New York Times report under fire for questioning whether Israelis were true victims of Oct 7 terror attack

A recent article in The New York Times has sparked outrage among critics, who believe the publication crossed a line by suggesting Israelis are not the victims of the October 7 terror attack carried out by Hamas.

The article, written by Times reporter Isabel Kershner, focuses on a documentary about the killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces in Gaza. In the piece, Kershner notes that Israelis are divided over how to assign blame for the policy, military, and intelligence failures that preceded the attack and the subsequent war. However, she also writes that "Israelis still largely view themselves as the victims of Oct. 7."

Critics have taken issue with this statement, arguing that it implies that the Israeli perspective on the attack is not based in fact. Journalist Eitan Fischberger, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, called the statement "grotesque" and compared it to a hypothetical scenario in which The New York Times wrote that Americans "still largely view themselves as the victims of 9/11."

The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people, including Israeli civilians who were among the targeted. Hamas took 254 hostages in the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. Critics argue that the statement in the Times article downplays the severity of the attack and the suffering of the Israeli victims.

The controversy has sparked a wider debate about the media's coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict and the potential for bias in reporting. Earlier this month, a review of Times coverage of the early months of the conflict found a clear bias against Israel. The Times has not commented on the criticism.