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A few hours after the latest ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, some Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp Messenger.
The messaging service is a crucial tool to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded strip.
Seventeen journalists in Gaza confirmed their WhatsApp accounts had been blocked since Friday.
By midday on Monday only four journalists, working for Al Jazeera, confirmed their accounts had been restored.
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The incident marks the latest puzzling move by WhatsApp’s owner Facebook, which has left Palestinian users or their allies bewildered as to why they have been targeted by the company, or if they had been singled out for censorship at all.
Numerous Gaza-Based Journalists’ WhatsApp Accounts Blocked
Many of the journalists whose accounts got blocked had been part of a WhatsApp group that disseminates information related to Hamas military operations.
Associated Press (AP) 25 May 2021, Last Updated at 8:15 am AP/PTI Photo outlookindia.com 2021-05-25T08:15:37+05:30
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A few hours after the latest cease-fire took effect in the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp messenger a crucial tool used to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded strip.
The Associated Press reached out to 17 journalists in Gaza who confirmed their WhatsApp accounts had been blocked since Friday. By midday Monday, only four journalists working for Al Jazeera confirmed their accounts had been restored.
May. 25, 2021 3:18 PM
WhatsApp, the popular messaging service owned by Facebook, has blocked the accounts of at least 30 far-right Jewish extremists in Israel. The news comes less than a day after accounts of journalists based in the Gaza Strip were also blocked, allegedly due to their membership in WhatsApp groups operated by Hamas.
Among the accounts blocked were those belonging to activists from the far-right Kahanist Otzma Yehudit party, including the wife of its leader Itamar Ben-Gvir and the head of the group Lehava, Benzi Gopstein. They said they did not get prior notice before being blocked from their accounts and have still to receive any explanation.
A few hours after the latest ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, a number of Palestinian journalists in the coastal enclave – including Al Jazeera’s chief correspondent Wael al-Dahdouh and reporter Hisham Zaqqout – found they were blocked from accessing WhatsApp messenger – a crucial tool used to communicate with sources, editors and the world beyond the blockaded Strip.
According to the Associated Press, 17 journalists in Gaza confirmed their WhatsApp accounts had been blocked since Friday. By midday Monday, only four journalists – working for Al Jazeera – confirmed their accounts had been restored.
The incident marks the latest move concerning WhatsApp’s owner Facebook Inc that has left Palestinian users or their allies bewildered as to why they have been targeted by the company, or if indeed they had been singled out for censorship.
How Social Media Companies are Suppressing the Voice of Palestinians oyetimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from oyetimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.