The Palestinian Authority has suspended the operations of the "Al Jazeera" channel in the occupied West Bank, several months after Israel shut down its office in Ramallah citing national security concerns.
The decision to freeze the channel's operations was made on Wednesday due to "inciting materials," according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Palestinian authorities have also accused the channel of "misleading reports that incite hostility."
The Palestinian Authority had already prohibited "Al Jazeera" from reporting from Jenin, a province in the northern West Bank, where Palestinian security forces had recently clashed with armed Palestinian groups associated with Hamas.
In response to the suspension of broadcasting in the West Bank, the channel accused the Palestinian administration of "attempting to hide the truth about events in the occupied territories, particularly regarding what is happening in Jenin and its camps".
In a statement released on Thursday, "Al Jazeera" expressed that it was "shocked by this decision" and called on the Palestinian authorities to revoke it.
"Al Jazeera" added that the Palestinian authorities "bear full responsibility for the safety and protection" of the channel's staff in the West Bank.
The channel emphasizes that this decision will not hinder its professional coverage of events in the West Bank.
It remains unclear how long the ban will last.
The latest blow to "Al Jazeera" came just months after Israeli troops raided its offices in the West Bank, seizing equipment and ordering the closure of the bureau.
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The September raid in Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the West Bank, followed Israel's decision made in May to prohibit "Al Jazeera" from operating in the country.
Israeli Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi called the channel "a mouthpiece for Hamas and Hezbollah," which the channel vehemently denies.
Relations between "Al Jazeera" and Israeli authorities have become increasingly strained since the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in Jenin in May 2022. The Israeli army acknowledged that there is a "high probability" that she was killed by one of its soldiers.
The network continues to report on the situation in Gaza, where over 45,000 Palestinians have died since Israel declared war on Hamas following the deadly attacks on October 7.
In the past 15 months, tensions between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank have escalated.