Liberal senator admits mistake after grilling ABC execs about Gaza journalist's 'Hamas' ID | Weekly Beast
News Source
β’Fri, 30 Oct 2026 02:37:22 GMT
π° What Happened
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson admitted she wrongly accused Roshdi Sarraj, a late Palestinian journalist who filed video for the ABC from Gaza, of holding a Hamas ID card during a fiery Senate estimates hearing. She called ABC managing director Hugh Marks to correct the record and wrote to the Senate communications committee asking for Hansard to be amended.
π The Backstory
Henderson, the opposition communications spokesperson, held up a printout of an Israeli Defence Forces report during the hearing, and the clash produced a headline in The Australian claiming the ABC was investigating whether it had hired a Hamas terrorist. ABC editorial director Gavin Fang said the IDF had given the broadcaster no evidence that Sarraj had active links to Hamas, describing him as a legitimate journalist who was tragically killed.
π― Why It Matters
The correction matters because estimates testimony is recorded in Hansard and can drive coverage of the public broadcaster's Gaza reporting. It also feeds a wider fight over IDF claims about 170 media workers killed in the conflict, which the ABC says it has been unable to verify.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson admitted she wrongly accused Roshdi Sarraj, a late Palestinian journalist who filed video for the ABC from Gaza, of holding a Hamas ID card during a fiery Senate estimates hearing. She called ABC managing director Hugh Marks to correct the record and wrote to the Senate communications committee asking for Hansard to be amended.
Henderson, the opposition communications spokesperson, held up a printout of an Israeli Defence Forces report during the hearing, and the clash produced a headline in The Australian claiming the ABC was investigating whether it had hired a Hamas terrorist. ABC editorial director Gavin Fang said the IDF had given the broadcaster no evidence that Sarraj had active links to Hamas, describing him as a legitimate journalist who was tragically killed.
The correction matters because estimates testimony is recorded in Hansard and can drive coverage of the public broadcaster's Gaza reporting. It also feeds a wider fight over IDF claims about 170 media workers killed in the conflict, which the ABC says it has been unable to verify.