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Media Says ‘IDF Targets Kids,’ But Ignores Realities of Fighting Hamas
Palestinian terrorists and members of the Red Cross gather near vehicles on the day Hamas hands over deceased hostages Oded Lifschitz, Shiri Bibas, and her two children Kfir and Ariel Bibas, seized during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack, to the Red Cross, as part of a ceasefire and hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Feb. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, “the IDF is targeting children” has been a media narrative — or rather, a Hamas narrative.
The New York Times’ exposé “65 Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics: What We Saw in Gaza” and the BBC’s investigative report “Two girls shot in Gaza…” are just a couple of the grotesque displays of bias. Evidence of Hamas’ responsibility is often doubted or dismissed, while in a narrative such as the BBC’s case, the blame is placed solely on Israel and its “lack of accountability.”
Basics of Guerrilla-Style Urban Warfare in Gaza
Urban guerrilla warfare differs significantly from conventional urban warfare. Bill Roggio, Senior Fellow and Editor of Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s (FDD) Long War Journal, told HonestReporting that Israel’s real challenge with Hamas “is [that they’re] fighting out of uniform, and they’re fighting from places like mosques, schools, and hospitals.” He says that while civilian casualties are always unavoidable in war, enemies like Hamas hiding and operating among them make it “far more complicated.”
In guerrilla warfare, the rules of engagement, or how soldiers are meant to act on suspicious activity, can become murky. With challenges that militaries like the IDF encounter on the battlefield while maneuvering or stationing in Gaza, reports of civilians and even children being injured or killed have flooded the media and heavily influenced the global understanding of the conflict. The problem? Average consumers don’t understand realities on the ground.
Roggio discusses the breakdown of rules of engagement in the chaos of a guerrilla-style environment:
You can’t shoot someone just because they’re on a rooftop with a radio…. But then [you] started finding out that kid was a spotter or a lookout, or they’re being used to run ammunition during firefights, or women were being used in the same way, or even as suicide bombers in cases. So restrictive rules of engagement, once the enemy is aware, they take advantage of this.
Not to mention, military-aged males aged 16 through 20 are still considered children, he reminds us. The media report on children being shot, but Hamas doesn’t distinguish between terrorists and civilians in its death toll. This only serves to bolster terrorist propaganda further.
The press, international community, and NGOs often misunderstand the realities of warfare, says Roggio. His war reporting and military experience give him the insight to assess it. He uses the 2004 U.S. drone strikes on Al-Qaeda in Pakistan, where the terrorist to civilian ratio was calculated to 1:1 or 2:1, as another example.
The US receives so much criticism for this, but it’s a misunderstanding of war…sometimes I think it’s an intentional misunderstanding, or I guess that wouldn’t be a misunderstanding. It’s an intentional ignorance.
Then, they treat figures and statements from terror groups, or in Hamas’ case, “ministries”, with credibility. Herein lies one of the biggest issues: buying propaganda and leaving out important context that misleads the audience.
1/@BBCNews aired a slick doc blaming Israel for the deaths of 2 Gazan girls. But reporter @stephhegarty left one thing out: Hamas. No mention of child soldiers, human shields, or hostages in hospitals.
When facts don’t fit the narrative, she cuts them.
pic.twitter.com/DRIGn8pVn2
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 6, 2025
The BBC’s population correspondent, Stephanie Hegarty, took it upon herself to step out of her regular scheduled programming to “investigate” two killings of little Gazan girls in November 2023 – the early days of the war.
Hegarty concluded that, based on geolocation estimates by the BBC, the IDF could have been responsible for the tragic deaths of Layan al-Majdalawi and Mira Tanboura. The logic is that where there is IDF presence, Gazans are killed. Therefore, the IDF must have killed them.
But the IDF is hunting down Hamas terrorists, not young girls. Hegarty doesn’t acknowledge the possibility that Hamas were there too, and in a guerrilla urban war zone. There’s no mention of the possibility that they were caught in crossfire, killed by Hamas, or suspected to be a threat by the IDF.
Though identifying Hamas isn’t always obvious, this doesn’t serve Hegarty’s narrative, so she ignores it.
2/
Hegarty features a British doctor at Nasser Hospital – someone who has denied Hamas was ever there. She doesn’t mention that Hamas official Ismail Barhoum was killed at Nasser. Or that hostages say Hamas held them in Gaza hospitals. That’s not an oversight. It’s a cover-up. pic.twitter.com/YaOLNATDbq— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 6, 2025
And naturally, a concerted effort to expose the IDF as a vile, genocidal military is initiated. All context goes out the window. Just the IDF’s supposed “lack of accountability” remains.
