[14] According to The Guardian, Haaretz "had published a series of investigations of wrongdoing or abuses by senior officials and the armed forces, and has long been in the crosshairs of the current government.
Smear campaigns have been waged against media outlets and journalists by politicians with the help of their party and supporters, exposing the targets to harassment and anonymous messages and forcing them seek personal protection.
"[16] On 7 December 2021, Reporters Without Borders and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor called for an immediate end to the Israeli travel bans that prevent dozens of Palestinian journalists from leaving the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
[17] On 18 August 2022, Israeli forces issued military orders imposing the closure of seven prominent Palestinian human rights groups' offices after accusing them of operating as fronts for terrorist organizations.
[19] In 2019, Christophe Deloire, director-general of Reporters Without Borders, accused Israel of war crimes after two journalists were shot and killed by the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza while covering a protest.
[24] In 2022, Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed with a shot to her head while covering an operation of the Israel Defense Forces in the Palestinian city of Jenin.
[25] On 5 September, the IDF admitted a "high possibility" that the journalist was "accidentally hit" by army fire, but said that, despite US requests to do so, it would not undertake a criminal investigation into her death.
The censorship rules largely concern military issues such as not reporting if a missile hit or missed its target, troop movements, etc.
[28] One notable instance where a newspaper was closed temporarily was in the case of the Kav 300 affair where it was eventually discovered that the censor was used by the Shin Bet to cover up internal wrongdoings in the agency and led to one of the biggest public scandals in Israel during the 1980s.
"[31] In addition to media censorship, Israeli cinemas are subject to regulation regarding the exhibition of pornography and television stations face restrictions on early broadcasting of programs that are unsuitable for children.
In late 2009, Israel issued a gag order against the Israeli media reporting on facts surrounding the Anat Kamm–Uri Blau affair.
[35] The Associated Press speculated that a statement made by Khaled Mashal the previous day, in which he spoke of an Israeli request through a European intermediary for the release of "two soldiers and two bodies", may have "forced Israel's hand".
[37] On 1 April 2024, the Knesset passed the "Al Jazeera law", which gives the Israeli government the power to close foreign news networks operating in the country and confiscate their equipment if they are deemed to be threats to national security.
The law, passed in a 71 to 10 vote, was planned to be used against the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera according to Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi.
[38] On 21 April 2024, the Communications Ministry shut down and seized the broadcasting equipment of an Associated Press livestream overlooking Northern Gaza, claiming that the wire service was providing information on the live stream to Al Jazeera, one of its clients, in violation of the law.
According to the AP, it was in compliance with Israel's censorship rules prohibiting the coverage of details that could endanger Israeli lives such as troop movements and characterized the government's actions as "abusive".