Hamas authorities said they are going to temporarily close the office of Al Arabiya and refrain all employees from entering the building, which is located in the al-Ramal neighborhood in the center of Gaza.
“The Attorney General decided to close down Al Arabiya... in Gaza for distributing false news regarding the smear campaign against Hamas and Gaza about what's happening in Egypt,” a Hamas official told AFP.
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya refused to reveal the reasons behind its office closure in Gaza.
"We received the closure notice and an official statement from Al Arabiya will be published to respond to this decision," said Islam Abd Al Kareem, Al Arabiya’s Gaza correspondent.
Maan’s editor-in-chief Nasser Lahham also said the news agency will forward a complain about threats to its staff to the Union of Arab Journalists and to the International Federation of Journalists.
BA/BA