Quds News Network

Quds News Network, commonly known as QNN, is a Palestinian digital news agency founded in 2011. It developed as a youth-oriented outlet relying on a distributed network of freelance correspondents and volunteer field reporters rather than a conventional newsroom concentrated in one headquarters. Its reporting has focused heavily on Palestine, Israel-Palestinian violence, military operations, protests, occupation-related events, political developments, and the experiences of Palestinian communities. QNN became particularly prominent through its use of social media as a primary publishing and distribution channel. By 2015, reports described the network as having approximately 12 freelance correspondents and around 60 volunteer field reporters. Its short-form video and rapid updates during periods of escalation attracted a large Palestinian and international audience, especially younger users who encountered its material through Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Contemporary reporting described its reach as comparable in visibility to that of major international broadcasters among parts of its target audience; QNN was reported to have about 3.8 million Facebook followers and 269,000 Twitter followers at that time. The network presents itself as independent and says that its correspondents are not subject to the conditions of financiers or political parties. It has stated that it does not follow a specific ideology and that its editorial purpose includes documenting and exposing what it characterizes as actions of the Israeli occupation. Its reported revenue model has included advertising and text-message subscriptions. Public descriptions of QNN's political relationships have nevertheless been contested. Some reporting and advocacy organizations have described it as affiliated with Hamas or as having a reputation for links to Palestinian Islamic Jihad. QNN has rejected such characterizations. Mondoweiss corrected an earlier description that had said the network was associated with Hamas, and the Committee to Protect Journalists later revised a similar characterization, describing QNN as privately owned and adding a correction note. These conflicting descriptions should not be treated as an established ownership or affiliation fact. QNN has also operated in a difficult media and platform environment. In 2019, the Palestinian Authority reportedly blocked QNN's website along with dozens of other websites, in a measure criticized by press-freedom observers as part of a wider crackdown on dissent and online criticism of President Mahmoud Abbas. QNN's Twitter accounts were suspended in November 2019 during broader platform actions involving accounts alleged to be connected to militant organizations. TikTok banned the network in January 2021, citing issues related to the account's content. Following the Hamas-led attacks of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war, Meta suspended QNN's English- and Arabic-language pages, according to published reports. The network's visibility and ability to distribute material have therefore depended heavily on changing platform rules and political conditions. QNN's work has included contributions by individual journalists and commentators. Journalist Yehya Al-Yaqoubi received the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press in the opinion category for an article published by QNN about the killing of Eyad al-Hallaq, an autistic Palestinian man killed by Israeli police in 2020. QNN director Sari Mansour and freelance photographer Hassouneh Salim were killed by an Israeli airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza on 18 November 2023. UNESCO condemned the deaths and called for the protection of media professionals and an independent investigation into the circumstances. QNN remains identifiable as a Palestinian digital news brand whose influence comes from rapid, mobile-first reporting, extensive contributor networks and strong social-media reach, although its ownership, political af…

Quds News Network was established in 2011 as a Palestinian youth news agency. Its organizational model differed from that of a traditional broadcaster: the network relied on freelance correspondents and volunteer field reporters distributed across Palestine, allowing it to gather material from locations where a centralized newsroom might have limited access. Its coverage has concentrated on Palestinian affairs, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, military activity, demonstrations, political developments and the effects of occupation on civilian life. The network's major expansion came through social media. In 2015, reporting described QNN as being operated by approximately 12 freelance correspondents supported by about 60 volunteer field reporters. Its rapid publication of video footage and breaking updates during conflict escalations gave it significant reach among younger Palestinians. At that point, QNN was reported to have roughly 3.8 million Facebook followers and 269,000 Twitter followers. Its prominence demonstrated the growing importance of social platforms as distribution systems for Palestinian news, particularly when audiences sought immediate footage from conflict zones rather than scheduled television coverage. QNN has described itself as independent. According to statements attributed to the network, its correspondents are free from the conditions of financiers and political parties, and the organization does not follow a particular ideology. It has said that it finances itself through advertising and text-message subscriptions and that it seeks to expose actions carried out by the Israeli occupation. External descriptions of its political status have varied. In 2015, the Associated Press reported that QNN had a reputation for being affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, while later reporting by the Australian Jewish Association, Jewish News Syndicate and The Guardian described it as affiliated with Hamas. QNN has denied political affiliation. Mondoweiss retracted an earlier statement that it was associated with Hamas, and the Committee to Protect Journalists later corrected its own earlier wording, describing QNN as privately owned. The available record therefore supports documenting the dispute over alleged affiliations, but not assigning QNN a confirmed political owner or organizational affiliation. QNN's distribution channels have repeatedly been affected by censorship and platform moderation. In 2019, the Palestinian Authority blocked the network's website along with many other sites. The action was criticized as part of a broader suppression of dissent and online voices opposed to President Mahmoud Abbas. QNN's Twitter accounts were suspended later that year during wider enforcement against accounts that platforms associated with militant groups. TikTok banned the network in January 2021, attributing the measure to the account's content. Following the events of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war, Meta suspended QNN's English- and Arabic-language pages. These incidents illustrate both the reach of QNN's digital model and its vulnerability to government restrictions, platform policies and disputes over political or militant associations. The network has also been connected with notable journalism awards and wartime risks. QNN journalist Yehya Al-Yaqoubi received the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press in the opinion category for an article about the killing of Eyad al-Hallaq, an autistic Palestinian man killed by Israeli police. On 18 November 2023, QNN director Sari Mansour and freelance photographer Hassouneh Salim were killed in an airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza. UNESCO deplored the deaths and called for protection of media professionals and an independent investigation. Their deaths underscored the dangers faced by Palestinian journalists and visual reporters during the Gaza war. Publicly available information does not establish QNN's current headquarters, ownership structure, workforce size or financial scale, but the network continues to be identified as a Palestinian digital news brand with Arabic and English publishing and an international online audience.

