The United Nations on Monday criticized Israel for raiding Al Jazeera’s office in the occupied West Bank and ordering its closure for 45 days, saying the Israeli move is “limiting media coverage of what is going on in the region.”

“We are extremely concerned about what we’ve seen. This is not the first time that Israeli authorities have shut down Al Jazeera,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Dujarric recalled that Israel previously carried out a similar action in Jerusalem, saying it “plays to a bigger picture of limiting media coverage of what is going on in the region, including in Gaza.”

He also noted that international journalists are barred from entering Gaza, which, he said, affects their work and impedes press freedom.

He affirmed the UN’s “extreme” support for press freedom, emphasizing the need for the media to be our “eyes and ears,” especially in conflict zones.

Israeli soldiers raided the Al Jazeera’s office in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, and ordered the bureau to shut do
wn amid a widening campaign targeting the Doha-based broadcaster. They also seized documents and broadcasting equipment.

Al-Jazeera network has been one of the few international media outlets broadcasting from the region, extensively covering Israel’s military offensives in Gaza and the West Bank.

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October, it has killed nearly 41,500 Palestinians and injured more than 95,000 more, mostly women and children.

Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the besieged enclave, where millions of Palestinians are displaced, facing famine and acute shortages of medical aid and other essentials.

Source: Philippines News Agency