The Media Accountability Project  

"Your article focuses on the Israeli military's claim that they were targeting a Hamas military commander. Whether this claim is true or not is irrelevant; what should be centered in your story and most importantly your headline is that the airstrike by Israel hit a designated “safe zone.” At least 90 people have been killed and roughly 300 wounded from the Israeli air attack on the al-Mawasi refugee camp. This context is crucial for your audience for a comprehensive understanding of the event, yet it is buried by numerous IDF claims throughout the article."

"The Toronto Star’s decision to highlight a Hamas comment on the ceasefire talks, rather than 1) Israel’s devastating attack on civilians, 2) Israel’s decision to make an attack in a supposed “safe zone,” and 3) Israel’s false claim of having killed a Hamas leader, seems very suspect."

"As of February 2024, Israel's military had conducted over 350 attacks on healthcare facilities throughout the Gaza Strip. These attacks damaged 27 of 36 hospitals in the strip, thus deeming the claim that "eight hospitals" have been attacked outdated and factually inaccurate."

"I take issue with your claim that "Israeli forces advanced deeper into the Gaza Strip's largest city in pursuit of militants who had regrouped there, sending thousands of Palestinians fleeing on Monday from an area ravaged in the early weeks of the nine-month-long war." Your framing essentially justifies Israel's ground offensive as "pursuing militants" and fails to raise any skepticism or critical analysis of whether this statement by the Israeli military is factual. Palestinians are not “fleeing” because of militants; they are forcibly displaced because of Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel’s direct actions have caused the mass displacement of Palestinians in the strip. It is crucial to include this context to inform the audience accurately."

"I take strong issue with your sentence, “The Palestinians seek the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza – areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war – for an independent state.”  Your use of the term “captured” rather than “occupied” to describe Israel’s authority over the West Bank is inaccurate and misleading.  You should take note that the International Court of Justice ruling 2004 specifically re-iterated Israel’s status as the occupying power."

"I take strong issue with your sentence, “Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for a future state.”  Using the term “captured” rather than “occupied” may mislead the reader into thinking that Israel has a strong claim to, or ownership of, these Palestinian territories. Nevertheless, such usage runs directly counter 1) to how international law views the military seizure of territory, 2) to how the international diplomatic community currently views Israel’s presence in the Palestinian territories, and 3) to how both words are understood in plain English."

"Palestinians are being forcibly displaced to areas that Israel deemed safe just to get attacked again and forcibly displaced again. As reported by BBC, “many have been displaced five or six times” already. As early as January, the UN Humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, called Gaza 'unhabitable.'"

"The reality that is not detailed in the article is that Israel has been encircling the area and that it fired shells toward several houses and destroyed houses, leaving families trapped inside and unable to leave. Palestinians don’t have food. Some have been wounded, and ambulances have not been able to reach the area."

"The current headline downplays Israel’s actions and doesn’t capture the core angle of the story. A significant portion of the article centers around Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the head of Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, who claims he was tortured, not merely abused, by the Israelis. CJPME demands that the headline be corrected to emphasize Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya’s claims of torture."

To make your article less one-sided, I ask you to add context about Gaza and the West Bank and add voices from the Pro-Palestinian protesters so that their intentions are clearly stated and not further mischaracterized.