The Independent (UK) publishes a first-person account of living in Gaza from Sally Idwedar. The headline already shows how the newspaper wants to spin the piece.
Life in Gaza: ‘We wake up to terrifying sonic booms and try to sleep while Israelis are shelling’Most of the article is about the fuel shortages and resulting problems. Egypt is briefly mentioned but the real culprit is clearly Israel, even if she is smart enough not to say it directly.
I was thinking about how I would start to write about life in Gaza – how I would lay the words out with eloquence – when suddenly an explosion boomed close by and those thoughts fled my mind.
I didn’t know the source; maybe it was internal training or perhaps another air strike. Movement and horns stopped on the street below, a brief pause to make sure it wasn’t anyone close that was hit, then movement resumed. My heart is still pounding and my mind racing and, like every other woman in Gaza, I say a quick prayer of thanks that my family is near and safe and hope no one was hurt.
My husband lights a cigarette in the next room while reports come in that it was an “internal” explosion from training. Either way I guess it doesn’t really matter, it is just enough to remind us nothing in Gaza is ever normal....
The UN issued a report last week saying Gaza is becoming uninhabitable and the humanitarian conditions are deteriorating – sadly that is true.
We wake up to terrifying sonic booms and try to sleep while the Israeli navy is shelling. Simple things like daily running water and a full day of electricity have now become luxuries. Nearly four weeks ago the sole power generator in Gaza stopped working due to lack of fuel. We had become used to the eight hours of electricity we were allotted but now we are down to four to six hours at a time and lengthy 12-14 hour blackouts.
...Two weeks ago the sewage pumping stations stopped working in many areas – they simply did not have the fuel to work. Raw sewage leaks into the streets. Fathers carry their children to get to school and most cars won’t venture into it. The sludge reeks and brings mosquitoes in swarms.
There is fear it will end up in the water supply as well. The Al-Shati refugee camp, also known as Beach camp, has reported foul smelling and discoloured water this week and many have fallen ill with stomach maladies already. My area has been lucky so far, no sewage in the streets but unfortunately we don’t have any water at all.
...This is life in Gaza now: a constant struggle to find the bare necessities. Gaza life is about always being prepared for the worst case scenario because normally that is what happens. It has been a year since the last major Israeli aggression here and we are trying to pick up the pieces. Constructions materials are now refused entry so repairs have ground to a halt.
Our life lines – the tunnels from Egypt – have been severed. Without them we don’t have a consistent flow of food, medicine and fuel. The border with Israel is often closed and only half of the needed trucks of aid are allowed in when it is open. The items on the market shelves are withering away and prices are getting higher and higher.
Even the anecdote in the beginning of the explosion she heard had nothing to do with Israel - but the readers are primed to hate Israel because of the headline.
And what is missing from the article?
Hamas.
Hamas is not mentioned once. Hamas, which takes the bulk of fuel and concrete for itself, not to mention medicine and other crucial goods. Hamas, who was probably responsible for the explosion that so terrified Idwedar. Hamas, which has money for building terror tunnels but can't pay market prices for fuel to help Gazans. Hamas, which is deliberately causing Gazans to suffer so it can pressure the PA and Qatar and other Arabs to give it fuel for free or at an extreme discount. Hamas, whose history of terrorism and refusal to accept Israel's very existence is the reason that there are restrictions on Gaza to begin with. Hamas, whose support of the Muslim Brotherhood is the reason Egypt is hemming in Gaza.
Whether Idwedar is protecting Hamas or is afraid of repercussions of mentioning Hamas while she lives in Gaza is irrelevant. For the Independent to publish an article about how Gaza's infrastructure is falling apart without once mentioning who is in charge of that infrastructure and the history behind it is irresponsible. Adding an anti-Israel headline is just icing on the cake.
Not to mention that there was clearly no fact checking either - Israel doesn't block trucks from entering Gaza; the reason some trucks don't show up is from disputes between Gazans and their suppliers. Israel does stop dual use items - but again, that is Hamas' fault for using cement for terror instead of building Gaza.
But you wouldn't know that from reading this first-person account.