Al Jazeera Media Network has fiercely condemned the Israeli authorities' decision to prolong the ban on its operations within Israel for an additional 90 days. The extension includes the suspension of its broadcasts, the closure of its offices, and restrictions on accessing its digital platforms.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Qatar-based network described the move as "an assault" on press freedom and the public's fundamental right to information. Al Jazeera warned that this action establishes "a dangerous pattern that undermines the ability of news organisations to report the facts and hold those in power to account."

The court in Tel Aviv approved the extension last week, following the Israeli government's initial decision in May 2024 to shut down Al Jazeera's operations. This initial decision came amidst heightened tensions during Israel's military campaign in Gaza and followed the passage of a law empowering the Israeli parliament to temporarily close foreign broadcasters deemed a "threat to national security."

Al Jazeera, which recently marked its 30th anniversary, categorically rejected the justifications provided for the ban. The network highlighted that the extension was based on "secret material" that neither Al Jazeera nor its legal representatives were allowed to access or contest, thereby denying it any meaningful opportunity to defend itself and violating basic due process guarantees.

This is not the first time Al Jazeera has faced actions from Israeli authorities. In September 2024, Israeli forces raided the network's offices in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, confiscating equipment and documents. Previously, in 2017, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had threatened to close the network's Jerusalem office.

The network also referenced past incidents, including an Israeli missile strike that destroyed its Gaza office building in 2021. Al Jazeera noted that many of its journalists were among the hundreds of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel during the conflict in Gaza, with some journalists also losing family members.

The ban's extension comes after the widely reported killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022, who was shot by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank. While Israel initially denied responsibility, it later acknowledged a "high possibility" that one of its soldiers was responsible for the death of the veteran correspondent.

Despite these ongoing pressures, Al Jazeera stated that attempts to silence its reporting would not deter it from its mission to provide factual news coverage and hold power to account.