CNN cut ties with a freelance photojournalist based in Gaza hours after a photo emerged purportedly showing a top Hamas leader kissing the photographer on the cheek.
Freelancer Hassan Eslaiah can be seen in the photo being friendly with Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre that killed 1,400 Israelis. The photo came to light after HonestReporting, a pro-Israel media watchdog group, published a report Wednesday claiming Eslaiah and other photojournalists were embedded with Hamas terrorists on the day they attacked Israel last month.
“Hassan Eslaiah, who was a freelance journalist working for us and many other outlets, was not working for the network on October 7th. As of today, we have severed all ties with him,” CNN said in a statement provided to National Review.
Eslaiah, who also works for the Associated Press, was on the ground in Israel when Hamas first invaded. He captured images of a burning Israeli tank and filmed the terrorist infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Azza, as can be seen in a video. “Everyone who were inside this tank were kidnapped, everyone who were inside the tank were kidnapped a short while ago by al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas’ armed wing], as we have seen with our own eyes,” he said in Arabic.
The article also noted how he has since deleted posts on X documenting his coverage of the attack. One such post included an Arabic caption that read, “Live from inside the Gaza Strip settlements.” HonestReporting verified the existence of those social-media posts by obtaining screenshots.
Eslaiah was not wearing a vest or helmet identifying himself as a member of the press at the time, leading HonestReporting to imply that he and the other journalists mentioned in the report may have had advance warning of the attack, though there is no direct evidence to confirm that implication.
“Did the photojournalists who freelance for other media, like CNN and The New York Times, notify these outlets? 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,” the HonestReporting exposé read.
CNN denied having any advance knowledge of the October 7 attack in its statement.
Associated Press freelancers Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali and Reuters photojournalists Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa and Yasser Qudih were also mentioned in the report.
The Associated Press released a statement in response to the report but stopped short of suspending Eslaiah or others: “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.”
This is not the first time news outlets have been met with controversy over their Gaza-based reporters since the October 7 terror attack. Last month, the New York Times quietly rehired a Hitler-sympathizing journalist from Gaza after he was fired last year for his antisemitic views.
“We reviewed problematic social media posts by Mr. Hijjy when they first came to light in 2022 and took a variety of actions to ensure he understood our concerns and could adhere to our standards if he wished to do freelance work for us in the future,” a New York Times representative said after the news broke. “Mr. Hijjy followed those steps and has maintained high journalistic standards. He has delivered important and impartial work at great personal risk in Gaza during this conflict.”
Eslaiah has also done freelance work for the the New York Times, which has not commented on his alleged ties to Hamas.