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Assassinated Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Recast as ‘Moderate’ by Confused Media
There was an unfortunate inevitability to the media’s coverage of the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at a residence in Tehran early Wednesday morning.
Reportedly killed in an airstrike, Haniyeh was one of Israel’s most prominent targets following the October 7 attacks, and was in the Iranian capital for the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
In addition to a flurry of analyses suggesting that Israel could be responsible for triggering a regional war, international media also published various “explainers” on Haniyeh, portraying the Hamas political bureau head as a moderating force within the Islamist terrorist group.
HonestReporting called out Reuters on social media over a headline, which was later amended, that absurdly described the Hamas terrorist as “tough-talking,” and who was “seen as the more moderate face of Hamas.”
Watch Haniyeh celebrate the murders of 1200 Israelis on October 7 after murdering countless himself and then ask yourself why you trust anything written by @Reuters that calls him a moderate.https://t.co/drHaijJB4Y pic.twitter.com/cTpOqYrcfY
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 31, 2024
Although the mastermind behind October 7 is Hamas’ Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, reputable wire agencies like Reuters should not need reminding that there was nothing moderate about Haniyeh’s celebration of the massacre of Israeli civilians, and his promise to repeat such atrocities.
The Guardian used similar language, going so far as to suggest some kind of diplomatic prowess on Haniyeh’s part by describing him as a “moderate figure within the [Hamas] movement, one whose role had become vital in sustained diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire.”
Apparently for the @guardian, a mass murderer is a moderate, as long as the majority of his victims were Jews. pic.twitter.com/ouPXNVb1aK
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 31, 2024
The BBC’s Middle East correspondent, Yolande Knell, was widely criticized for a piece that praised the “pragmatic” ways of Haniyeh, claiming he was less hardline than other Hamas leaders despite his “tough rhetoric.”
Media Portrayal of War-Provoking Israel
The assassination of Haniyeh, which came just hours after the IDF confirmed it had eliminated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, who was responsible for the Majdal Shams rocket attack, will undoubtedly provoke a response from Iran, which described it as a “dangerous escalation.”
This skewed narrative is being parroted by the international media, which has placed disproportionate blame on Israel for escalating tensions in the region, including The New York Times accusing Jerusalem of an “audacious escalation.”
According @nytimes, targeting 2 arch terrorists is an “audacious escalation.” Didn’t the region already escalate audaciously on October 7 and on Saturday, when Hezbollah fired 100 rockets and murdered 12 kids? pic.twitter.com/S2bfAQ737Y
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 31, 2024
But the fact is, Israel is not bringing the Middle East to the “brink of all-out war,” as CNN claimed, nor is it provoking “Armageddon,” as suggested in an op-ed in the UK’s Independent.
These depictions of Israel as a destabilizing force in the region overlook crucial context. The killing of Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr came after the group murdered a dozen children in a rocket attack on Israel. These acts of terroristic violence, like the October 7 atrocities, sparked the current conflict.
Ismail Haniyeh’s death may well trigger a wider regional conflagration. If it does, it does not change the fact that he was a genocidal monster, and the world is a better place without him in it.
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 Assassinated Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Recast as ‘Moderate’ by Confused Media first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Herzog Says Wellbeing of Israelis His Only Concern in Deal With Netanyahu’s ‘Extraordinary’ Pardon Request
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Latvia, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
i24 News – In an interview with Politico published on Saturday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog remained tight-lipped on whether he intended to grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “extraordinary” pardon request, saying that his decision will be motivated by what’s best for Israel.
“There is a process which goes through the Justice Ministry and my legal adviser and so on. This is certainly an extraordinary request and above all when dealing with it I will consider what is the best interest of the Israeli people,” Herzog said. “The well-being of the Israeli people is my first, second and third priority.”
Asked specifically about President Donald Trump’s request, Herzog said “I respect President Trump’s friendship and his opinion,” adding, “Israel, naturally, is a sovereign country.”
Herzog addressed a wide range of topics in the interview, including the US-Israel ties and the shifts in public opinion on Israel.
“One has to remember that the fountains of America, of American life, are based on biblical values, just like ours. And therefore, I believe that the underlying fountain that we all drink from is the same,” he said. “However, I am following very closely the trends that I see in the American public eye and the attitude, especially of young people, on Israel.”
