By storming our Al Jazeera offices in Ramallah, Israel has stepped up its assault on press freedom | Asef Hamidi

The images of Israeli troops shutting down our bureau are a warning to journalists everywhere - but we will not be silenced

• Asef Hamidi is the director of news, Al Jazeera Channel

The decision to weld shut Al Jazeera's office in Ramallah, ban its operations in Israel and restrict international media reporting from Gaza is a dire warning for all independent journalists worldwide. No media organisation anywhere in the world would accept heavily armed and masked security men storming its offices.

In the early hours of 22 September, the armed foot soldiers of Israel's far-right regime stormed the entrance to the bureau, confiscated equipment and disrupted live broadcasts, waving a signed directive ordering the network's Palestinian operations to be shut down. They boarded the entrance with metal sheets.

Asef Hamidi is the director of news, Al Jazeera Channel