TRT Gaza Correspondent Mocks Israeli Intelligence Over Gaza Hostage Video
On Friday, Hamas released a video of two Israeli hostages, Guy Gilboa Dalal and Alon Ohel, which TRT's Roba Khaled took as an opportunity to mock Israeli Intelligence
Roba Khaled, a correspondent for Turkish state broadcaster TRT, mocked Israeli intelligence agencies on Facebook following the release of a Hamas propaganda video featuring Israeli hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal, taunting Israel for not yet securing his freedom from captivity. Khaled’s Facebook post, originally discovered by X user Ph.Gritti, reads: "In the last video, the guys took the prisoners out for a ride in a car in the heart of Gaza City. And where on earth is your intelligence?"
The social media post represents the latest example of how TRT personnel have used personal platforms to spread extreme rhetoric and even support for terrorism. Upon seeing the post, Jewish Onliner examined Khaled’s feed to see whether she had posted other radical content.
Pattern of Controversial Content
Based on Khaled's social media activity, the recent post about Dalal is not an isolated incident. Khaled's posts include the sharing of explicitly antisemitic content, such as reposting Al Jazeera presenter Fairuz Ziyani's prayer that called on God to "show us Your wondrous power against the arrogant Jews and their allies.".
In a post published during Operation Protective Edge, a 2014 conflict between Israel and Hamas, Khaled shared propaganda images from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades, including images bearing its official logo.
In a post from May 2023, Khaled mourned the death of Khader Adnan, describing him as a "martyr" and "fighter prisoner," characterizing his death as a "deliberate assassination" by Israeli forces. Adnan was a senior official in the U.S.-designated terror group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
Khaled has also expressed support for Basel Al-Araj, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who was killed during an armed confrontation with the IDF in 2017. She shared quotes attributed to Al-Araj about becoming an "engaged intellectual."
TRT’s Influence on American Audiences
The discovery of Khaled's comments occur just weeks after Jewish Onliner published an in-depth investigation into the extensive terror ties of TRT and its attempts to influence the American public.
The investigation found that TRT has provided platforms to Hamas officials, including exclusive interviews with senior leadership, while routinely featuring commentators sympathetic to the organization. According to the investigation, the network reaches 260 million households worldwide through its international arms, particularly TRT World and TRT Arabi, positioning itself as a credible news source in Western markets.
The Jewish Onliner investigation also uncovered concerning personnel connections, including TRT World News Director Fatih Er, who was allegedly named as a suspect in a Turkish probe investigating ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force. The network's Gaza-based correspondents were found to have documented familial ties with Hamas leadership and histories of celebrating terror attacks on social media.
Regulatory Questions
TRT World is registered under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as foreign state media, though critics argue that major social media platforms have failed to adequately label the network's content for Western audiences. While YouTube attaches state-controlled media labels to TRT World content, other platforms like Facebook and Instagram have not implemented similar warnings.
The network maintains significant social media presence with nearly 10 million YouTube subscribers and millions more across other platforms, raising questions about broadcast licensing and national security oversight as it continues to shape perceptions among Western audiences while promoting pro-terror narratives aligned with Turkey’s agenda.