Has the West been taken in by Hamas’ lies and anti Israeli narrative?

[OpheliaWasntMad]

https://nypost.com/2026/09/21/opinion/journalist-admits-anti-israel-narrative-driving-protests-is-based-on-hamas-lies/

This journalist admits that his reporting from Gaza was not accurate because he was afraid of retaliation from Hamas.
Why have so many believed every report from Gaza journalists?

I agreed with @OpheliaWasntMad that Gaza is poor is because billions of dollars have been misspent on building tunnels and siphoned off by Hamas. And that Hamas leaders are extremely well off.

@LoremIpsumCici gave their opinion that this is not the only reason Gaza is poor and that it is more complex than just blaming Hamas. That's a fair point that there were other contributory factors

Overall though, it's still fair to say that a main reason why Gaza is poor is because billions in aid have been misappropriated by Hamas.

Like it would be an anti Muslim thread is someone questioned whether all Muslims should be held culpable for something a Muslim government could potentially do.

That's not really the same thing at all is it? Israelis all live in Israel, all have the chance to vote in their elections, have the options to strike and protest against their government, refuse to serve in their armed forces etc. Israel is a democracy and in a democracy, ordinary people hold the ultimate political authority, power flows from the citizens to the government.

A random British Muslim for instance doesn't have anything to do with any Muslim government or Muslim country. They are British, live, vote, work etc in Britain. They might not even be aware of whatever Muslim governments existence because they are British and live in Britain.

You are mixing things up a bit there.
You have switched from a thread title that you see as 'anti Israel' (I don't) to talking about all Muslims. That is racist. The equivalent would be to ask if all Jews are responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

Yes, there have been some antisemitic comments and even more Islamophobic ones and a number of people who display selective racism towards Arabs/Muslims only.

What @LoremIpsumCici said isn't opinion. It's a fact. You can have a very quick google and look at the causes of poverty in Gaza yourself.

I think it was @SharonEllis who made the initial comment that the ONLY reason Gaza was poor was because of Hamas. That is obviously incorrect and entirely let's the Israelis off the hook. We've seen this a number of times before from some posters.

Exactly.
Interesting how the two things seem to be the same in Twigs mind.

It is a pretty strange comparison to come to mind rather than are all American/French/Danish people responsible for the actions of their government which would be the obvious comparison to all Israelis.

Yes agreed.

I completely agree that the real reason for Gaza’s poverty is that Hamas has misappropriated the billions sent to provide aid to Gaza .
Posters can certainly argue that Israel’s actions prevented Gaza from properly thriving ( that is clearly true) but the poverty would certainly have been prevented if the BILLIONS of aid money had been used correctly.

Moreover, the terrible death toll suffered by Gazans is also, in part, the responsibility of Hamas who made sure they were surrounded by human shields made up of innocent civilians by basing themselves near or in hospitals and schools etc.

Civilians were not allowed to shelter in the tunnels built with the aid money meant for them.

Im not saying Israel’s actions were fair or proportionate ( I firmly believe they should have found a better way to defeat Hamas - although I acknowledge that is easier said than done)

The discourse around this conflict so often seems to ignore the role Hamas ( and by extension Iran) has played in the suffering of Palestinians- and that is why I started this thread.

”the initial marches were small, only a few hundred protestors. They didn't explode into the massive protests we saw until the end of October.”

Thats not exactly true though. This report is a week after October 7

www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/16/mapping-protests-held-in-solidarity-with-palestine

I would like to go back to this point as I think it links to the topic and shows how incredibly effective the Hamas propaganda machine has been.
In the immediate aftermath of October 7 people were organising protests AGAINST Israel….
The protests were incredibly widespread and seemed orchestrated . ( Note the March in London on October 9!!!! Not a candlelit vigil with prayers @LoremIpsumCici )
These occurred before the terrible impact of the Israeli response was felt.
The protesters nearly always completely ignored the horror of October 7 ( and even tore down hostage posters of kidnapped babies who were subsequently murdered)

Exactly. Without accusing this poster specifically, it does fit with the regular accusations of antisemitism when posters criticise the actions of Israel, not all Jews.

I remember a poster here on MN declaring how she had gone round covering up “vile” stickers of the Palestinian flag with stickers of the Israeli flag. To say it was one sided is totally disingenuous.

On Oct 9 Israel declared a siege on Gaza. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered all water, food, electricity and gas to be blocked. Why wouldn't people protest against that? Surely you agree that that is wrong and worthy of protest?

Not when they’re also ignoring October 7 and tearing down hostage posters

There was a vigil for Israelis the same day, they ignored that all Palestinians in Gaza were being put under a siege. Was that wrong too?

There was nothing in the same scale as this.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/16/mapping-protests-held-in-solidarity-with-palestine

Not quite the same league as tearing down the poster of a baby taken hostage

On October 9 I was still in a state of shock as the terrible details of October 7 were being revealed and concerns about the Bibas babies and their mother were in the forefront of my mind.

There are countries that are almost 100% Muslim (Maldives is 100% Muslim for example and Iran is over 99% Muslim).

So I think it would be an anti Muslim thread is someone questioned whether all Iranians should be held culpable for something their government could potentially do if they got the chance - destroy Israel for example.

I don't hold all Iranians culpable for the actions of the IRGC and I don't think it's reasonable to blame all Israelis for the actions of their current government either.

So was I.

Horrified by the atrocities committed against mainly civilian people living in Israel.

Also horrified by what would likely be unleashed in retaliation. But mainly trying to process it all and feeling sorry for the victims.

They were political posters. Emotive ones but political all the same. Nobody thought that they were going to find the hostages in London. The posters weren't actually to find the hostages, they were to spread the political message.

I've already acknowledged that @LoremIpsumCici made "a fair point that there were other contributory factors" than just Hamas causing poverty in Gaza.

I think most people understand that by calling it "a fair point" I am agreeing with them that actually yes, there are other factors.

I took their point on board by changing my wording to "It's still fair to say that a main reason why Gaza is poor is because billions in aid have been misappropriated by Hamas."

Yes - I think Hamas cleverly calculated that many people would quickly forget the rapes, murders, kidnapped babies of October 7th and focus instead on what Israel MIGHT do ..( and the THOUGHT of thousands being starved)

So you approved of the tearing down of the posters of the Bibas children ?
Don’t you think the “political “ posters were there to keep the hostages in the forefront of our minds so they would be rescued sooner?
What sort of person would want us to forget or ignore the Bibas babies?

They were starved though were they? Israel said that they would and they did. Perhaps if more people would have listened to what Israel said they WOULD do not MIGHT then much suffering would have been averted.