 hostages held by Palestinian ‘journalist’ and Hamas operative who was killed during rescue

Journalist held Israeli hostages while writing for US-based outlet

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Three of the four Israeli hostages rescued on Saturday were held in the home of a Palestinian journalist and operative of the Hamas terror group, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Sunday evening.

“After investigations by the IDF and Shin Bet, it can be confirmed that Abdullah al-Jamal was an operative of the terrorist organization Hamas, who held the abductees Almog Meir, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv in his family home in Nuseirat,” the IDF stated.

“This is further proof that the terrorist organization Hamas uses the civilian population as a human shield.”

The statement partly confirmed assertions by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (EMHRM) Chairman Ramy Abdu on social media.

Soon after the rescue operation on Saturday, Abdu claimed that IDF soldiers killed several members of the al-Jamal family in their home during the raid, including Abdullah’s father, who was a medical doctor, and several women.

This statement fueled speculation that the home was used to hold Noa Argamani, who revealed after her rescue that she had been kept in the private residence of a well-off family.

The IDF later denied this, stating that the three male hostages were held there.

Eitan Fischberger, a Middle East analyst and journalist, commented on Abdu’s original post, adding several details about Abdullah al-Jamal’s dual work as a journalist and Hamas member.

Al-Jamal reportedly worked as a freelance journalist and was a former writer for Al-Jazeera News, among other outlets. In addition, he functioned as the spokesman for Hamas’ Ministry of Labor in the Gaza Strip.

“Journalist” Abdallah Aljamal was a Hamas terrorist holding Almog, Andrey and Shlomi hostage in his family’s home in Nuseirat.

No press vest can make him innocent of the crimes he has committed.@AlJazeera what’s this terrorist doing on your website? pic.twitter.com/1EM8C7csnw
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 9, 2024

Al Jazeera later claimed that al-Jamal "is not related to us at all and did not work in the past or present for Al Jazeera" and denied the "malicious rumors." Despite this, al-Jamal's name appeared on the channel's website as a contributor.

During the war, al-Jamal mainly wrote a blog for the U.S.-based tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, The Palestine Chronicle, accusing Israeli soldiers of murders and massacres. He apparently continued his work while holding three Israeli hostages in his family home.

Fischberger also found al-Jamal’s Facebook posts from Oct. 7, when he praised God for his “promised victory.”

Abdu describes himself as an assistant professor of Law and Finance and is a veteran anti-Israel activist. According to NGO Monitor, in 2013, the Israeli Defense Ministry called him one of the “main operatives” for institutions considered by Israel to be fronts for Hamas in Europe.

“The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is an ideological advocacy NGO led by Palestinians alleged by Israel to be linked to Hamas. The organization uses the facade of human rights and focuses primarily on demonizing Israel, with no publicly available information on its budget or funding sources,” NGO Monitor wrote on their page.

“The repeated allegations directed at Israel, including accusations of ‘organ theft,’ as well as ‘genocide,’ ‘ethnic cleansing,’ ‘collective punishment,’ are not supported by evidence.”