The purported fake story prompted Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to respond by blocking Qatari media, including broadcaster Al-Jazeera. The alleged hack reflects the tensions and suspicions still running deep between Qatar, whose conservative rulers have strong ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which have outlawed the group. The hack happened early on Wednesday morning and hours later, the website of the Qatar News Agency was not accessible. They included calling Hamas “the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” as well as saying Qatar had “strong relations” with Iran and the United States. In Saudi Arabia, internet users also found Al-Jazeera websites blocked with a warning from the kingdom’s Culture and Information Ministry, according to the Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya.

Source: Egypt Independent May 24, 2017 09:11 UTC