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Media Omit Criticism, Glorify the Red Cross’ Role Amid Israel-Hamas War
Hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas terrorists to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, as part of a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel amid a temporary truce, in an unknown location in the Gaza Strip, in this screengrab taken from video released Nov. 27, 2023. Photo: Hamas Military Wing/Handout via REUTERS
Two stories on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war deserved coverage last week: Comments on the situation in Gaza by the organization’s head, and the filing of a lawsuit against the Red Cross over its failure to help Israeli hostages.
Unfortunately, major news agencies echoed the former but were completely silent on the latter.
This selective omission focused all attention on the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, at the expense of the suffering of Israelis held hostage by Hamas.
This view was further promoted by two factors: The media’s blindness to the Red Cross’ responsibility for the Israeli hostages, and the glorification of the organization’s humanitarian role.
Reuters and AP Reveal and Conceal
On December 19, Reuters gave a platform to Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric, who had spoken to journalists after her visit to Israel and Gaza.
The headline, “Gaza war is world’s ‘moral failure’, Red Cross chief says” could be seen as judgmental — was Israel supposed to refrain from going to war after the brutal Hamas massacre of its citizens on October 7? Isn’t it a moral failure for the world to not consider such a war morally justified?
Regardless, the piece gives a balanced account, presenting Israel’s criticism of the Red Cross followed by the president’s response.
Although the ICRC facilitated the release of hostages during the truce, the group has been criticised by some Israelis for not doing more to free others and provide them with medical care. Some social media users have equated it to a taxi service to drive hostages out of Gaza.
“You don’t just go there and take the hostages and bring them out,” Spoljaric said, saying that any analogy with an Uber or taxi service was “unacceptable and outrageous.”
The AP took the same approach. Its report, included on a live-updates page, led with Spoljaric’s counter-claims against Israel’s criticism:
Clearly, countering the criticism against the Red Cross was high on the agenda of both the organization’s president and the journalists covering her comments.
The problem was that two days later, both Reuters and AP ignored the manifestation of the very criticism they had mentioned by choosing not to cover the filing of an Israeli lawsuit against the Red Cross.
The lawsuit was filed in a Jerusalem court by an Israeli NGO on behalf of the families of 24 of the 240 Israelis abducted by Hamas during the deadly October 7 massacre. It accuses the aid organization of failing in its mission, and seeks about $2.8 million in damages.
By any journalistic standard, with or without previous coverage of the Red Cross president’s position, the lawsuit should have been covered — as it was by The New York Times, Newsweek, and AFP.
But when the world’s two leading news agencies ignore it, especially after giving center stage to the narrative of the Red Cross, it’s problematic.
Could it be that as a stand-alone, the story couldn’t be “framed” the “right” way? Was it too “pro-Israel”?
A look at a recent mention of the Red Cross in an unrelated AP story reveals the hidden bias:
Hamas called on the International Committee of the Red Cross and other organizations to pressure Israeli authorities to reveal the whereabouts and conditions of people detained.
With no mention of the Red Cross’ role regarding Israeli hostages, the one-sided assumption here is that the organization should answer only to the Palestinian side — which in this case is represented by Hamas, a terrorist organization.
Hypocrisy #1: @AP reports that Hamas has called on the Red Cross to pressure Israeli authorities to reveal the whereabouts & conditions of detained Gazans.
Hypocrisy #2: AP won’t mention the Red Cross’s failure to access Israeli hostages held by Hamas.https://t.co/pYhHM7QFRf
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 24, 2023
CNN’s Blindness and Glorification
A look at how CNN recently interviewed a Red Cross employee in Gaza provides further evidence of the erasure of Israeli suffering from the agenda by the Red Cross and media alike.
The interviewer starts by asking for the employee’s reaction to a new Israeli offer to pause the fighting and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza as part of a new hostages for prisoners release deal.
What follows is the Red Cross employee talking solely about the dire situation in Gaza, with no clear mention of the Israeli hostages. The interviewer does not push back and does not inquire about the Red Cross’ failure to reach them.
CNN also recently published a puff piece on the Red Cross. Titled “‘In the line of fire:’ The crucial, neutral role the Red Cross plays in conflicts,” the report glorified the organization’s role in the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity.
While it did mention the criticism of hostage families who had said the Red Cross was nothing more than “an Uber for released hostages,” the piece needlessly included lengthy historical background on the important role of the “honored” humanitarian organization:
Founded in Geneva in 1863, the ICRC is the oldest and one of the most honored humanitarian organizations in the world.
A three-time Nobel Peace Prize winner, winning the award during the two World Wars and on the centenary of its creation, the ICRC operates in more than 100 countries, supporting those affected by war, natural disasters and other global crises through a humanitarian network of some 80 million people.
But the article conveniently skipped the organization’s darkest historical chapter, when it had failed Europe’s Jews during the Holocaust.
In light of the omissions and glorifications, it should come as no surprise that there was also no coverage of Israel’s claim that the Red Cross had refused to transfer life-saving medicine to Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The media also have not mentioned that the newly appointed director-general of the Red Cross is a controversial former head of UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees.
When media outlets selectively conceal and reveal information in order to maintain the narrative of a holier-than-thou aid organization that helps desperate Gazans and has come under unjust criticism by Israel, they violate their most basic journalistic mission: to objectively report the facts.
