In northern Gaza, Israeli forces have stormed and set fire to Kamal Adwan Hospital, forcing patients and staff to evacuate.
Among those detained were the hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, and several medical workers.
The hospital had been one of the few remaining medical facilities in the region, but with all other hospitals destroyed and a relentless siege in place, the sick and injured had nowhere to turn.
Since October 2023, northern Gaza has been under what has been described as a “siege within a siege,” with Israeli forces cutting off access to food, basic services, and adequate shelter.
The destruction of hospitals and the limited movement of people have exacerbated the suffering of tens of thousands trapped in the region.
The Israeli offensive, which began in October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of 45,399 people and left more than 107,000 others injured, with the majority of casualties being civilians, including tens of thousands of children.
Many have lost limbs due to Israeli bombings, and countless others have been orphaned.
Throughout this period, Israeli occupation has targeted hospitals, schools, and shelters, where displaced civilians sought refuge after their homes were destroyed.
The internal debate in Israel has largely focused on the release of approximately 100 Israeli captives taken during the Hamas-led assault in October 2023.
However, the broader scale of Israel’s actions in Gaza remains largely obscured from much of the Israeli public.
Analysts argue that this is due in part to a media landscape that largely echoes the narrative of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his increasingly right-wing government.
War on Reality
Reports earlier this year revealed that Netanyahu had attempted to shut down public broadcaster Kan for resisting political pressure to alter its editorial stance.
In the months that followed, the Israeli government passed several measures to limit media freedom, including a bill banning Al Jazeera from operating in the country and another that severed ties with the liberal newspaper Haaretz, a consistent critic of the government’s policies on Gaza.
By December 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists reported that Israel had arrested 75 journalists and media workers within its territory, the occupied West Bank, and Gaza since the war began.
In addition, nearly 200 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces.
According to Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns at Reporters Without Borders, “Israelis have the right to know what is being done in their name,” warning that Netanyahu’s government is actively distorting the narrative of the Gaza conflict while tightening state control over the media—a move that poses serious long-term risks for press freedom and Israeli democracy.
Human rights organizations that work to defend Palestinian rights in Israel are also facing increased hostility.
Dr. Guy Shalev, executive director of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), which advocates for Palestinians’ right to healthcare, stated, “There’s zero room for our work.” He explained that Haaretz is one of the few platforms where news about Palestinians, the occupation, and Gaza can be shared, but even that platform is increasingly under pressure.
A Distorted Narrative
For Shalev, the primary issue is the framing of news. The mainstream media often reinforces government narratives rather than reporting the facts.
For example, when Israel bombed Yemen in December 2023, international media outlets covered the danger to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who narrowly avoided injury.
However, Israeli newspapers like Israel Hayom and Yedioth Ahronoth omitted any mention of the diplomat’s near-death experience, instead focusing solely on the military aspect of the strike.
Similarly, reports about the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including the lack of aid, are often framed in such a way as to shift blame onto Hamas, rather than addressing Israel’s role in the blockade.
This, Shalev argues, perpetuates a distorted narrative that downplays the severity of the famine in Gaza, which many in Israel are led to believe is either exaggerated or caused by Hamas.
Living in an Echo Chamber
Many Israelis remain unaware of the full extent of the situation in Gaza, says Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli ambassador and Haaretz columnist.
“It’s deliberate denial,” he explains, acknowledging that while the immediate aftermath of the October 7 assault was marked by shock and calls for revenge, the ongoing lack of awareness is inexcusable.
The information about the war is available through outlets like Haaretz, foreign media, and humanitarian organizations, but many Israelis consciously ignore it.
Shalev believes the media’s presentation of the war is fueling paranoia in Israeli society. The narrative presented by the government and much of the mainstream press has framed the war as “legitimate” while vilifying international institutions and human rights groups.
This, he argues, has cultivated a dangerous sense of Jewish supremacy and a widespread desire to see Gaza’s suffering continue without acknowledgment.
Reflecting on his own experiences as a Jewish Israeli, Shalev compares the current climate to the indifference during the Holocaust, when many people turned a blind eye to the suffering of others. “We’re seeing it happen again in a horrific way, and we’re all watching,” he concludes.
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