The Qatari-based Al Jazeera network has yet to comment on the matter. However, the potential move has already sparked outrage.

Israel is seeking ways to shut down Al Jazeera’s local bureau, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing Israel’s communications minister Shloma Karhi.

“This is a station that incites, this is a station that films troops in assembly areas (outside Gaza) … that incites against the citizens of Israel – a propaganda mouthpiece,” Karhi told Israel’s Army Radio, as quoted by Reuters.

Last week, reports pointed to an emergency Israeli cabinet meeting on the matter in which Karhi sought to approve the closure of Al Jazeera’s coverage in Israel. The latest reports suggest Israeli security officials have vetted the proposal and are expected to discuss it again during a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Karhi said that it “is unconscionable that Hamas spokespeople’s message goes through” Al Jazeera. “I hope we will finish with this today,” Karhi added.

The Qatari-based Al Jazeera network has yet to comment on the matter. However, the potential move has already sparked outrage.

“After targeting our journalists & offices for years, not surprising that they would do this in the midst of incredible, harrowing and human reporting from our colleagues,” Sana Saeed, Host and Senior Producer at AJ+, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Over the years, Al Jazeera has been subjected to various deliberate attacks by Israel for its detailed and impartial coverage of the violence committed by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) against Palestinians, including the latest war on Gaza.

Unlike other renowned media outlets that have been accused of parroting the Israeli narrative, Al Jazeera explicitly details the suffering of millions of Palestinians through its reporters and journalists on the ground.

Such coverage has appeared to anger pro-Israeli officials around the world.

On Saturday, a viral video showed US presidential candidate and Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, warning Americans about watching Al Jazeera after he was questioned about Israeli crimes in Gaza.

The video showed a man refuting DeSantis’s claims on Israel’s right to self defence by citing Al Jazeera’s coverage of Palestinian civilians being bombarded by the IOF.

“I watched Al Jazeera’s and they were not covering that on CNN,” the man told the US presidential candidate.

Al Jazeera presenter Rawaa Auge suggested in a post on X that Israel’s discussions on the Qatar-based network is due to its independence through the escalations.

“Israeli government discussing the closure of Al Jazeera coverage of the war. I am guessing because it’s the only outlet they didn’t succeed in manipulating. For journalists who took sides, who propagated atrocities with no confirmation, there is blood on your hands,” Al Jazeera presenter Rawaa Auge said in a post on X.

Meanwhile on Friday, Israel targeted a group of international press crews in Lebanon as they covered attacks in the south of the country, killing one Reuters journalist.

Press members that were reporting in Lebanon’s Alma Al-Shaab area included Al Jazeera correspondent Carmen Jokhadar and photographer Elie Barkhia. They were all wearing helmets and blue flak jackets that clearly identified them as members of the press when they were targeted. 

In a statement, Al Jazeera confirmed the IOF had fired “a guided missile” at its crew in yet another attempt “to silence the media”.

“Israel’s targeting of Al Jazeera team is a blatant disregard of international safety standards that clearly distinguish the press, as they shelled and burned Al Jazeera broadcast vehicle despite our crew’s presence alongside other international media in an agreed upon location,” Al Jazeera said.

The network condemned the “repeated atrocities” which it said had also previously killed veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022. To date, Israel has not been held to account for that killing.

“Al Jazeera holds Israel legally and morally responsible for this brutal attack and calls on the international community to take action to ensure the safety of journalists. We demand that the perpetrators behind this heinous crime are held accountable and brought to justice,” the network said.

During Israel’s bombardment of Gaza in 2021, the IOF levelled a tower that housed international media offices, including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press. The 11-storey Al-Jalaa building was destroyed on live television.

The network saw the attack at the time “as a clear act to stop journalists from conducting their sacred duty to inform the world and report events on the ground.”

The IOF has targeted the press since the start of the war in Gaza, killing nine journalists within a single week, per figures shared by Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). 

“CPJ emphasises that journalists are civilians doing important work during times of crisis and must not be targeted by warring parties,” Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa programme coordinator, said.

The IOF has killed more than 50 Palestinian journalists since 2000, per figures shared by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.

Israel’s attacks on the press have intensified as it continues it bombing campaign on the besieged Gaza Strip. So far, at least 2,329 Palestinians, including 724 children have been killed by Israel.

However, the figure is expected to rise as the IOF continues to bombard the city, with fears over a possible Israeli ground invasion on the horizon.