Graphic footage showing two Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza sparked widespread outrage in Israel over the weekend and renewed criticism of Western media outlets, which some accuse of ignoring Israeli suffering while amplifying misleading narratives from Gaza.
Clips of Evyatar David and Rom Breslavski, both abducted during the Oct. 7 Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, circulated online and were cleared for publication in Israeli media. The videos appeared to show the hostages injured and emaciated, nearly two years after their capture. The material highlighted the dire conditions in which hostages are believed to be held in the Gaza Strip by terrorist groups.
Evyatar David in video released by Hamas
While the videos prompted a strong emotional reaction across Israel and abroad, some observers noted that major Western media outlets, including The New York Times, gave the footage little or no attention. The perceived disparity in coverage triggered a wave of criticism across social media.
“If this were a Palestinian soldier held by Israel, it would be front-page news,” one American user wrote on X. Others accused the media of “systematic disregard for Israeli suffering,” tagging major outlets and demanding accountability.
The backlash drew renewed attention to a controversial New York Times front-page image published in July, showing an extremely thin Palestinian toddler, Mohammed Al-Matouq, used as a symbol of what the paper called “mass starvation” in Gaza. Weeks later, the Times issued a correction, acknowledging that the child suffered from cerebral palsy and a rare genetic disorder unrelated to malnutrition.
The clarification, posted quietly on a lesser-used PR account, did not include an apology or a retraction of the image. Critics accused the paper of spreading misinformation and contributing to a distorted global narrative about the conflict.
“After helping to spread fake news on a global scale, they just moved on,” one post read.
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The juxtaposition of the two incidents—high-profile coverage of a mischaracterized photo from Gaza and the near-silence surrounding authentic footage of Israeli hostages—has fueled charges of double standards in the media’s approach to the war.