Story of the Week •
April 4th, 2024
Six Months After Hamas Attack, Bloodshed Continues in Gaza
AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana
It's been nearly six months since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, and Israel's campaign in Gaza continues. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, roughly 33,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7. This number has been disputed, with some claiming it's inflated and others claiming it under-counts the true toll.
Seven Aid Workers Killed by Israeli Airstrike
On Monday, seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen charity were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. José Andrés, the founder of the World Central Kitchen, wrote in the New York Times Opinion (Left bias) that the killed aid workers were "the best of humanity." Outlining the threat of famine in Gaza, Andrés pleaded, "In the worst conditions, after the worst terrorist attack in its history, it’s time for the best of Israel to show up. You cannot save the hostages by bombing every building in Gaza. You cannot win this war by starving an entire population."
The New York Post Editorial Board (Right bias) placed the blame for the killed aid workers entirely on Hamas, arguing that "The terrorist group wants more innocents dead, to turn the world against Israel." Describing the urban warfare environment Israel is operating in, the board concluded, "some civilian deaths are unavoidable when Hamas purposefully operates in populated areas so as to cause the exact kind of confusion that led to Monday night’s deadly error."
An article in the Wall Street Journal (Center bias) analyzed the political pressure the continuing conflict places on President Joe Biden, deeming the airstrike the "latest example of a persistent political problem for President Biden: His approach to the Israel-Hamas war has left him squeezed on both sides." Progressive Democrats continue to urge Biden to press for a ceasefire, while Biden's recent criticism of Israel's actions "risks alienating Jewish Americans who support Israel’s offensive and believe the president is acquiescing to political pressure from within his own party."
Netanyahu Moves to Shut Down Critical News Outlet
Also this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would use a new national security law to shut down Al Jazeera’s (Lean Left bias) operations in Israel. In a post on X, Netanyahu stated, "Al Jazeera harmed Israel's security, actively participated in the October 7 massacre, and incited against IDF soldiers. It is time to remove the shofar of Hamas from our country. The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel. I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel's activity."
A writer in Al Jazeera alleged that Israel is intentionally targeting journalists in Gaza in order to reduce media coverage of their actions. The writer stated, "by mass killing Palestinian journalists, Israel positions itself alongside other brutal regimes that deny or restrict media coverage of their actions, which further exposes the big holes in its democratic credentials that it tries to project to international media. By attacking Palestinian journalists and denying foreign media access to Gaza, it has shot itself in the foot and weakened its own credibility."
Five Americans Still Held Hostage by Hamas
Five American citizens are reportedly still being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza — Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Keith Siegel.
A writer in the Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) asked, "why isn’t President Joe Biden saying their names in public every day?" According to the writer, "Biden’s message should be simple: All people who hold innocent Americans hostage will die. The United States will track them down; the United States will show no mercy; the United States, with justice on its side, will obliterate the hostage-takers."
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More from the Center
Israel plans to adjust Gaza war tactics after killing aid workers
Reuters
"Israeli leaders have voiced sorrow over what they said was a misidentification of a WCK convoy at night in a combat zone. Some local media reported, based on unnamed sources, that the convoy was hit repeatedly from the air despite having coordinated its route in advance with the military - possibly due to a false belief that gunmen were aboard it or close by."
More from the Left
Half measures won’t work. What Gaza needs is a Marshall Plan
CNN (opinion)
"But as the situation in Gaza worsens, I’ve become convinced that a ceasefire alone will not be enough to address the deep-rooted challenges created by months of trauma, bombardments and privation. It is imperative for the Biden administration and Congress to approve a substantial aid package for the Palestinians."
More from the Right
The Immeasurable Stakes for Israel
National Review (opinion)
"The charge of selfishness might be — after that of hypocrisy — the cheapest form of criticism. Journalists are masters of it. Of course the government of Benjamin Netanyahu stands to gain from thrashing Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, or Hamas. So what? I’m counting on it. Would you rather that the interests of the sovereign did not coincide with those of his polity?"
