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NBC reporter arrested for inciting terrorism, glorifying October 7 massacre

Marwat al-Azza mocked Israeli hostages and victims of Hamas atrocities and called October 7th a ‘black comedy.’

By World Israel News Staff

Marwat al-Azza, a journalist employed by NBC, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly inciting terrorism and identification with a terrorist organization.

The arrest happened following four Facebook posts by the 45-year-old journalist based in eastern Jerusalem in which she mocked Israeli hostages and victims of Hamas atrocities and praised Palestinian terrorists.

On her personal Facebook page, al-Azza posted above a photo of an elderly Israeli woman being taken hostage by Hamas terrorists (according to a translation), “I’m dying laughing. It’s black comedy. The old woman is laughing. It’s the last thing that will happen before she dies.”

In another post, Al-Azza wrote, “Sirens all the time. The Jews are hiding and the Arabs are drinking coffee on the balcony.”

Following a hearing at the Magistrate’s Court, a police representative commented, “These are very serious offenses, especially during wartime. The defendant earns a living in the same country that is under attack, and yet chooses to incite and glorify the terrible acts committed against civilians.”

Marwat al-Azza was “ready for arrest” when the police approached her. She had no cell phone and even wrote telephone numbers on her leg.

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During the hearing, the defense argued that she never denied creating the posts and did not claim they were the work of a hacker.

The defense attorney added that Marwat al-Azza is a “normal person and a journalist whose work is important to everyone…She comes from a respectable family.”

Her lawyer pleaded for her release according to any condition, “the court will find appropriate.” The court decided on Friday to extend her detention by five days.