"Irresponsibly, the article then platforms Israel’s denial of its own actions, without providing essential context, in stating "Israel disputes the hunger fatality figures given by Gaza's Health Ministry, arguing that deaths were due to other medical causes." It is both unfair and inaccurate not to also mention that famine has been officially declared in Gaza, and there is ample evidence that people with underlying medical causes are the most susceptible to malnutrition and therefore among the first to die in a famine."
To Brian Moss and Basem Boshra,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express concerns regarding the Reuters article published by CBC titled “Israeli strikes kill 100 people across Gaza as thousands of Israeli reservists report for duty” on September 2, 2025.
First off, while the headline rightly names Israel as the perpetrator of killing 100 people yesterday, it would be more accurate to refer to the victims as 100 Palestinians.
In the smaller headline, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to speed up Gaza City offensive, despite warnings from senior ranks”, we see the start of the sanitized and inaccurate language that is featured throughout this article, when describing Israel’s actions. Using the term “offensive” in this context is euphemistic and inaccurate, because it obscures Israel’s obvious effort to formally occupy Gaza City, which is an illegal expansion of Israel’s already illegal settlement regime.
Describing Israel’s illegal actions as a “... nearly two-year-old military campaign in Gaza to take control of Gaza City” and as “... wag[ing] fierce urban warfare with Hamas” are further examples of sanitized and inaccurate language. Israel has been acting in blatant violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, with almost 63,000 casualties reported since October 7, 2023, the vast majority of whom are civilians, in what has been largely accepted by UN and human rights experts, and genocide scholars, as a genocide.
Later, the article uses inaccurate, misleading language in describing what is now officially accepted as famine, in stating “The military said more time was needed for aid to civilians in Gaza, where starvation has spread.” To be clear, starvation is not an epidemic, it doesn’t “spread”. Israel has openly blockaded Gaza and prevented/rationed the entry of food, lifesaving commodities, etc… for months. Israel has been imposing, and continues to deliberately impose, man-made famine conditions on Palestinians. This should all be stated clearly for readers, otherwise it is misleading. Israel itself has gone to great lengths to undermine the findings of virtually the entire world’s humanitarian infrastructure, which has been unequivocal in its assessment that Israel’s actions are responsible for the famine in Gaza.
Irresponsibly, the article then platforms Israel’s denial of its own actions, without providing essential context, in stating "Israel disputes the hunger fatality figures given by Gaza's Health Ministry, arguing that deaths were due to other medical causes." It is both unfair and inaccurate not to also mention that famine has been officially declared in Gaza, and there is ample evidence that people with underlying medical causes are the most susceptible to malnutrition and therefore among the first to die in a famine.
I kindly urge Reuters and CBC to revise the article accordingly, and ensure this and future coverage meets CBC’s journalistic standards and practices.
Sincerely,
Alison Jenkins