1. 2023QNN journalists killed in Gaza

   Director Sari Mansour and photographer Hassouneh Salim were killed in an airstrike in central Gaza.

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2. 2021Yehya Al-Yaqoubi receives press-freedom award

   QNN journalist Yehya Al-Yaqoubi received the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press for an opinion article about Eyad al-Hallaq.

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3. 2019Website blocked by the Palestinian Authority

   QNN was included in a reported block affecting dozens of websites in the Palestinian territories.

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4. 2015Rapid social-media growth

   Reporting documented QNN's network of freelance and volunteer correspondents and its substantial Facebook and Twitter audiences during conflict coverage.

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5. 2011Quds News Network founded

   QNN was established as a Palestinian youth-oriented news agency using distributed contributors and digital publishing.

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A fast, youth-oriented Palestinian digital news network emphasizing eyewitness reporting, mobile video and social-media distribution, particularly during conflict and political crises.

• QNN Arabic news serviceDigital news2011

  The network's principal Arabic-language service publishes Palestinian political, social and conflict news through its website and social channels. It emphasizes rapid updates, field reports, photographs and short videos, particularly during periods of military escalation or civil unrest.

• QNN English news serviceDigital news

  QNN's English-language output extends its reporting to international audiences. It has distributed translated or separately produced updates concerning Palestinian affairs, conflict developments and events in Gaza and the West Bank through online publishing and social platforms.

• QNN social-media video reportingVideo journalism

  Short-form video and eyewitness material are central to QNN's public identity. Volunteer reporters and freelance correspondents have supplied footage from across Palestine, enabling the network to circulate visual updates quickly during demonstrations, clashes, airstrikes and other breaking events.

• 2019Maintain an independent, advertising-supported modelStrategy

  QNN faced recurring public claims that it was linked to Palestinian political or militant organizations, while the network described itself as independent and not controlled by financiers or parties.

  What changed. The network stated that it financed itself through advertising and text-message subscriptions and that its correspondents were not subject to political-party conditions.

  Aftermath. Outside descriptions of QNN's affiliations remained contested. Some organizations later revised or retracted earlier claims, while others continued to describe the network as politically affiliated.

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• 2025Committee to Protect Journalists corrects description of QNN

  The Committee to Protect Journalists revised an earlier description of QNN as Hamas-affiliated, instead referring to it as privately owned and documenting the change in an editorial correction.

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• 2023Meta suspends QNN pages after 7 October attacks

  QNN's English and Arabic pages were reported to have been suspended by Meta after the 7 October attacks and amid the ensuing Gaza war.

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• 2023QNN director Sari Mansour and photographer Hassouneh Salim killed in Gaza

  Director Sari Mansour and freelance photographer Hassouneh Salim were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Bureij refugee camp. UNESCO condemned the deaths and called for protection of media workers and an independent investigation.

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• 2021TikTok bans Quds News Network

  TikTok banned QNN, stating that the action was related to the content published through its account.

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• 2019Palestinian Authority blocks Quds News Network website

  QNN was reported to be among dozens of websites blocked by the Palestinian Authority during a wider online crackdown criticized by press-freedom observers and opponents of President Mahmoud Abbas.

  RegulationOther
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• 2019Twitter suspends QNN accounts

  QNN's Twitter accounts were suspended during broader platform enforcement involving accounts alleged to be linked to militant organizations.

  RegulationOther
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1. Quds News Network
2. UNESCO statement on the killing of two Palestinian journalists in Gaza
3. Mondoweiss report on Palestinian Authority website blocking
4. Quds News Network official website
5. 保护记者委员会更正对QNN的描述