In an unusual move and profound shift of narrative, The New York Times has just published on their front page magazine pictures of all the Palestinian children who had been killed throughout Israel’s latest bombardment on Gaza. Updated reports have stated that 67 children had been victims of the onslaught by the IDF that lingered on for 11 consecutive days. Unlike Israel’s state-of-the-art missile interceptor, the Iron Dome, Gaza has no such protection from any sort of attack, be it by land, air, or sea. The fact that they could and were attacked in United Nations schools, hospitals, and their own homes, further reinforces the unfortunate and tragic truth that nowhere is safe to seek shelter in.
“They were just children”
This front page publication comes just one week after The New York Times also published a pro-Israeli ad where it condemned Hamas and other pro-Palestine celebrities that included Dua Lipa and the Hadid sisters for their pro-Palestine stance, and were accused of being anti-semitic as a result. “This is the price you pay for defending Palestinian human rights against an Israeli government whose actions in Palestine both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem accuse of persecution and discrimination,” Lipa said on the matter.
“This is the price of war”
However, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz also published the same picture on their front page, leading to sparks of outrage by the Israeli Knesset, who are now calling them “the Hamas newspaper.” One Knesset member, Betzalel Smotrich, said on the matter, “if for some reason you do not unsubscribe from this Hamas newspaper, this is a good opportunity.” Another member of the Knesset responded by saying that Haaretz has failed to mention that children were used as human shields by Hamas, a statement bound by no evidence up till now, and a claim we have heard over and over like a broken record.
It is a rare matter on witnessing the transition of narrative on this matter by The New York Times, whether it may be temporary or not. All of the martyred children’s names were published, and the mere presence of their existence on the front page of a news agency from the United States, a nation that provides Israel with $3.8 billion of aid a year, speaks volumes. However, the damage cannot be undone from the newspaper’s previous unwavering and biased support for the Israeli occupation over Palestine, and one obituary is not enough to recognize all Palestinian martyrs. As for now, one can only hope this one will lay the foundation for future support by the newspaper.