Jewish Chronicle axes journalist over fabricated report about Hamas leader Sinwar

The UK's Jewish Chronicle newspaper has axed a freelance journalist who wrote articles including an attention-grabbing story suggesting Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar intended to leave Gaza for Iran with Israeli captives.

The now-removed Jewish Chronicle (JC) report, published on 5 September, said "intelligence sources" had "told the JC that Sinwar's plan was to smuggle himself and the remaining Hamas leaders along with Israeli hostages" into Egypt and on to Iran.

The information was "reportedly revealed during the interrogation of a captured senior Hamas official, as well as by information obtained from documents seized on Thursday, August 29", according to the JC article.

Questions had been raised about the JC article and Perry's background, particularly after the Israeli army stated they had no knowledge of such information.

Israeli sources reportedly called the paper's assertions a "wild fabrication".

The JC announced in a Friday statement that it had completed an investigation into Elon Perry, the journalist who wrote the story.

"The Jewish Chronicle has concluded a thorough investigation into freelance journalist Elon Perry, which commenced after allegations were made about aspects of his record," the newspaper said.

"While we understand he did serve in the [Israeli military], we were not satisfied with some of his claims.

"We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr Perry."

The JC said it "maintains the highest journalistic standards in a highly contested information landscape", adding that it "deeply regrets the chain of events that led to this point".

Jewish Chronicle editor Jake Wallis Simons added on X on Sunday that the pro-Israel newspaper had "cut all ties with the freelancer in question and his work has now been removed from our website".

"Readers can be assured that stronger internal procedures are being implemented," Simons said, adding that he understood the position of columnists who had left the newspaper as a result.

The Jewish Chronicle describes itself as the "world's oldest and most influential Jewish newspaper" and was established more than 180 years ago.

Perry said the media outlet had "made a huge mistake with its statement", the Observer newspaper reported.

"The JC will regret its statement after all the great stories and scoops I have provided them with, and will realise all this witch-hunt against me was caused by jealousy from Israeli journalists and outlets who could not obtain the details that I managed to, which made my stories into scoops," he said on Saturday, according to the Sunday Times newspaper.

He added that he hadn't ever met Netanyahu and that he doesn't "trust him" and "never voted for him".

"I don't support him. It's nonsense," Perry said.

He said he stood by his reporting regarding the Philadelphi corridor which separates the Gaza Strip from Egypt, though acknowledged it stemmed from information from one source.

Questioned as to whether he sought to verify the story with another source, Perry said: "I can't. I tried."

The columnist Jonathan Freedland said he was cutting his relationship with The JC in a letter to the newspaper's editor posted on social media platform X.

"The latest scandal brings great disgrace on the paper – publishing fabricated stories and showing only the thinnest form of contrition," Freedland said.