Israel Arrests NBC Reporter Who Mocked Elderly Israeli Hostage, Glorified Oct. 7 Massacre

The 45-year-old journalist in eastern Jerusalem was arrested for four Facebook posts, mocking Israeli hostages, praising Palestinian terrorists, and glorifying Hamas atrocities.

By World Israel News Staff

Marwat al-Azza, a journalist employed by NBC, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly inciting terrorism and identification with a terrorist organization.

The arrest happened following four Facebook posts by the 45-year-old journalist based in eastern Jerusalem in which she mocked Israeli hostages and victims of Hamas atrocities and praised Palestinian terrorists.

On her personal Facebook page, al-Azza posted above a photo of an elderly Israeli woman being taken hostage by Hamas terrorists (according to a translation), “I’m dying laughing. It’s black comedy. The old woman is laughing. It’s the last thing that will happen before she dies.”

In another post, Al-Azza wrote, “Sirens all the time. The Jews are hiding and the Arabs are drinking coffee on the balcony.”

Following a hearing at the Magistrate’s Court, a police representative commented, “These are very serious offenses, especially during wartime. The defendant earns a living in the same country that is under attack, and yet chooses to incite and glorify the terrible acts committed against civilians.”

Marwat al-Azza was “ready for arrest” when the police approached her. She had no cell phone and even wrote telephone numbers on her leg.

During the hearing, the defense argued that she never denied creating the posts and did not claim they were the work of a hacker.

The defense attorney added that Marwat al-Azza is a “normal person and a journalist whose work is important to everyone…She comes from a respectable family.”

Her lawyer pleaded for her release according to any condition, “the court will find appropriate.” The court decided on Friday to extend her detention by five days.