Mainstream Media Finds 'Top Commander' Always Where Civilians Died
The New Arab confirms Hamas's announcement of a top Gaza commander's death following an Israeli strike. This framing, echoed by countless outlets, conveniently avoids the larger narrative: that Israel’s targeting criteria often result in civilian casualties, which are then justified retroactively by naming a 'commander' in the vicinity. This is a recurring pattern, employed during previous
onslaughts in 2014, 2021, and the ongoing assault since October 7th. While Western media focuses on the elimination of 'commanders'—a narrative that supports the US funding of Israeli military operations—it rarely highlights the $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid that facilitates these strikes, or the historical context of a 17-year blockade turning Gaza into an open-air prison. We are meant
to cheer another 'victory' while actively ignoring the cost in civilian lives and infrastructure that forms the constant backdrop to these targeted eliminations. One might wonder, how many 'surgical strikes' are needed to dismantle a resistance rooted in decades of occupation?