Daily Mail Omits Hamas Man’s Terror Affiliation

The Daily Mail leads its coverage of Israel's Operation Protective Edge with an air strike on a Gaza house but omits the owner's Hamas affiliation.

By Simon Plosker July 10, 2014

UPDATE

Following correspondence from HonestReporting, the Daily Mail’s story now refers to Mustafa Malaka as “an officer in the Hamas security services.”

* * *

The Daily Mail leads its coverage of the Gaza conflict with the dramatic headline and image above. The article states:

A Palestinian father was blasted yards from his house in the Gaza Strip after a direct missile strike that killed his wife and son.

Shocking photos of Mustafa Malaka sprawled in the rubble emerged this evening as Israeli bombing of the Hamas-controlled region intensified.

What the Daily Mail fails to mention is that Mustafa Malaka is not only a “Palestinian father” but also a police officer in Hamas’ security services. This detail appears in both the Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Clearly, Israel did not target him for no apparent reason.

Not only are we not told of Malaka’s terrorist affiliation but we also have no idea whether or not Israel sent advanced warnings of the air strike, which were ignored by Malaka and his family. Indeed, the Daily Mail carries no references to the well-publicized and extraordinary measures Israel is taking to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza.

Far easier for the Daily Mail to falsely portray Israel as indiscriminately targeting Gazan civilians.

[sc:bottomsignup ]

© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025

Simon Plosker

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020.

Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias.

Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

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