The result is two-fold: news consumers are prevented from knowing the entire story, and they are also robbed of their ability to independently pass judgment on events.
Subtly, many media outlets have already told them what to think.
The post Media Omit Criticism, Glorify the Red Cross’ Role Amid Israel-Hamas War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran Says It Has Replaced Air Defenses Damaged in Israel War
The S-300 missile system is seen during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran has replaced air defenses damaged during last month’s conflict with Israel, Iran’s Defah Press news agency reported on Sunday quoting Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army’s deputy for operations.
During the conflict in June, Israel’s air force dominated Iran’s airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country’s air defenses while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory.
“Some of our air defenses were damaged, this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure,” Mousavi said.
Prior to the war, Iran had its own domestically-made long-range air defense system Bavar-373 in addition to the Russian-made S-300 system. The report by Defah Press did not mention any import of foreign-made air defense systems to Iran in past weeks.
Following limited Israeli strikes against Iranian missile factories last October, Iran later displayed Russian-made air defenses in a military exercise to show it recovered from the attack.
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Calm Reported in Syria’s Sweida, Damascus Says Truce Holding
Members of Internal Security Forces stand guard at an Internal Security Forces’ checkpoint working to prevent Bedouin fighters from advancing towards Sweida, following renewed fighting between Bedouin fighters and Druze gunmen, despite an announced truce, in Walgha, Sweida province, Syria, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Residents reported calm in Syria’s Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a US envoy signaled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented.
With hundreds reported killed, the Sweida bloodshed is a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes against government forces last week as it declared support for the Druze. Fighting continued on Saturday despite a ceasefire call.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday that internal security forces had managed to calm the situation and enforce the ceasefire, “paving the way for a prisoner exchange and the gradual return of stability throughout the governorate.”
Reuters images showed interior ministry forces near the city, blocking the road in front of members of tribes congregated there. The Interior Ministry said late on Saturday that Bedouin fighters had left the city.
US envoy Tom Barrack said the sides had “navigated to a pause and cessation of hostilities”. “The next foundation stone on a path to inclusion, and lasting de-escalation, is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are in process,” he wrote on X.
Kenan Azzam, a dentist, said there was an uneasy calm but the city’s residents were struggling with a lack of water and electricity. “The hospitals are a disaster and out of service, and there are still so many dead and wounded,” he said by phone.
Another resident, Raed Khazaal, said aid was urgently needed. “Houses are destroyed … The smell of corpses is spread throughout the national hospital,” he said in a voice message to Reuters from Sweida.
The Syrian state news agency said an aid convoy sent to the city by the government was refused entry while aid organized by the Syrian Red Crescent was let in. A source familiar with the situation said local factions in Sweida had turned back the government convoy.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that Israel sent urgent medical aid to the Druze in Sweida and the step was coordinated with Washington and Syria. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Ministry and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel and Lebanon who follow a religion that is an offshoot of a branch of Shi’ite Islam. Some hardline Sunnis deem their beliefs heretical.
The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against the Druze.
Residents of the predominantly Druze city said friends and neighbours were shot at close range in their homes or in the streets by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and insignia.
Sharaa on Thursday promised to protect the rights of Druze and to hold to account those who committed violations against “our Druze people.”
He has blamed the violence on “outlaw groups.”
While Sharaa has won US backing since meeting President Donald Trump in May, the violence has underscored the challenge he faces stitching back together a country shattered by 14 years of conflict, and added to pressures on its mosaic of sectarian and ethnic groups.
COASTAL VIOLENCE
After Israel bombed Syrian government forces in Sweida and hit the defense ministry in Damascus last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a policy demanding the demilitarization of territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida.
He also said Israel would protect the Druze.
The United States however said it did not support the Israeli strikes. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area for two days.
A Syrian security source told Reuters that internal security forces had taken up positions near Sweida, establishing checkpoints in western and eastern parts of the province where retreating tribal fighters had gathered.
On Sunday, Sharaa received the report of an inquiry into violence in Syria’s coastal region in March, where Reuters reported in June that Syrian forces killed 1,500 members of the Alawite minority following attacks on security forces.
The presidency said it would review the inquiry’s conclusions and ensure steps to “bring about justice” and prevent the recurrence of “such violations.” It called on the inquiry to hold a news conference on its findings – if appropriate – as soon as possible.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said on July 18 it had documented the deaths of at least 321 people in Sweida province since July 13. The preliminary toll included civilians, women, children, Bedouin fighters, members of local groups and members of the security forces, it said, and the dead included people killed in field executions by both sides.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another monitoring group, has reported a death toll of at least 940 people.
Reuters could not independently verify the tolls.
The post Calm Reported in Syria’s Sweida, Damascus Says Truce Holding first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pope Leo Calls for End to ‘Barbarity of War’ After Strike on Gaza Church
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Pope Leo called for an end to the “barbarity of war” on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza.
Three people died and several were injured, including the parish priest, in the strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City on Thursday. Photos show its roof has been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and shattering windows.
Speaking after his Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed in the incident.
“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population,” he said.
The post Pope Leo Calls for End to ‘Barbarity of War’ After Strike on Gaza Church first appeared on Algemeiner.com.