Hostages Confirm Being Held by Journalist; CNN Still Says ‘Without Evidence’

Israeli hostages who were freed in a rescue operation Saturday reportedly confirmed that they had been held by Palestinian journalist Abdallah Aljamal — but a CNN story about the claim continues to say it is “without … evidence.”

The four rescued hostages had been held in two separate homes in Nuseirat, Gaza, within 200 meters of each other. One female hostage, Noa Argamani, was held in one location, while the three male hostages were held in another.

As Breitbart News reported, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that the three male hostages had been held by a journalist named Abdallah Aljamal, identified as a contributor for the Palestine Chronicle (listed as a non-profit “charity” in the United States) and for Al Jazeera, the Middle Eastern outlet backed by the Qatari government.

CNN reported that allegation in an article headlined: “Israel alleges journalist held hostages in Gaza, without providing evidence.”

The article, last updated on June 10 (as of this writing), notes:

Three hostages rescued during a deadly Israeli military operation on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza were held captive by a journalist, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged Sunday, without providing evidence to support their claim.

In a statement, the IDF claimed freed hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv were held by journalist Abdallah Aljamal and his family members at their home in the central Gaza camp.

…

Aljamal was killed in the IDF operation along with his wife and father, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor chairman Ramy Abdu, citing initial testimony gathered by the group documenting the IDF’s alleged killings in the Nuseirat camp on Saturday.

CNN appears not to have considered that the hostages themselves might have corroborated the claim.

Since then, the Wall Street Journal published an article confirming that the hostages had, indeed, said that Aljamal was their captor. The Journal article noted:

Israeli security forces and the hostages identified Palestinian journalist Abdullah Aljamal, who lived in the apartment, as one of their captors. Abdullah and his father Ahmad Aljamal—a doctor and imam at a local mosque that is run by Hamas—were both killed during the operation. Their neighbors said they always knew that Abdullah Aljamal was affiliated with Hamas.

The Journal added that it was not yet known where the male hostages had been held before being held at the home at which they were rescued.

The Journal added extensive information about the hostages’ treatment in captivity, based on “interviews with relatives of the hostages, and Israeli security and medical officials.” They were allowed to groom themselves but were not given adequate food, suffered beatings, and were forced to recite the Quran and Islamic prayers.

CNN has not yet updated its article to note that there is, in fact, evidence that the hostages were held by Aljamal.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.