On Saturday morning Israeli forces stormed two buildings in Nuseirat, Gaza. Their mission was to rescue four hostages being held in the "refugee camp," all of whom were taken from the Nova Music Festival on October 7th. 

SEE: Israel Rescues Hostages Despite Biden's Insistence They Leave Gaza

What they found wasn't a Hamas command center, though. Instead, the hostages were being kept in alleged civilian households. Fierce fighting broke out, with a "journalist" named Abdullah Al Jamal killed as one of the apartments was breached. That led to immediate claims that Israel had indiscriminately gunned down a member of the press.

The truth was far more sinister. As RedState's Jennifer Van Laar first reported, the three male hostages who were successfully rescued were being held captive by Al Jamal. 

READ: 'Journalist' Killed by IDF Held 3 Israeli Hostages in His Home, Wrote for US-Based Non-Profit

As we noted in numerous stories about Israel's rescue mission, the four hostages rescued were not held in tunnels or prisons; they were held in the homes of alleged civilians in residential areas in Nuseirat. I say "alleged civilians" because if these people were holding Israeli hostages for eight months they're absolutely part of Hamas and are combatants, not civilians.

One of those alleged civilians, it's now confirmed, was Abdullah Al Jamal, who bills himself as a journalist and who most recently wrote for a United States-based 501(c)(3) NGO, The Palestine Chronicle. He also wrote at least one piece for Al Jazeera. The Israeli government confirmed Sunday that Al Jamal, who was neutralized by IDF rescuers, held three hostages captive in his family home.

What is described above is the same game pro-Palestinians have been playing for decades. In Gaza, everyone is a "civilian." That means that no matter how many of those killed during the hostage rescue were combatants, they will be treated as innocents. The Hamas-controlled "Gaza Ministry of Health" does not distinguish between Hamas and civilians specifically for the propaganda boost. 

Unfortunately, it works every single time because the mainstream press always diligently parrots whatever the "Gaza Ministry of Health" tells them. Why? Because it helps push a narrative they already want to propagate, which is that Palestinians are helpless victims, completely detached from the consequences of their decisions. 

Regardless, once news broke that Al Jamal had been holding hostages, the cover-up attempt went into overdrive. CNN quickly brought out their "without providing evidence" line, which was often used during the Trump administration, to try to insinuate the Israelis were lying. Compare that to their headline on the same day reporting on supposed casualties in Gaza.

If you look really closely, you’ll notice a difference in how CNN treats claims from Israel and from Hamas.

Can you spot it? pic.twitter.com/wlwXrb919c

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) June 10, 2024

It wasn't just the not-so-subtle jabs of the mainstream press facilitating the cover-up, though. The "Palestinian Chronicle," a U.S.-based non-profit that claims to be a valid news source regarding Gaza and the West Bank, started scrubbing its website of who Al Jamal was.

COVER UP:

The US-based Palestine Chronicle (a 501c3 nonprofit based in Washington State) is attempting to cover up evidence of its ties to a Gaza terrorist and Hamas spokesperson.

Its staffer in question, Abdallah Aljamal, took 3 Israelis hostage before being neutralized by… pic.twitter.com/kGpVdYb7Cl

— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) June 9, 2024

The issue here probably isn't just optics-related. There's likely a legal component as well given there are laws against American organizations aiding and abetting terrorism. Not only was Al Jamal a "correspondent in Gaza" (which dictates he held an official position for the Palestinian Chronicle), but he was also a spokesperson for the Hamas Ministry of Labor. The ties don't get any clearer than that. 

Now ask yourself, if Al Jamal was just an innocent bystander gunned down by ruthless Israeli forces, why would the Palestinian Chronicle try to cover up his connection to their organization? That's a question CNN and other American mainstream news outlets won't be asking as they rush to push the Palestinian line about the hostage rescue.