"Your article omits essential information, which is the blockade on Gaza. It is inaccurate and unfortunate not to mention it in your article since it is an essential piece of context to understand why everything is unfolding in the way it is."
October 16, 2023
To:
Collin Gallant, Reporter, Medicine Hat News
Najib Jobain, Journalist, AP
Samya Kullab, Correspondent, AP
Joseph Krauss, Correspondent, AP
Dear Collin Gallan, Najib Jobain, Samya Kullab, and Joseph Krauss,
I am writing to express concern about your AP article, “Israeli military says Palestinian militants are holding 199 hostages,” published by Medicine Hat News on October 16.
Your article omits essential information, which is the blockade on Gaza. It is inaccurate and unfortunate not to mention it in your article since it is an essential piece of context to understand why everything is unfolding in the way it is.
You cite Biden saying: “It would be a “big mistake” for the country to reoccupy Gaza,” and Israel’s ambassador to the U.N, Gilad Erdan, saying that “the country does not want to occupy Gaza.”
However, many international humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN, consider Gaza occupied. Gaza is under Israeli military occupation since Israel has imposed a land, air, and sea blockade on the territory since 2007.
To give a complete picture to your readers, you ought to add this description after these two citations: “According to many international humanitarian organizations, such as the UN, Gaza is under Israeli military occupation since Israel has imposed a land, air, and sea blockade on the territory since 2007.”
I hope Medicine Hat News and AP will write more accurate and complete information about Gaza in future reporting, especially when media coverage of the events in Palestine-Israel is more crucial than ever.
Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East