JERUSALEM >> Israel’s Communications Ministry confiscated camera equipment from The Associated Press on Tuesday, claiming the agency had violated a law by providing images of the northern Gaza Strip to Al Jazeera.

But hours later, Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, reversed the decision and ordered the equipment be returned to the AP. It was not clear when the equipment would be given back to the news agency.

The reversal came after the Biden administration expressed major concerns to the Israeli government and demanded the equipment be returned, according to an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic communications.

The seizure appeared to be an escalation in Israel’s efforts to punish Al Jazeera, the Pan-Arab broadcaster that the Israeli government voted to shut down two weeks ago. It raised questions about how far Israeli authorities would go to cut off the Qatari-funded channel, which has provided extensive coverage of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

Lauren Easton, the AP’s vice president of corporate communications, had denounced the Israeli government’s action, calling it “an abusive use” of a new law that provides authorities with tools to crack down on foreign news organizations.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, the Communications Ministry said inspectors had gone to a location in southern Israel used by the AP to broadcast live footage of the border with northern Gaza, which is several miles away. The ministry claimed that the feed was illegally being carried by Al Jazeera and asserted that it was showing the activities of Israeli soldiers and threatening their lives.

The AP reported that it adhered to Israel’s rules, including restrictions on broadcasting troop movements that could put soldiers at risk, and that the feed largely showed smoke rising over Gaza. It said officials had not flagged the positioning of its camera in southern Israel as problematic, but they had noted that its images appeared live on Al Jazeera.

It also reported that Israeli authorities had conveyed a verbal order last week to shut down the live feed, but it did not comply.