In a video released on Friday evening in Italian with Arabic subtitles, Italian reporter Francesca Borri claims that her interview with Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was not written specifically for Yedioth Ahronoth, but rather she was "tricked" by the publication, and the claim that the interview was made for the media outlet is false in its entirety, Ynet News reported.
"I am a freelancer and my stories are translated into 24 languages," Borri said, "Sinwar knew it... I do not work for Israeli media."Francesca Borri recently interviewed the Hamas leader in Gaza. During the conversation, Sinwar said, "I do not want more wars. End the siege."
"There is a real opportunity for change: war is not our interest, but at the moment an explosion is inevitable," said Sinwar.
The Hamas leader says he took the interview with Borri now because he "sees a real opportunity for change."A portion of the interview was published in Hebrew on Yedioth Ahronoth on Thursday, and the full interview was released Friday. However, the Hamas leader was unaware that this interview was intended to be published for an Israeli publication.Francesca Borri believes she was "tricked by the Israeli press." The video was intended to tell Arabic-speaking audiences and her readers that her affiliations remain independent and to clarify the intention of the interview.