An investigation was published on Wednesday evening by HonestReporting, an organization dedicated to countering biases against Israel in global media. This investigation revealed that on October 7th, press photographers from major international media outlets were present alongside Hamas terrorists while they infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip.

According to the investigation, the terrorists from Hamas were not the only ones documenting their war crimes in the southern Israeli townships. Some of these heinous acts were captured on camera by press photographers who are employees of Associated Press (AP), Reuters, CNN, and the New York Times. Following the investigation's release, CNN informed Israeli reporters from Yedioth Ahronoth that they had decided to suspend their professional relationship with one of the involved photographers. However, AP declined to confirm whether they would take similar action. In fact, in the past month and in recent days, the AP has continued to receive photos from a photographer who had documented the abduction of Yaffa Adar, including several from Rafah.

And here is footage of Eslaiah after he crossed into Israel and took photos of a burning Israeli tank. He then captured infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Azza.

Note that he is not identifiable as a member of the press. But AP & CNN deemed it acceptable to use his services. pic.twitter.com/fA0VI2df2i

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) November 8, 2023

HonestReporting's investigation notably raises several ethical questions regarding the photographers' presence in the area of the border fence breach early in the morning. Did these photographers coordinate their arrival with Hamas? Did the leading news agencies sanction their photographers' entry into Israeli territory, which is considered an enemy state, in the company of Hamas terrorists? Were CNN and the New York Times, who employ these photographers as freelancers, informed that they were accompanying terrorists during the massacre?

The credits for AP images from that fateful Saturday include four names: Hassan Asliya, Yusuf Massoud, Ali Mahmoud, and Hatem Ali. Asliya, also a CNN contributor, crossed the border into Israel, captured images of a burning IDF tank, and documented the terrorists' infiltration into Kibbutz Kfar Gaza. He posted pictures on Twitter, which have since been removed, showing him standing in front of the charred tank. He captioned the photos with, "Live broadcast from the settlements in the Gaza Strip". Massoud, who also works for the New York Times in addition to AP, was likewise present during the incident.

Exposed by @HonestReporting. Photojournalists paid by the major news agencies were complicit in the October 7 massacre by Hamas. https://t.co/gbgsrtCASG

— The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome (@TheMossadIL) November 8, 2023

In response to the allegations, AP stated that, "The agency had no prior knowledge of the attacks. AP's role is to gather information about news events around the world, wherever they occur, even when they are horrific and result in mass casualties. The agency uses photos taken by freelancers around the world, including in Gaza." AP declined to comment on whether they would cease working with the photographers in question.

In the meantime, CNN issued a statement saying, "We are aware of the article and photo concerning Hassan Asliya, a freelance photojournalist who has worked with several international and Israeli media outlets. Although we have found no reason at this stage to doubt the accuracy of the work he did for us, we have decided to suspend all ties with him."