The Time to Let the Media into Gaza is Now
The scene is set once again. Thousands of women and children marched from one end of Gaza to the other. Leaving their homes behind with their dreams vanquished, all they can do is put one foot in front of the other, carrying sparse belongings toward an uncertain but certainly bleak future. Meanwhile, their brothers, sons, and husbands are surrendering one after the other to the Israel Defense Forces. In the common lexicon, masculinity equals criminality for a Palestinian.
For the world, this post-apocalyptic dronescape left Jabalia and made its way to social media. It was quickly subject to recrimination on all sides by the purveyors of propaganda. What was the truth of these scenes? We may never know. And that is dangerous. We need to know, for all our sakes, for the sake of peace, for the sake of humanity. The stories of these thousands of souls cannot be lost, adrift in the sands of distance.
The time to let the media into Gaza is now.
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the role of the media in exposing the horrors of modern warfare has been essential. News organizations were present at My Lai, helped uncover Abu Ghraib, and brought to light Sabra and Shatila. The cloak of darkness helps no one except the forces of darkness.
Of course, the international media should have been present in Gaza from the very beginning of the current conflict. In the chaos of war, due to the ferocious nature of fighting amidst a very active battle, it could have been argued that it would be problematic or unsafe to let the media in. That argument was always flimsy, but many went along with it.
Today, Israel has achieved most of its stated objectives, Hamas is a spent force, and the Gaza Strip is no more dangerous than any other war zone. There is no excuse to prevent the media from entering Gaza.
On the precipice of a new cleansing operation to create a buffer zone in the North, driven by a ‘never again’ approach, everything could happen on the ground, with irreversible consequences. The absence of international journalists is unacceptable.
This is not about October 7, a heinous crime, or Hamas, a debased organization, or Iran, a malicious actor. It is not about the right to defense or the fog of war. It is not even about documenting vengeful scorched earth tactics or rogue soldiers. There’s enough evidence of that on TikTok and from ministers' statements.
It is about covering war. In all wars, even justifiable ones with a just cause, without monitoring, devastation goes unchecked, and tactics have no bounds. The weapons and dollars of the world’s superpower are being used to undertake a new phase in Gaza. The consequences are too grave to be ignored, and everyone knows this, including the American right.
There is a facile argument bandied about saying, whatever happens to Gazans, ‘they deserve it’ or ‘that’s what happens in war.’ This is as callous as it is false. Then there is the attempted obfuscation of facts by incredulous claims of a ‘Pallywood’ industry to fake victims in Gaza. The victims are more numerous than can be counted. Whatever – if anything - is an act is far outweighed by what is real.
The world should know the truth. The American public should know where their tax dollars are being spent. And Israel should be ready to defend every action that unfolds in this new phase. If it is justified, then there should be no problem letting everyone see the brutality that must be justified using American dollars, weapons, and political backing.
The stakes are too high today. We cannot afford to wait another day.
The time to let the media into Gaza is now.