By JERUSALEM, Aug 12 (AfrikTimes) – A growing willingness among Israeli news media to critically examine the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has all but disappeared in recent weeks following the release of videos by militant group Hamas showing two emaciated Israeli hostages.
In late July, as images of starving Gazans prompted international outcry, some Israeli press and broadcasters began reporting on the worsening conditions and urged a stronger aid response. Yonit Levi, the chief news anchor of Channel 12, described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a “moral failure” live on air, while heads of universities and the national Holocaust memorial appealed to the government to assist hungry Gazans.
Since the outbreak of the conflict on October 7, 2023, Israeli media coverage has primarily focused on the trauma experienced by Israelis during Hamas’ attack, which, according to Israeli figures, resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken. Reporting has centered on the fate of the hostages and casualties suffered by the Israeli military.
The families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza followed by hundreds of supporters march to IDF headquarters following a rally in Tel Aviv calling for the return of all the remaining hostages.
Some Israelis welcomed Levi’s remarks and the increased coverage of Gaza’s humanitarian situation as a sign of readiness to acknowledge the war’s impact on Palestinian civilians. However, the mood hardened significantly after Hamas released videos on July 31 of 21-year-old Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, visibly skeletal and distressed, followed three days later by a video of Evyatar David, 24, who said he was being forced to dig his own grave.
These videos—described by a Palestinian source as intended to highlight the severe impact of restricted aid in Gaza—had the opposite effect in Israel, shutting down emerging sympathy for Gaza’s civilians. Amid international condemnation of Hamas, thousands protested in Israel demanding the immediate return of hostages. About 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with only around 20 believed to be alive.
Uri Dagon, deputy editor-in-chief of Yisrael Hayom, Israel’s most widely circulated newspaper, said that with hostages held by Hamas, Israelis “don’t have the ability to experience the pain of the other side.”
“I know that sounds terrible but it’s the truth,” he added.
Dagon accused foreign media of engaging in a “campaign of lies” about starvation in Gaza. While Yisrael Hayom has published articles on suffering there, it places blame on Hamas. He questioned why international outlets had not given equal prominence to the harrowing images of Evyatar David.
“I suggest senior editors in the international press review themselves and only then discuss how the Israeli press is conducting itself,” Dagon said.
Families and supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, protest at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv on July 21, 2024.
Denials of Starvation
Polls following October 7 showed most Palestinians supported the attack, fueling anger in Israel. Videos circulated of Gazans crowding around hostages, filming them, spitting on them, and beating them, which deepened resentment.
Harel Chorev, a senior researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center specializing in media and Palestinian society, said such incidents make it difficult for many Israelis to feel sympathy for Gazans.
While international media, barred by Israel from entering Gaza, rely on Palestinian journalists, many Israelis distrust such reporting, citing Hamas’ authoritarian control over the territory.
“I don’t think there is a famine in Gaza,” said Orit Maimon, 28, a lawyer from Tel Aviv. “I don’t think the situation there is ideal or very good but I don’t think there is a famine.”
The Gaza health ministry reports 222 people have died from starvation and malnutrition, including 101 children, since the war began.
Right-wing Channel 14 has recently devoted coverage to discrediting reports of starving children. When a child in a front-page photograph in Britain’s Daily Express was found to have a pre-existing health condition, some Israeli outlets reacted with outrage.
People attend a protest in Sakhnin, Israel, on Friday. Ammar Awad/Reuters
A poll this month by the Israel Democracy Institute found that 78% of Jewish Israelis believe Israel is making a substantial effort to avoid Palestinian suffering, while only 15% think Israel could do more but chooses not to.
Reporting Risks and Government Criticism
Reporting from Gaza is perilous. According to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, more than 230 journalists have been killed in Gaza since November. Reuters has been unable to independently verify these figures. Israel denies deliberately targeting journalists, saying many killed were militants posing as press.
On Sunday, Israel’s military said it killed an Al Jazeera journalist in an airstrike, accusing 28-year-old Anas Al Sharif of being a Hamas cell leader. Al Sharif had denied the accusations before his death, and rights advocates condemned the strike as targeting a reporter.
Gaza health officials say more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military operations since the conflict began.
Polls throughout the war indicate roughly 70% of Israelis favor a deal to release hostages, even if it means ending the conflict immediately.
A Palestinian carries a bag with aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, July 27.
Several Israeli media outlets have criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to secure the hostages’ release or clearly outline Gaza policy post-conflict. Left-leaning newspaper Haaretz has been among the most vocal critics, publishing extensive coverage on Gaza’s suffering, including investigations into military operations.
In November, Netanyahu’s cabinet, which includes far-right parties, banned officials from speaking to Haaretz and imposed a government advertising boycott, accusing it of “supporting the enemies of the state in the midst of a war.”
Netanyahu’s office declined to comment.
Ministers have also proposed privatizing Channel 11, the public broadcaster, criticized by Likud spokespersons for alleged left-wing bias and harming Israeli morale. Media experts warn this could chill government coverage.
Asa Shapira, head of Marketing and Advertising studies at Tel Aviv University, said government actions influence what Israeli channels choose to broadcast.
While editorial focus on Israeli hostages responded to public concern, there is also fear of government disapproval, he said.
A man reacts outside of a burning collapsed building, following Israeli bombardment, in Gaza City on October 11, 2023.
Additional reporting by Reuters’ Nidal Al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Michal Yaakov Itzhaki in Jerusalem.
