Israel States Dead Palestinians Not Hostages, Acknowledges Existence of Palestinians
Newsweek's headline—"Israel Says Returned Bodies Are Not Hostages"—underscores a conveniently selective narrative. While the article itself is historical, discussing bodies returned by Egypt from 1967 and 1973 wars, the underlying logic remains disturbingly consistent: only certain lives, and certain deaths, are acknowledged with full human weight. This rhetorical sleight of hand is familiar. For
decades, the media has amplified Israeli government distinctions between 'combatants' and 'civilians' (often applied selectively) or, as here, who counts as a 'hostage' versus simply 'dead.' It's a method of dehumanization that allows the current Netanyahu government to, for example, bomb entire residential blocks and claim only 'terrorists' were targeted, or as in the current crisis, to negotiate
for 'hostages' while the term offers no protection to the thousands of Palestinian civilians killed or the hundreds of child detainees held without charge. It's a narrative that conveniently erases the humanity of those who don't fit the 'hostage' definition, implying they are simply collateral, or worse, deserved their fate.