DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera condemned a Sunday raid by Israeli forces on its office in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and the issuing of a 45-day closure order.

The Qatar-funded channel said in a statement it “vehemently condemns and denounces this criminal act”.

It rejected what it called “unfounded allegations presented by Israeli authorities to justify these illegal raids”.

The shuttering of the West Bank office is the latest episode in a series of disputes between the global media network and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government which has worsened during the war in Gaza.

Al Jazeera said the raid by Israeli forces, which was broadcast on the channel, and the seizure of its equipment was “not only an attack on Al Jazeera but an affront to press freedom and the very principles of journalism”.

“These oppressive measures are clearly intended to prevent the world from witnessing the reality of the situation in the occupied territories and the ongoing war on Gaza and the devastating impact on innocent civilians,” it added.

Using an April law banning media broadcasts deemed harmful to Israeli national security, Al Jazeera has been prohibited from broadcasting from Israel since May 5. Its offices in the country were closed for an initial 45-day period that has since been renewed four times.