WaPo claims Israel detaining Gazan civilians for no reason at all
In “Israel is detaining civilians in Gaza. Many have disappeared, families say” (12/11/23), the Gazans interviewed by the Post claimed that Israel detained their loved ones for essentially no reason at all. Israel is fighting the hardest type of battle — urban warfare. This grueling war becomes more arduous when one takes into account that Hamas fights from tunnels, uses civilians as human shields, and blends into Gaza dressed as civilians.
The heart-wrenching interviews are presented without any additional information the reader needs to know to fully understand this complex situation. Gaza is run by the totalitarian regime Hamas — a recognized terrorist organization. Any official reports, news, and interviews from Gaza must be considered favorable to Hamas and consistent with its extremist message. Any Gazan contradicting Hamas’s messaging does so with extreme risk to his own life, putting into question the motivations of any news that emanates from the regime territory. And putting out propaganda is part of Hamas’s war effort. That’s how totalitarian regimes work. The Post omits this repugnant reality and did not corroborate the interviews it published.
Worse, the Post casts suspicion on the veracity of basic information coming out of Israel, a democratic country. It casts doubt on Israel’s integrity with comments like “Israeli forces say they’re looking for members of Hamas and participants in the militant groups Oct. 7 attack.” Or that “Israel responded with a military campaign the commanders say is aimed at eradicating the militant group as a political and military force in Gaza” (emphasis added). In wars, the participants go after the enemy. This war’s unmistakable purpose is to rid Hamas from Gaza. Why does the Post need to baselessly insinuate doubt when there is none?
In the article, the Post quotes the “Gaza Health Ministry,” removing the previously used clarifier “Hamas-run Health Ministry.” In most articles on the Gaza/Israel war, the Post publishes the casualty count as reported by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. This count consistently points out the women and children casualty count, yet it excludes Hamas combatants and men of fighting age. According to the “Gaza Health Ministry,” not one Hamas member has been reported killed! If that is any indication of the caliber of information emanating from the “Ministry” — which it is — why does the Post bother to report what it has to say? Or at the very least, the Post should add a disclaimer that it is unable to corroborate the numbers. All civilian casualties of war are tragic, and in this war, they are all the fault of Hamas, but the Post makes no attempt to more accurately report these numbers from a reputable source.
Yet the Post is resolute on casting doubt on the credibility of the Israeli viewpoint. The article includes qualifiers such as “Israel media outlets reported without citing sources” and comments like “The Israel Defense Forces referred questions to the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service. The Shin Bet did not respond to requests for comment.”
In this utterly difficult situation of urban warfare, Israel has to distinguish between civilian and combatant, and there is ample evidence that it is working above and beyond the norms at that task. Even with that, its actions are being held under a microscope, like in no other war in history. Israel receives no credit, but it is putting its soldiers’ lives at risk in the effort to minimize Gazan civilian casualties. This is rare in warfare.
There is overwhelming evidence that Israel is being protective of Gazan civilians, more than in any war in history. For the first time in warfare, all of the following has occurred: civilians have been sent leaflets, texts, pings on their rooftops, notifications of where battles will be, and given a corridor to exit away from those sites. Israel is allowing trucks to resupply the Gazans, knowing full well that many of the supplies are ending up in the hands of Hamas terrorists, thereby undercutting Israel’s war effort.
With all these facts about propaganda coming out of the totalitarian regime and the efforts Israel is making to keep Gazan civilians safe, why is The Washington Post hell-bent on taking the word of terrorists and those who elected them and bashing Israel in the process?
Dr. Michael Berenhaus is a freelance activist who works to combat anti-Israel bias in the media. He has been widely published in news sources such as The Economist, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
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