"As it stands, the article presents a one-sided Israeli military narrative while excluding or minimizing Palestinian and humanitarian perspectives. I ask that The Globe and Mail and the Associated Press revise this article to include these perspectives, present Israel’s accusations as claims and not fact and properly contextualize the situation as genocide according to the growing body of evidence by human rights groups."
July 9 2025
To the Globe and Mail and Associated Press editorial teams,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express my concern regarding the AP write article titled “40 Palestinians killed in Gaza as Netanyahu and Trump meet over a ceasefire”, published on July 9, 2025 in The Globe and Mail.
First, the article repeats unverified Israeli military claims without appropriate journalistic skepticism. For example, the sentence, “The Israeli military did not comment on specific strikes, but said it had struck more than 100 targets across Gaza… including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities…” accepts Israeli assertions as fact. Accurate reporting standards require that such claims be clearly framed as allegations unless independently verified. Without this distinction, the article compromises its accuracy and perpetuates misinformation. I demand that the article be updated to clearly outline these statements by Israel as allegations and not fact.
Second, the claim that “Israel accuses Hamas of hiding weapons and fighters among civilians” is presented without challenge or counterpoint. This narrative is frequently invoked by Israeli authorities to justify strikes in civilian areas, and should not be included without reference to international organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and the UN, which have raised serious doubts about this justification as a blanket defense. Moreover, the article fails to cite Palestinian sources or human rights experts who could provide an alternative or clarifying perspective. This constitutes single viewpoint reporting, which violates the CAJ’s code of ethics on fairness. I demand that skepticism be raised and that Palestinian or third party perspectives be included for journalistic balance.
Third, the statement that the health ministry, “which is under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants” serves to undermine the credibility of Gaza’s Ministry of Health despite the following sentence stating the opposite.
“The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.”
This contradiction is both confusing and misleading for a straight to the facts news article. Furthermore, the article neglects to mention that the Israeli military routinely refuses to provide names or statistics for the combatants it claims to have killed, further obscuring accountability.
Additionally, the article fails to provide crucial context on the dire situation in Gaza caused by Israel which numerous humanitarian groups now conclude to be genocidal in nature. There is no mention of Gaza’s extreme population density, the collapse of its civilian infrastructure, or the repeated targeting of hospitals, schools, refugee camps or the fact that most of the population is at risk of famine. This de-contextualization prevents readers from understanding the disproportionate and systemic nature of the violence in Gaza. This context needs to be added.
As it stands, the article presents a one-sided Israeli military narrative while excluding or minimizing Palestinian and humanitarian perspectives. I ask that The Globe and Mail and the Associated Press revise this article to include these perspectives, present Israel’s accusations as claims and not fact and properly contextualize the situation as genocide according to the growing body of evidence by human rights groups.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East