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Did the ABC hire a Hamas terrorist? · The Front

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Today's biggest news from The Australian, I'm Clare Harvey with
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: the front's afternoon headlines. Senior ABC brass have told a
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  Speaker 1: Senate committee they're investigating whether or not a journalist they
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  Speaker 1: used to help cover the Israel-Hamas conflict was in fact
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  Speaker 1: a Hamas operative. The man, Roshdi Siraj, filed video for
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  Speaker 1: outlets including Al Jazeera and the ABC's 7.30 program. Host
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  Speaker 1: Sarah Ferguson read on air a tribute to Siraj after
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  Speaker 1: he was killed in Gaza in 2023. The Israel Defence
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  Speaker 1: Forces named Siraj as a Hamas terrorist, and the ABC's
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  Speaker 1: editorial director Gavin Fang and managing director Hugh Marks told
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  Speaker 1: the committee the organisation is investigating whether that's true or not.
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  Speaker 1: Here's Hugh Marks.
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  Speaker 2: We have responded, I think as Mr Fang earlier said,
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  Speaker 2: by seeking to do our own inquiries of the IDF
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  Speaker 2: as to whether that that person is a person of
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  Speaker 2: concern from the IDF perspective or not. We have not
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  Speaker 2: received a response to this date. So at this point,
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  Speaker 2: that journalist, I think, based on the evidence, we currently
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  Speaker 2: have remained someone that was tragically killed in Gaza. So
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  Speaker 2: the fact that it's been listed in other sources as
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  Speaker 2: being a Hamas operative, as you suggest, that is one perspective.
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  Speaker 2: I think we are basing our work on the international
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  Speaker 2: body's work and direct questions to the IDF, which is
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  Speaker 2: I think the appropriate steps to take.
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  Speaker 1: Gavin Fang told the committee the ABC had amended other
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  Speaker 1: stories prepared by people who the organisation now believed were
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  Speaker 1: not legitimate journalists. The federal government says it's not aware
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  Speaker 1: of any plans to bring home another so-called ISIS bride
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  Speaker 1: who's still in the Middle East. Hoden Abbey, a Western
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  Speaker 1: Sydney woman who went to Syria as a teenager to
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  Speaker 1: join the so-called caliphate, is in a detention centre with
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  Speaker 1: her child, who was disabled when she was struck by shrapnel.
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  Speaker 1: Department of Home Affairs Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Brendan Dowling on Tuesday
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  Speaker 1: said he was unaware of any efforts to repatriate Abby
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  Speaker 1: and her daughter. They're believed to be the last Australians
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  Speaker 1: in the cohort of women and children who were in
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  Speaker 1: the al-Raj camp in Syria. Dowling said the government was
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  Speaker 1: absolutely not bringing the woman home. However, with previous cohorts
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  Speaker 1: of ISIS brides, The government has said it's unable to
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  Speaker 1: prevent their return. Several women were arrested upon their return
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  Speaker 1: in previous groups. We'll have a detailed look at the
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  Speaker 1: case of Hoden Abbey, who is accused of holding a
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  Speaker 1: nine-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave while in Syria, in
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  Speaker 1: the front tomorrow. You can find that episode right here,
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  Speaker 1: first thing Wednesday morning. In the meantime, check out all
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  Speaker 1: our journalism anytime at theaustralian.com.au.