Cairo, 5 May 2024 (dpa/MIA) – Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera on Sunday decried a decision by the Israeli government to close its offices in the country, saying it would pursue "all avenues" available to protect its rights and employees.

It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday his Cabinet had unanimously decided to close Al Jazeera's operations in Israel.

Israel accuses the Doha-based broadcaster of biased reporting on the ongoing war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, Al Jazeera categorically denied the accusation.

"The Netanyahu government has decided in a highly misleading and calumnious step to endorse the order to shut down Al Jazeera offices in Israel," the network said.

The channel condemned what it called an "Israeli criminal act" that violates the human right of access to information.

"We confirm that we will pursue all avenues at international and legal organizations to protect our rights and crews," it added without elaborating.

Last month, the Israeli parliament approved what is known as the "Al Jazeera law" which allows for broadcasters from abroad to be shut down if they are deemed to pose a risk to state security.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Al Jazeera has reported extensively on the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip and shown images of death and destruction rarely shown on Israeli television.

The channel also regularly shows videos of attacks on Israeli soldiers by Hamas' military arm, the Qassam Brigades.

Photo: MIA archive