UPDATE: The Guardian reuploaded an edited version of this video to YouTube which removed footage and reference to an Israeli soldier being dragged from his tank by Hamas terrorists. It was replaced with footage of “Hamas fighters celebrating in front of a destroyed Israeli tank.”
As Israel prepared to respond to the murderous Hamas terror onslaught that saw Israeli civilians slaughtered in their homes and on the streets, abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip, and thousands of rockets fired towards Israel, this was how The Guardian chose to summarize the ongoing atrocity in a video that was posted to its official YouTube account: “Israel launches military response as Israel-Palestine war escalates.”
Captioned over spliced-together footage of IDF soldiers preparing to fight back against Hamas and Israeli military jets launching counterstrikes is the following explanation:
Israeli troops were seen moblising as they responded to major Palestinian land and air attacks. The Israeli military released footage that allegedly showed Hamas targets being hit with airstrikes and Israeli planes were filmed striking Gaza, resulting in explosions and plumes of black smoke across the Gaza skyline. Buildings collapsed in Gaza city as a result of the strikes. Israel’s declaration of war came after Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel, and Hamas militants discharged firearms in an Israeli military compound, according to footage released by Hamas. Footage showed Palestinians pulling an Israeli soldier from a tank. Israel has said civilians and soldiers are being held hostage in Gaza. Palestinian men on the West Bank were seen throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military responded with teargas and gunfire.”
Although The Guardian is practically synonymous with biased reporting about Israel, this video marks a new and disturbing low for the outlet.
The problems begin with the title: the so-called Israel-Palestine war did not simply “escalate” from nowhere, as The Guardian suggests. Rather, Hamas launched surprise rocket strikes followed by vicious attacks on entirely unarmed Israeli civilians who, in some cases, were literally dragged from their beds and murdered by armed terrorists.
More importantly, the title offers viewers absolutely no context to what prompted the “response” from Israel — instead, it is framed as part of a much broader conflict that has been going on for years.
Read More: Israel Braces For Further Rocket Fire As Hamas Holds Hostages in Gaza Strip
The captions that appear over The Guardian’s footage are no less troubling.
In addition to failing to mention that terrorists also attacked Israel by sea, the outlet manages to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Israel’s countermeasures by stating the IDF released footage that only “allegedly” shows strikes on Hamas targets.
The Guardian fails to tell viewers that the collapsed buildings contained terrorist infrastructure and that the Israeli military had sent detailed warnings to occupants of buildings that explained where they should evacuate.
It is actually only halfway through the video that viewers are told that the opening salvo came in the form of Hamas firing thousands of rockets.
The most disturbing aspect of the video, however, lies in The Guardian’s careful curation of facts in such a way that makes Hamas seem more palatable.
First, viewers are told members of the terror group “discharged firearms” in an Israeli military compound — which is a mild way of saying that heavily armed terrorists launched an all-out attack on a base with the explicit aim of killing and kidnapping as many soldiers as possible.
And the terrorists did not stop there.
They then broke into civilian communities and carried out some of the most unspeakable acts of savagery imaginable. Apparently, The Guardian did not believe these horrific events that dominated the global news cycle were even worth mentioning.
The outlet also edited footage of what they describe as “Palestinians pulling a solider from a tank” — but if viewers were allowed to see the full video they would have seen what could be only be called the aftermath of a lynching as a baying mob defile the battered and bloodied body of a soldier.
When the hostage situation is eventually referenced toward the end, it is presented as a claim made by Israel as opposed to an incontrovertible fact that is supported by reams of harrowing video evidence that was released by Hamas terrorists themselves.
When this video was published Saturday afternoon, the hideous truth of Hamas’ murderous rampage was clear to see — why did The Guardian feel the need to hide it?
To keep up-to-date on the latest news from Israel as it develops, follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
