TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) 鈥 The war in the Gaza Strip is starting to look different these days on the Israeli news.
For most of the past two years, television stations in Israel have paid little attention to suffering in Gaza, giving viewers a steady stream of stories about Israeli heroism, and the deaths of soldiers in combat.
But that is changing. In recent months, some Israeli stations have begun to share and a few deeply reported stories about the difficulties of daily life for Palestinians.
This subtle shift comes as Israel faces over the ongoing war, and it reflects deep divisions over whether the military offensive should be halted, though the growing protests and the media coverage have had little effect on Israel鈥檚 policies.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just truly caring about the situation in Gaza, but also from an Israeli perspective, are we acting correctly in a way that serves the aims of this war?鈥 said Eran Amsalem, a communications professor at Israel鈥檚 Hebrew University.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has largely ignored calling for an end to the war that is focused on returning the hostages. After the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas and two years of regional fighting, appeals on behalf of Palestinians have even less traction.
The shock of Oct. 7
The first images from the war were of Hamas-led militants storming the border and marauding through Israeli army bases and farming communities. Footage out of Gaza showed people celebrating as hostages were paraded through the streets, bloodied and beaten.
Around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, and 251 taken hostage. Forty-eight remain in Gaza, around 20 of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were returned in ceasefires or other deals.
It was the worst attack ever carried out on Israel鈥檚 homefront and still dominates local newscasts. In the early months, Israelis rallied around the flag after what some referred to as their 9/11, while international media quickly shifted focus to the invasion of Gaza.
鈥淒uring most of the war, the Israeli media really reported very little on the suffering in Gaza or the hunger or destruction,鈥 said Raviv Drucker, a prominent Israeli news anchor. 鈥淚f they did report it, it鈥檚 only from the Israeli perspective,” he explained, in terms of how effective it was in destroying Hamas.
Israel has barred international journalists from Gaza since the start of the war, outside of visits organized by the military. The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists says it鈥檚 the deadliest conflict for reporters the group has ever documented, with .
鈥淚t鈥檚 a strange war, because it鈥檚 the 21st century, and everyone has a phone to broadcast,鈥 Drucker said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 no one on the ground, so you can鈥檛 say, 鈥楾here鈥檚 someone on the ground that I trust.鈥欌
The perils of highlighting Gaza suffering
Some newscasters who have highlighted the humanitarian catastrophe have faced backlash.
Yonit Levi, a prominent news anchor known for her cool demeanor, made an uncharacteristic comment during a report in July about international media coverage of the famine.
鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 time to understand that this is not a failure of public diplomacy, but a moral failure, and to start from there,鈥 she said. Levi, who declined to speak to The Associated Press, was called a 鈥淗amas spokesperson鈥 by an analyst on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, and a right-wing activist accused her of 鈥渟pitting in the face of Israeli soldiers.鈥
Commentators from right-wing outlets, including Channel 14, regularly cheer the killing of Palestinians and the demolition of their homes, saying there are no innocent civilians in Gaza and that the military should act with even greater force.
The offensive has killed , according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. Its figures are seen as reliable by U.N. agencies and many independent experts. Israel disputes the figures but has not provided its own.
Zvi Yehezkeli, an Arab affairs correspondent for Israel鈥檚 i24 TV, welcomed in an Israeli strike on a hospital last week, accusing them 鈥 without evidence 鈥 of working with Hamas to disseminate fake news harmful to Israel. 鈥淏etter late than never,鈥 he said.
The Israeli military has said none of the journalists, including and other publications, were suspected militants, and it denies targeting them.
Signs of change
Still, the coverage has slightly shifted in recent weeks, with some longer stories about Palestinians appearing in major outlets.
Israeli journalists have given more airtime to the starvation crisis fueled in part by Israel鈥檚 2 1/2 month ban on all humanitarian aid 鈥 鈥 earlier this year.
Mainstream TV news programs now feature a few interviews with Palestinians in Gaza, though digitally altered to preserve the safety of those who speak to Israeli media despite pressure from Hamas. But those stories are still far outweighed by a focus on domestic issues.
Nir Hasson and his colleagues at Israel鈥檚 left-leaning Haaretz newspaper have reported extensively on the Palestinians both before and during the war, in articles that are frequently critical of Israel鈥檚 conduct. But it鈥檚 an outlier in the current media landscape.
鈥淎fter Oct. 7, there鈥檚 no doubt that something was broken, and it became completely illegitimate to deal with the pain of the other side,鈥 Hasson said.
鈥淏ut I think the Israeli public is more mature than the media gives them credit for,鈥 he added. 鈥淚 think the public has an ability to listen. I think the media is censoring itself too much.鈥
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