4/
The reservist she interviews explains IDF rules of engagement – but Hegarty frames it as though Israel systematically targets kids. She skips over the chaos of urban warfare, and how impossible it is to ID combatants when Hamas wears no uniform. pic.twitter.com/CMnMVuyiDk— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 6, 2025
“K,” an anonymous IDF reservist, gives Hegarty the soundbite she wants, so she doesn’t bother exploring the context behind K’s “F***k it. Destroy everything” statement on IDF commanders’ orders for rules of engagement.
Although the war in Gaza is complicated, it’s easy to provide viewers with a fuller picture.
Same Narrative, Different Scenario
The same goes for Palestinians killed seeking humanitarian aid. The Washington Post’s article, “Doctors detail the daily deluge of Gazans shot while seeking food,” presents doctors’ accounts of mass casualty events in Gaza hospitals. The writers work to imply that shootings are systematic and only mention IDF troops’ presence, and their admission to firing warning shots.
No mention of Hamas, even though there is plenty of video evidence of Hamas stealing from aid convoys, and accounts of Hamas and other gangs beating or shooting Palestinians trying to get aid. But there was also no context to the IDF firing at or around those who pass their “military positions.”
Witnesses say Israeli troops have frequently shot at people who pass near military positions while approaching aid sites or who throng relief convoys.
There are clear instructions on pathways and times for aid seekers. It’s fair to assume that anyone stepping out of that zone, especially in Gaza’s environment, could be considered suspicious by the IDF and its soldiers who are having to constantly be aware of the possibility of an attack on their positions at any moment. An unfortunate reality created by the terrorists who continue to operate among the civilian population.
The Washington Post includes the issue of child casualties:
The trek to GHF distribution points is frequently long and arduous, so Palestinian families often send their most able — usually teenage boys and young men. But with tens of thousands of Palestinians having been killed and maimed during Israel’s military operations in Gaza, not every family has that choice. The Red Cross says its doctors have treated women and toddlers for gunshot wounds, too.
Again, urban war zones are chaotic. It’s not always clear what is happening. But medical workers can only explain the injuries and describe the patients they have treated.
Nonetheless, that’s precisely the reason why the media need to lay all the information out on the table, instead of presenting a pre-framed story that leads media consumers to adopt whatever agenda the journalist promotes.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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Comedic Documentary Follows Jewish Performers Learning About Jewish Culture in Stockholm
Cover art for “Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm.” Photo: Provided
The US-based distribution company Menemsha Films has acquired worldwide rights, exclusive of Scandinavia, to a comedic documentary film from Canadian filmmakers and award-winning comedy duo Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion, The Algemeiner has learned.
The film, titled “Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm,” follows the performers from Montreal as they travel around Stockholm, Sweden, and learn about Jewish identity and culture. “Through meshugenah encounters and eye-opening revelations, these two (gefilte) fish out of water explore 250 years of Swedish Jewish culture, from the earliest immigrants to today’s Yiddish renaissance, including discovering how Yiddish came to be a protected government-recognized language in Sweden,” according to a synopsis of the film provided by Menemsha Films. “Along the way, they dive into a cultural revival that is as unexpected as it is joyous.”
Menemsha Films will premiere “Swedishkayt” at international film festivals next year, starting with its world premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival in January, followed by a theatrical release in North America.
“When we first discovered that, of all places, Sweden is the new mecca of Yiddish language and culture, we knew we had to share this crazy secret with the rest of the world,” said Elman and Batalion. “We were excited to dip into the Yiddish scene in Stockholm for this film, and are delighted to work with the mensches at Menemsha Films, who have proven their ability time and time again to take Jewish
projects to wide audiences.”
Batalion and Elman co-created the first Yiddish-language sitcom “YidLife Crisis,” an award-winning web series that explores religious and cultural Jewish life in the modern world. The show has featured celebrity guest appearances by Mayim Bialik and Howie Mandel. It has amassed over 4 million online views and led to Battalion and Elman having sold-out live performances across North America and Europe.
“We have been huge fans of YidLife Crisis for many years, and it is our privilege to bring these comedy icons to a larger audience around the world,” said Neil Friedman, founder and president of Menemsha Films, in a joint statement with Menemsha Films Executive Vice President Heidi Oshin.
