The Saudi channel “MBC” has removed a report that labeled leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, as “terrorists,” sparking widespread anger across social media platforms.
The report referred to the head of Hamas’ political bureau, the martyr Ismail Haniyeh, and his deputy, the martyr Saleh al-Arouri, as terrorists. The channel described Haniyeh as “a controversial figure in the world of terrorism,” despite his well-known political role. Regarding al-Arouri, the report accused him of being responsible for “bloody terrorist attacks,” conveniently ignoring the fact that the Israeli occupation, which has killed over 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza, was behind the assassination of both men through bombings and airstrikes that claimed the lives of dozens of civilians.
The report also targeted the current head of the political bureau, the martyr Yahya Sinwar, making similar accusations. It stated that Sinwar was “the latest figure the world got rid of,” and derogatorily labeled him as “the butcher of Khan Yunis.”
The Saudi channel aired this report under the title: “A Millenium of Liberation from Terrorists… The Figures Who Terrorized the World and Shed Blood.” The segment also included military leaders from Hezbollah, the former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Qassem Soleimani, among others.
In response, Hamas strongly condemned the report, stating in a press release that it represents nothing more than “yellow journalism and a fifth column.”
Hamas called on “the channel’s management to immediately retract this professional downfall, remove the report from its platforms, and issue an apology for the offensive portrayal, which harms not only the channel’s owners and management but does no damage to the resistance and its leaders, who have sacrificed their lives on the path to liberating Palestine and Al-Aqsa. We also demand a revision of this malicious editorial stance that aligns with the occupation’s agenda, and for attention to be redirected towards the crimes and atrocities committed against our people by the criminal Zionist entity.”
