Over the past 13 months, the Israeli military has waged one of its most brutal and sustained campaigns against Palestinians in recent history, leaving thousands of civilians dead, many more injured, and entire communities in ruins. The scale of the violence in Gaza has been unprecedented, with relentless airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and military incursions causing widespread destruction. Despite a steady stream of factual reporting and firsthand accounts of the devastation, the world has watched as the suffering of innocent Palestinians intensifies. Yet, for all the international attention, no amount of journalism, human storytelling, or global outcry has been able to halt the bloodshed.

However, not everyone has access to the same information or perspectives. The Israeli government maintains a tight grip over the media narrative, both domestically and internationally. Journalists operating within Israel and the occupied territories face mounting restrictions, limiting their ability to report independently and accurately. Many have been detained, threatened, or forced to work under conditions that prevent them from covering the full scope of the violence. In some cases, foreign reporters have been barred from entering Gaza, or their reporting has been heavily censored or distorted by Israeli authorities.

As a result, the portrayal of the conflict that reaches Israeli citizens is often shaped by a carefully curated media apparatus, one that prioritizes Israeli security concerns and amplifies a narrative of victimhood. This framing casts the Israeli military as a force acting in self-defense against Hamas, while frequently downplaying or omitting the profound human toll of the war on Palestinian civilians. Stories of the suffering and resilience of Gaza’s population are frequently drowned out by the noise of military propaganda, leaving many Israelis with a skewed understanding of the war. In this distorted version of events, the immense and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is often minimized, while the lives and rights of Palestinians are systematically silenced or ignored.

This imbalance in the flow of information not only shapes public opinion but also influences political decisions, both within Israel and around the world. It fuels a cycle of impunity for Israeli actions and limits meaningful international pressure to end the violence. As the crisis continues, the stark contrast between the narratives consumed by Israelis and the realities on the ground for Palestinians underscores the growing chasm of perception that divides the two peoples — and raises troubling questions about the role of media in shaping the course of one of the longest and most intractable conflicts in modern history.

Al Jazeera.