The website “Orient 21” criticized the French media’s coverage of the killing of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif and four of his colleagues in Gaza. The news, which should have dominated French headlines, was overshadowed by the Israeli narrative labeling them as “terrorists,” while Al Jazeera described it as the “assassination of a journalist.” French media outlets like France Info and France 24 echoed this narrative, with the latter even giving the microphone directly to the Israeli army spokesperson Olivier Rafovich.

The article by Sarah Grira expressed astonishment that the Israeli narrative still holds sway in French media nearly two years after the genocidal war on Gaza, especially as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court and trials are underway for Israeli soldiers with dual citizenship accused of war crimes.

The piece also lamented the limited solidarity within the journalistic profession, which seems to stop at the Arab borders in the Middle East, despite reports of over 200 journalists killed. Israel, according to the article, has moved from denial to openly claiming responsibility for assassinations, justifying them by alleged links to Hamas.

Since October 7, Israel has formed a “Legitimization Cell” within its military intelligence to find information that legitimizes army operations in Gaza, including identifying journalists who can be portrayed as undercover Hamas members.

The article criticized many French journalists for sharing images of Anas Al-Sharif with Hamas leaders shortly after his death, questioning the implicit context that perhaps Al-Sharif was not entirely innocent.

It highlighted the paradox of journalists trained in human rights who condemn the killing of journalists in Ukraine without broadcasting Russian propaganda, yet justify the killing of journalists in Gaza, even if they supported the far-right Netanyahu government or participated in actions against Palestinians.

The article concluded that according to Western media political views, Israel does not kill but defends itself and retaliates against terrorism, and those who die are likely guilty, reflecting a deep-rooted mindset shaped by the “war on terror.”