Hamas Tells Sympathetic Israeli Reporter to Leave Gaza
An Israeli reporter who defied her country’s blockade of Gaza returned to Israel after Hamas told her to leave due to security concerns. Amira Hass is an award-winning writer for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. She arrived by boat with pro-Palestinian activists who were trying to draw attention to the hardship in Gaza. Israel let the boats through, but denied a Libyan freighter on a humanitarian mission. Hass had hoped to stay in the region until January.
Gaza groups had kidnapped reporters in the past, but none have been taken since Hamas seized power. Hass was accompanied by Hamas security officials while she was in Gaza, though she did not request protection. Hass is well known for her sympathetic coverage of the Palestinians and is well known in the Gaza Strip.
Jamie Hughes