The comedic duo has released previous projects like “Swedishkayt” that chronicle their travels and exploration of Jewish identity, including the “Global Shtetl” series, “Narishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Krakow,” and “Chewdaism: A Taste of Montreal.” Together, they have over 25 years of credits across television, theater, music, and film, including “Mad Men” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” They have written, directed, and produced short and feature films that have appeared at major film festivals including Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and SXSW.
Watch the trailer for “Swedishkayt: YidLife Crisis in Stockholm” below.
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Hezbollah Warns Lebanon ‘Will Have No Life’ if State Moves Against It
Lebanon’s Hezbollah Chief Naim Qassem gives a televised speech from an unknown location, July 30, 2025, in this screen grab from video. Photo: Al Manar TV/REUTERS TV/via REUTERS
Hezbollah raised the specter of civil war with a warning on Friday there would be “no life” in Lebanon if the government sought to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed terrorist group.
The government wants to control arms in line with a US-backed plan following Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah, which was founded four decades ago with the backing of Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards.
But the Islamist group is resisting pressure to disarm, saying that cannot happen until Israel ends its strikes and occupation of a southern strip of Lebanon that had been a Hezbollah stronghold.
“This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together – or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us,” its leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech.
Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in the last two years, killing many of its top brass, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah, and 5,000 of its fighters and destroying much of its arsenal.
Lebanon‘s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Qassem’s statements carried an implicit threat of civil war, calling them “unacceptable.”
“No party in Lebanon is authorized to bear arms outside the framework of the Lebanese state,” Salam said in a post on X carrying his statements from an interview with the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
The Lebanese cabinet last week tasked the army with confining weapons only to state security forces, a move that has outraged Hezbollah.
DIALOGUE POSSIBLE
Qassem accused the government of implementing an “American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife.”
However, he said Hezbollah and the Amal movement, its Shi’ite Muslim ally, had decided to delay any street protests while there was still scope for talks.
“There is still room for discussion, for adjustments, and for a political resolution before the situation escalates to a confrontation no one wants,” Qassem said.
“But if it is imposed on us, we are ready, and we have no other choice … At that point, there will be a protest in the street, all across Lebanon, that will reach the American embassy.”
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which left parts of Lebanon in ruins, erupted in October 2023 when the group opened fire at Israeli positions along the southern border in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.
Hezbollah and Amal still retain influence politically, appointing Shi’ite ministers to cabinet and holding the Shi’ite seats in parliament. But for the first time in years, they do not hold a “blocking third” of cabinet posts that in the past enabled them to veto government decisions.
Hezbollah retains strong support among the Shi’ite community in Lebanon but calls for its disarmament across the rest of society have grown.
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Israel in Talks to Resettle Gaza Palestinians in South Sudan, Sources Say
Palestinians carry aid supplies they collected from trucks that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, Aug. 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
South Sudan and Israel are discussing a deal to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza in the troubled African nation, three sources told Reuters – a plan quickly dismissed as unacceptable by Palestinian leaders.
The sources, who have knowledge of the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity, said no agreement had been reached but talks between South Sudan and Israel were ongoing.
The plan, if carried further, would envisage people moving from an enclave shattered by almost two years of war between the ruling terrorist group Hamas and Israel to a nation in the heart of Africa riven by years of political and ethnically-driven violence.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month he intends to extend military control in Gaza, and this week repeated suggestions that Palestinians should leave the territory voluntarily.
Arab and world leaders have rejected the idea of moving Gaza‘s population to any country.
The three sources said the prospect of resettling Palestinians in South Sudan was raised during meetings between Israeli officials and South Sudanese Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba when he visited the country last month.
Their account appeared to contradict South Sudan‘s foreign ministry which on Wednesday dismissed earlier reports on the plan as “baseless.”
The ministry was not immediately available to respond to the sources‘ assertions on Friday.
News of the discussions was first reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday, citing six people with knowledge of the matter.
Wasel Abu Youssef, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Palestinian leadership and people “reject any plan or idea to displace any of our people to South Sudan or to any other place.”
His statement echoed a statement from the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday. Hamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, who visited the South Sudanese capital Juba this week, told Reuters that those discussions had not focused on relocation.
“This is not what the discussions were about,” she said when asked if any such plan had been discussed.
“The discussions were about foreign policy, about multilateral organizations, about the humanitarian crisis, the real humanitarian crisis happening in South Sudan, and about the war,” she said, referring to her talks with Juba officials.
Netanyahu, who met Kumba last month, has said Israel is in touch with a few countries to find a destination for Palestinians who want to leave Gaza. He has consistently declined to provide further details.
Netanyahu’s office and Israel‘s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the information given by the three sources on Friday.