A new report has revealed that CNN had foreknowledge of the Hamas attack on Israel and had an embedded reporter with Hamas when the group launched its brutal attack on Israel on October 7.
Photojournalist Hassan Eslaiah, who has also worked for the Associated Press, posted several images and videos on Twitter/X that were taken during the surprise attack. One of the posts includes a clip showing Hamas fighters ransacking a burning Israeli tank.
“All the Israeli soldiers who were in the tank were kidnapped,” the CNN photojournalist told his followers.
CNN’s Eslaiah also had prior knowledge of the attacks but chose not to raise the alarm.
CNN has responded to the bombshell revelations by attempting to cover its tracks, issuing a statement declaring the network has “suspended all ties” with Eslaiah.
His firing comes in the wake of a shocking report from media watchdog Honest Reporting.
The report named Eslaia, along with Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali, as the four photojournalists who joined Hamas during the October 7 assault.
The work by the four reporters, that was obtained during the attacks, was used in reporting by corporate media outlets, including CNN and the Associated Press.
Honest Reporting noted that Eslaiah deleted several posts from X that he posted on October 7.
In those posts, he wrote about being “Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements.”
In response, a CNN spokesperson said the network did not “doubt the journalistic accuracy of the work he has done for us, we have decided to suspend all ties with him.”
In a statement to The Washington Times, an Associated Press (AP) spokesperson said:
“The Associated Press had no knowledge of the October 7 attacks before they happened.
“The role of The Associated Press is to gather information on breaking news events around the world, wherever they happen, even when those events are horrific and cause mass casualties.”
Two photos published by Reuters on October 7 were taken close to the Gaza border as the Hamas invasion began.
Honest Reporting notes that photographers Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih “happened to be at the border just in time for Hamas” infiltration.
“Did the photojournalists who freelance for other media, like CNN and The New York Times, notify these outlets?” Honest Reporting asked.
“Judging from the pictures of lynching, kidnapping, and storming of an Israeli kibbutz, it seems like the border has been breached not only physically, but also journalistically.”
In his video, as he stands in front of a terrorist attack, Eslaiah is not wearing a press vest or a helmet and appears to be part of the Hamas group.
In 2021, it was widely reported that the Associated Press used the same office space as Hamas in Gaza.
Eslaiah was previously pictured in an embrace with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an undated photo.
