Khalid Yousef from Istanbul – Anadolu

These measures come as part of an escalating Israeli campaign against media outlets it accuses of bias since the outbreak of the war on Gaza.

In a 14th such move, Israel on Thursday extended the closure of Al Jazeera's office in Jerusalem and banned its operations for an additional 90 days.

The Hebrew newspaper Maariv reported that Israeli authorities decided to extend the closure of Al Jazeera's office in Jerusalem and ban its activities for an additional 90 days, in a 14th step since the decision began implementation in May 2024.

Since May 2024, Israel has banned the channel from operating within its territory and the occupied Palestinian territories due to its coverage of the genocide war on Gaza, and the decision is renewed periodically.

On January 26, 2026, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi announced in a post on the American company X platform the expansion of measures imposed on Qatar's Al Jazeera and Lebanon's Al Mayadeen channels.

Karhi said the measures include blocking the two channels' websites and preventing their broadcast on television screens and YouTube platform, explaining that the steps come based on what is known as the 'Al Jazeera Law' passed by Israel.

The measures also include stopping broadcasts, closing offices, confiscating equipment, and disabling the websites of both institutions.

Israel had banned the operations of Lebanon's Al Mayadeen channel within Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in November 2023.

These measures come amid Israel's war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, and the accompanying restrictions on the work of media and journalists in the Palestinian territories.

Israel says the measures taken against the two channels are based on security considerations, while media institutions and human rights organizations reject those measures and consider them targeting press freedom and the public's right to access information.

Israel waged a genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023 with American support, lasting two years and leaving more than 73,000 dead and over 173,000 wounded, and massive destruction affecting 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.

This 14th extension is an indicator of the continuation of Israeli policy against Al Jazeera despite international criticism. Israel says the measures are security-related, while human rights organizations consider them a restriction on press freedom. The measures have been expanded to include Lebanon's Al Mayadeen channel since November 2023. Observers are monitoring the impact of these restrictions on media coverage of the war in Gaza.