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What’s New? Media Whitewashes Hamas, Demonizes Israel as Gaza War Resumes

FILE PHOTO: Yael, Adi and Mika Alexander, the family of Edan Alexander, the American-Israeli and Israel Defense Forces soldier taken hostage during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, pose for a photograph during an interview with Reuters at the Alexander’s home in Tenafly, New Jersey, U.S., December 14, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Stephani Spindel/File Photo
Once hostilities resumed in Gaza, it didn’t take long for the international media to revert to their familiar agenda of whitewashing Hamas while demonizing Israel.
From omitting critical information and treating Hamas like a legitimate actor, to blaming Israel and making an equivalency between the terror group and IDF soldiers — news outlets made an effort to adjust the facts to suit their narrative.
Sky News, for example, completely omitted the fact that two teens killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza were the relatives of a senior Hamas official who was targeted. Following our complaint, the network updated its piece to note that the IDF identified him as their grandfather.
The AP sneakily omitted Israel’s denial that it had struck a United Nations compound in Gaza. Thus, the wire service managed to demonize the Jewish state without even naming it:
Sneaky: While @AP doesn’t directly attribute this incident to or name Israel, it still fails to include the IDF’s outright denial.
Letting your audience assume Israeli responsibility isn’t journalism, it’s deliberately misleading. pic.twitter.com/dDUTOKGmKU
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 20, 2025
Also on the Israel demonization front, ABC News had to remove an unverified story saying that Israel’s “occupation forces” dropped leaflets calling on Gazans to “vanish:”
Since Oct 7th, I have seen some horrendous reporting by the int’l press, but this by @ABC, would have to be one of the worst, morally inexcusable and tantamount to a blood libel!
Had they actually checked with IDF (whom they by the way refer to as ‘occupation forces’), they… pic.twitter.com/6rmUhEPG2B
— Arsen Ostrovsky
(@Ostrov_A) March 20, 2025
And The Washington Post’s editorial board compared Israel’s war of self-defense against Hamas with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine:
There’s a massive difference between the demands of a democratically elected leader dealing with a war started by a terrorist org and an autocrat trying to gain an advantage after invading a neighboring state.
Appallingly, @washingtonpost‘s editorial board sees an equivalence.… pic.twitter.com/YnVa7ey7Vn
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 20, 2025
The Irish Times went further, publishing an opinion piece claiming that Israel “indiscriminately rained down bombs” on Gaza:
Every IDF missile is accounted for. Every operation is targeted.
Israel does not “indiscriminately rain down” bombs. Period.
But that won’t stop @IrishTimes from publishing a lie. https://t.co/aHBd6Ie03F pic.twitter.com/4agcMcBlYu
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 20, 2025
Meanwhile, The Guardian did not hesitate to quote a Hamas official lecturing the world about morality:
A Hamas official lectures the international community on morality.
Unsurprisingly, @guardian can’t see the absurdity of quoting him. pic.twitter.com/M31R3f6Tpv
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 19, 2025
And in another attempt to soften Hamas’ barbarism, The New York Times said that Israelis were infuriated by the terror group’s “elaborate” hostage release ceremonies, not by the crude violation of international law that was on display.
Really, @nytimes?
Was it the “elaborate” nature of the Hamas hostage release ceremonies that infuriated Israelis?
Or maybe it was Hamas’ violation of international law — parading & publicly humiliating emaciated hostages — that should have caused universal outrage?
pic.twitter.com/3hu3tMXQf0
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 20, 2025
Some outlets resorted to mental gymnastics to make their case. The Times of London, for example, drew a moral equivalence between the terrorists, who deliberately murdered Israeli hostages, and IDF soldiers, who made a tragic mistake:
Reprehensible, @thetimes:
Making a moral equivalence between Hamas deliberately murdering 6 hostages in a tunnel and the IDF killing 3 hostages in a tragic accident.
Implying a “clumsy intervention” by the IDF, rather than Hamas, is responsible for the 6 hostages’ deaths. pic.twitter.com/6uUz5zX9Rw
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 19, 2025
Unfortunately, it seems like news outlets stopped reporting the news, seemingly conditioned to see reality of what’s happening in Gaza in simplistic terms of victim and aggressor — even when the latter is defending itself against the former.
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.
The post What’s New? Media Whitewashes Hamas, Demonizes Israel as Gaza War Resumes first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft

The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
The post Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements

A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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