LETTER: Biased reporting

I refer to the recent Reuters article where again information provided by Hamas, the well-documented murderers/rapists/ abductors of October 7, was treated as news, with bold headlines, whereas the counter facts provided by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) are treated in a cursory and sceptical manner, if at all (“Gaza’s second-biggest hospital ‘out of action’ as Israeli forces battle Hamas”, February 18).

This is the IDF version:

• 200 terrorists have surrendered at the city’s Nasser Hospital, alongside dozens at Al Amal Hospital.
• The IDF says troops have detained hundreds of terror operatives — some of whom were dressed up as hospital staff — and other suspects who were holed up at the hospital, including many who participated in the October 7 massacre.
• Troops also found links to the hostages held by the terror group, as well as unopened boxes of medication bearing the names of hostages, as well as vehicles stolen on that day. 
• Despite accusations, the IDF is insisting that the Nasser hospital is able to continue its operations and that it has acted “without harming the patients and medical staff and in accordance with the values of the IDF and international law”.

Now, I don’t know which version is correct, though I have my suspicions. But then neither does Business Day. By publishing agency reports without editorial input you are duplicating the naiveté and/or bias of the journalists in Gaza who work for Reuters. 

Sydney Kaye
Cape Town 

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