"As Malcolm X, Edward Said, and Franz Fanon warned, colonial powers and their institutions perpetuate systems that vilify the oppressed while glorifying their oppressors. This framing not only enables Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians but also erases the immense suffering of civilians under its brutal occupation."
January 9, 2024
To:
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
Nicole MacIntyre, Editor-in-Chief, Toronto Star
Dear Toronto Star editors,
On behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, I am writing to express several concerns regarding the Associated Press article published by the Toronto Star on January 8, 2025, titled “Body of an Israeli hostage is found in Gaza, possibly alongside his son’s remains, army says.”
You write: “The war has killed over 45,800 Palestinians, according to the territory's Health Ministry. It does not say how many were fighters, but says women and children make up over half the fatalities. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
As the Toronto Star and Associated Press are undoubtedly aware, the Israeli Offensive Forces (IOF) have a documented history of disseminating false narratives to rationalize their genocidal campaign of destruction in the occupied Gaza Strip. Among these fabrications are claims that civilian areas are targeted because Hamas allegedly conceals weapons there or uses civilians as human shields. However, these are assertions that have been consistently disputed by Hamas itself but also questioned by the United Nations as there are no third-parties that can verify these allegations at this time.
During Israel's assault on Al Shifa Medical Complex in November 2023, the IOF released more than 27 statements accusing the hospital of being used by Hamas to use civilians as human shields. However, these accusations were unsupported by credible evidence, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was unable to independently verify them. This is reflected in their November 8th report:
However, if we compare to past conflicts in the strip where Israel accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields, such as the 2014 Gaza war, Amnesty International raised the point that while Palestinian armed groups have stored munitions in and fired rockets from residential areas—actions violating international humanitarian law—they did not find evidence of these groups intentionally using civilians as human shields.
I am raising this because it is the responsibility of the media to approach such claims with skepticism and independently verify allegations made by Israel, particularly when they are not substantiated by credible evidence. In fact, these claims are often contradicted by statements from Hamas and, as noted by the OHCHR, could not be verified by an independent third party.
Without raising journalistic skepticism, you are whitewashing these narratives to manipulate public sentiment to foster misplaced sympathies with an occupying power collectively punishing a densely occupied population.
As Malcolm X, Edward Said, and Franz Fanon warned, colonial powers and their institutions perpetuate systems that vilify the oppressed while glorifying their oppressors. This framing not only enables Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians but also erases the immense suffering of civilians under its brutal occupation.
Furthermore, through research, I have found that a detailed report from the IOF, provided to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), substantiates the conclusion that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians killed by Israel’s genocidal campaign in the occupied Gaza Strip are civilians. According to the report, only about 8,500 of the reported fatalities are militants, accounting for just one-fifth of the total death toll.
The Arab Center emphasizes that questioning Palestinian death tolls and downplaying civilian casualties is not a mere rhetorical tactic but a deliberate and systematic Israeli strategy to dehumanize Palestinians. When media outlets cast doubt on casualty numbers—such as labeling the Gaza Health Ministry as "Hamas-run," repeating the misleading narrative that it "does not distinguish between militants and civilians," or propagating the false narrative that the IOF “has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence”—they become complicit in the dehumanization of Palestinians and act as mouthpieces for Israeli propaganda.
Israeli authorities have a well-documented history spreading false lies to conceal their war crimes and crimes against humanity and media outlets have a duty to avoid amplifying this propaganda. Therefore, I request that you remove the sentence: “The military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence,” as it is false—the number is almost 8,500.
Moreover, you write: “the discovery of Yosef AlZayadni’s body comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining hostages and halt the fighting in Gaza.”
I must express concern over the misleading use of the term “fighting” or “war” to describe Israel’s genocidal campaign in occupied. While war denotes a conflict between states or groups, genocide specifically involves the deliberate intent to annihilate, in whole or in part, a particular ethnic group. Israeli officials have made statements that reflect this intent. For instance, on October 9th, 2023, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defense stated on October 9th, 2023: “We are laying a complete siege on Gaza; no electricity—no water—no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly,” explicitly revealing a destructive intent towards the Palestinian people.
Amnesty International’s report which was published on December 4, 2024: “You Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza" concluded that between October 2023 and July 2024, Israel committed “with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza three out of the five prohibited acts under the Genocide Convention, including killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part.” I have highlighted for your reference the three acts under the Genocide Convention that Israel breached:
Given Amnesty International's findings that Israel is committing genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip, I urge you to avoid using neutral terms like “war” or “fighting”. Such language is an editorial choice that fails to convey the genocidal intent behind Israel’s campaign, which is not merely war but an attempt to annihilate the Palestinian people as part of a broader settler-colonial agenda.
I hope to see you engage in a conversation with CJPME. Despite several months of attempts to reach out, I have yet to receive a response acknowledging my concerns, let alone a commitment to improving the journalistic standards I have raised.
As we enter 2025, I urge you to choose the path of accountability and integrity. The Toronto Star ought to stand on the right side of history by promoting fair and balanced reporting.
I look forward to your response.
Warmest regards,
Lynn Naji
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East