Four columnists resign from UK’s Jewish Chronicle amid fake news over Gaza

Four prominent columnists of The Jewish Chronicle have resigned as the British newspaper addresses a scandal involving a freelance writer accused of fabricating claims about the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas.

David Baddiel, Jonathan Freedland, David Aaronovitch, and Hadley Freeman announced they would no longer write for the Jewish publication, according to statements and posts on X.

The Jewish Chronicle launched an investigation after publishing an article by freelancer Elon Perry this month. Perry claimed a document had been uncovered in the Gaza Strip showing that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning to smuggle himself and some Israeli hostages out of Gaza via the Philadelphi Corridor to Iran.

However, the Israeli army stated it was unaware of such a document's existence. Given that Perry’s claims mirrored recent talking points from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, there has been speculation about the distribution of false information as part of a disinformation campaign.

The Jewish Chronicle’s investigation into Perry began shortly after the Israeli army announced its own probe into leaked documents from Gaza, which were reportedly aimed at influencing public opinion on hostage negotiations.

Freedland, announced his resignation via X. He posted a copy of the letter he submitted to Jewish Chronicle editor Jake Wallis Simons.

"Of course, all newspapers make mistakes and run articles that writers on the paper dislike," Freedland wrote. "The problem in this case is that there can be no real accountability because the JC is owned by a person or people who refuse to reveal themselves. As you know, I and others have long urged transparency, making that case to you privately – but nothing has happened."