"Your framing suggests that Hamas sometimes uses civilian clothing in combat settings, but Israel does not. This is simply not the case. I insist that you correct your article to make clear that there are examples of both Hamas and Israeli fighters engaging in combat in civilian clothing."
March 26, 2024
To:
Allan Woods, Toronto Star
Donovan Vincent, Toronto Star
Dear Allan Woods and Donovan Vincent,
I’m writing to express concern around a few key issues in your recent article, “What remains of Hamas after five-plus months of war in Gaza? Why some say it's 'rebuilding.'”
You write that “And while Israeli soldiers wear uniforms and protective armour, a Dec. 29 video that captured the combat death of Tayseer Abu Tai'meh, a man identified as an ‘elite unit commander’ in the Qassam Brigades, showed him dressed in grey track pants and a white shirt.” This is false. Israeli soldiers have repeatedly dressed in civilian clothing during combat both before and since October 7. The most notable incident was when soldiers disguised themselves as healthcare workers and women and attacked Hamas members inside of a hospital. The video evidence is available from Global News.
Another notable example before October 7 is during a March 16, 2023 attack on Jenin by undercover Israeli soldiers who killed a child on his bicycle. This incident was extensively covered.
Your framing suggests that Hamas sometimes uses civilian clothing in combat settings, but Israel does not. This is simply not the case.
In insist that you correct your article to make clear that there are examples of both Hamas and Israeli fighters engaging in combat in civilian clothing.
Next, you write that “The Shifa hospital had already been the site of a major confrontation and Israeli incursion, just last November. Israel said it sat directly above an underground Hamas command centre.” While there is no factual error here, as you correctly qualify the claim, I think it is important to note that Amnesty International has claimed it “has no evidence to indicate that al-Shifa hospital has been used for anything other than treating patients during the current conflict in 2023.”[1]
Please make your article fairer by including reference to the counter-claim of one of the world’s leading human rights organizations.
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Director of Media Advocacy, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[1] Amnesty International, “CRISIS IN ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES,” November 23, 2023.