“It comes from TikTok,” he said of the torrent of hostility toward Israel that has engulf swathes of U.S. opinion since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, “from a very shallow discourse of the current situation, pictures or viewpoints, and doesn’t judge from the big picture, which is, is Israel a strategic ally? Yes. Is Israel contributing to American national interests, security interests? Absolutely yes. Is Israel a beacon of democracy in the Middle East? Absolutely yes.”
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Syria’s Sharaa Charges Israel ‘Exports Its Crises to Other Countries’
FILE PHOTO: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday escalated his messaging against Israel at the Doha forum.
“Israel is working to export its own crises to other countries and escape accountability for the massacres it committed in the Gaza Strip, justifying everything with security concerns,” he said.
“Meanwhile, Syria, since its liberation, has sent positive messages aimed at establishing the foundations of regional stability.
“Israel has responded to Syria with extreme violence, launching over 1,000 airstrikes and carrying out 400 incursions into its territory. The latest of these attacks was the massacre it perpetrated in the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, which claimed dozens of lives.
“We are working with influential countries worldwide to pressure Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupied after December 8, 2014, and all countries support this demand.
“Syria insists on Israel’s adherence to the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. The demand for a demilitarized zone raises many questions. Who will protect this zone if there is no Syrian army presence?
“Any agreement must guarantee Syria’s interests, as it is Syria that is subjected to Israeli attacks. So, who should be demanding a buffer zone and withdrawal?”
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Turkey’s Fidan: Gaza Governance Must Precede Hamas Disarmament in Ceasefire Deal
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a press conference following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, May 27, 2025. Photo: Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via REUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Reuters on Saturday that not advancing the US-backed Gaza ceasefire plan to its next stage would be a “huge failure” for the world and Washington, noting that President Donald Trump had personally led the push.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Doha Forum, Fidan said a credible Palestinian civil administration and a vetted, trained police force needed to be in place to allow Hamas to disarm, and that the group was prepared to hand over control of the enclave.
“First of all, we need to see that the Palestinian committee of technical people are taking over the administration of Gaza, then we need to see that the police force is being formed to police Gaza – again, by the Palestinians, not Hamas.”
NATO member Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza. It played a key role in brokering the ceasefire deal, signing the agreement as a guarantor. It has repeatedly expressed its willingness to join efforts to monitor the accord’s implementation, a move Israel strongly opposes.
Talks to advance the next phase of President Trump’s plan to end the two-year conflict in Gaza are continuing.
The plan envisages an interim technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave, overseen by an international “board of peace” and supported by a multinational security force. Negotiations over the composition and mandate of that force have proven particularly difficult.
Fidan said the Gaza police force would be backed by the international stabilisation force. He added that Washington was pressing Israel over Turkey’s bid to join the force, to which it has voiced readiness to deploy troops if needed.
FIDAN SAYS KURDISH SDF IN SYRIA NOT WILLING TO INTEGRATE
Asked about a landmark deal in March in which the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and Damascus agreed that the SDF would be integrated into Syria’s state structures, Fidan said signals from the SDF showed it had “no intention” of honouring the accord, and was instead seeking to sidestep it.
Ankara, which considers the SDF a terrorist organisation, has threatened military action if it does not comply, setting a deadline of the end of the year.
“I think they (SDF) should understand that the command and control should come from one place,” Fidan added. “There can be no two armies in any given country. So there can only be one army, one command structure … But in local administration, they can reach a different settlement and different understandings.”
Almost a year after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad, Fidan said some issues of minority rights were unresolved, insisting that Turkey’s backing of the new Syrian government was not a “blank cheque” to oppress any groups.
He said Damascus was taking steps toward national unity, but that Israeli “destabilisation policies” were the chief obstacle.
Israel has frequently struck southwestern Syria this year, citing threats from militant groups and the need to protect the Druze community near the frontier. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he expected Syria to establish a demilitarised buffer zone from Damascus to the border.
TURKEY: U.S. COULD REMOVE SANCTIONS ‘VERY SOON’
Fidan also said Washington’s initial 28-point plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war was just a “starting point,” and that it was now evolving in a new format. He said mediation by US officials was “on the right path.”
“I just hope that nobody leaves the table and the Americans are not frustrated, because sometimes the mediators can be frustrated if they don’t see enough encouragement from both sides.”
Asked about efforts to lift US sanctions imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian S-400 air defense systems, he said both sides were working on it, adding: “I believe we’ll soon find a way to remove that obstacle.”