‘The narrative was written before it rained’: How Hamas shaped coverage of Gaza floods - exclusive

An HonestReporting investigation, shared exclusively with The Jerusalem Post, traces how figures from Hamas-run bodies about Gaza flooding spread to international outlets including Reuters, the BBC, and NBC News, while Israel's winter aid preparations were largely overlooked.

An HonestReporting investigation, shared exclusively with The Jerusalem Post, traces how figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Winter Emergency Committee and Government Media Office about flooding in Gaza spread to international media outlets including Reuters, the BBC, and NBC News. The report claims the narrative and scale of suffering were set by Hamas before the first winter storm arrived on November 6. It notes that Reuters was the only outlet to explicitly identify the Government Media Office as Hamas-run, while others dropped attribution over time. The article also highlights Israel's winter preparations through COGAT, which facilitated the entry of over 91,000 tents and 8,200 trucks of supplies since September, a fact largely absent from international coverage. HonestReporting questions how Hamas could estimate 70,000 flooded tents and $3 million in losses within hours of rain, when disaster assessments typically take days.