The channel went live on 17 July 2013. Melloul stated that it would battle prejudice and ignorance about Israel with "
facts and diversity".
Arab Israeli journalist
Lucy Aharish was the lead anchor of the English-language branch of the channel from July 2013 until she left in January 2016. On 8 December 2016, all programming on the English channel officially ended in preparation for
launching in America. The channel broadcast 10 minutes of news on the hour from 0800 to 2300 (local time), replacing "Morning Edition", "The Daily Beat" and "The Lineup". The launch of i24NEWS in the United States was announced on 27 January 2017. The channel is operated out of its headquarters in Jaffa. Live programming in the US is broadcast from
Times Square in
New York City, as well as
Washington, D.C. Approximately 50 journalists were hired to staff the two locations, and the channel uses resources from its Jaffa headquarters. Among the first journalists hired were Michelle Makori, anchor and editor-in-chief;
David Shuster, managing editor; and
Dan Raviv, who previously worked at
CBS News. The channel acquired many of its debut behind-the-scenes talent from the former
Al Jazeera America. The channel was nominated for an International Emmy Award for its coverage of the 2016 Republican convention. In 2020, following the
Abraham Accords, i24NEWS signed a variety of
memorandum of understanding and partnership agreements with leading companies in the
UAE. i24NEWS became the first Israel-based channel to be broadcast in the UAE. In 2021, the channel received a UAE broadcast license and launched its studios in
Dubai Media City, the regional hub for media organizations in the
Gulf. In 2022, i24NEWS launched its operations in Morocco, Rabat and Casablanca. On 29 October 2023, the i24 launched
i24 Freedom, a 24-hour international channel devoted to the ongoing
Gaza war. On 30 June 2024, i24NEWS launched a Hebrew language channel. The feed received criticism for countering
Miri Michaeli's launch speech that the channel was not a one-sided outlet, while
Maariv journalist
Miki Levin derided it as "
Channel 14 in a suit" days before it launched. == Distribution ==