"The lives of children like Ward and Hind — and of Palestinian women and men — are rarely granted front-page coverage. Their stories are buried, while Israeli narratives dominate the news cycle with urgency and emotion."
May 29, 2025
To the Toronto Star team,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express my sincere appreciation to the Toronto Star for publishing Michelle Shephard’s op-ed titled: "Everyone must see this photo - thousands of lives depend on it."
Thank you for giving space to Michelle to share the story of Ward Al-Sheikh Khalil, a five-year-old Palestinian child who survived an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City.
I am reminded of six year old Hind Rajab who was killed by the Israeli occupation forces alongside the paramedics sent to rescue her from a bullet riddled car, as Muhammad el Kurd writes in his book Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal. Had this been an Israeli child, the story would have dominated headlines—yet the suffering of Palestinians is too often treated as unnewsworthy.
The lives of children like Ward and Hind — and of Palestinian women and men — are rarely granted front-page coverage. Their stories are buried, while Israeli narratives dominate the news cycle with urgency and emotion.
Alas, Palestinian grief is made to be rendered invisible.
All of that to say, thank you again for publishing this piece. Please continue to do so, especially in a media landscape that more too often than not dehumanizes Palestinians.
Lynn Naji
Media analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East