Three years on, Gazans who fled to Cairo wait for stability before returning
On the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 attack, Reuters reports on Gazans stranded overseas, including a man in Cairo who lost much of his family. Al Jazeera marks the period with a video on one Gazan's filmed record of the war.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 1Omar al-Hassayna fled Gaza for Cairo after an Israeli airstrike killed much of his large family, and three years later he is still there, waiting for enough stability, security and reconstruction in Gaza to return. The Straits TimesRC “Omar al-Hassayna fled Gaza for Cairo after an Israeli airstrike wiped out much of his large family.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1Reuters, carried by The Straits Times, says Hassayna is one of more than 100,000 Gazans who left during the war and remain stranded overseas, according to Palestinian Authority figures. The Straits TimesRC “more than 100,000 Gazans who left the enclave during the war that was triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1According to Palestinian authorities, 308 members of Hassayna's extended family were killed on 22 November 2023 when Israeli strikes destroyed a cluster of Gaza City apartment buildings where they had gathered for shelter. His wife, four adult sons and four small grandchildren were among the dead. The Straits TimesRC “Some 308 members of Hassayna's extended family were killed when Israeli strikes destroyed a cluster of Gaza City apartment buildings” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 1The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment on that strike. It said its attacks in Gaza are directed at military targets while it tries to reduce harm to civilians. The Straits TimesRC “It said its attacks in Gaza are directed at military targets, while trying to reduce harm to civilians.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1In August, Hassayna watched by video from Cairo as relatives buried 112 family members whose bodies had been recovered from the rubble. Dozens are still missing. The Straits TimesRC “Hassayna watched on video from Cairo as relatives buried 112 family members” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1Reuters reports that nearly a year after a ceasefire meant to start reconstruction under a technocratic government and a political process leading to full Israeli withdrawal, little has changed. It says Israeli forces still hold more than 60% of the territory and carry out almost daily airstrikes. Hamas controls most of the area where Palestinians live, mostly in temporary shelters with what aid agencies call inadequate aid. The Straits TimesRC “Israeli forces still hold more than 60% of the territory and conduct almost daily airstrikes” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Right · 1Everyone who left Gaza was vetted by both Israel and Egypt, but many have found it hard to return. About 7,000 have gone home, even though some Israeli politicians have urged encouraging Gaza's population to leave and preventing those who left from returning. The Straits TimesRC “All those who left Gaza were vetted before their departure by both Israel and Egypt, but many have found it hard to return to the territory.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Right · 1Hassayna says he would return if there were an international agreement and reconstruction began, and he believes Egypt will stop any widespread displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. The Straits TimesRC “If there is an international agreement (with) a comprehensive situation for the Palestinian people and construction begins, why would I delay?” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Left · 1Al Jazeera marked the same period with a video about Ibrahim Rabaa, who has filmed his life through almost three years of what it calls Israel's genocide in Gaza, including bombardment and repeated displacement. It says the war has killed over 73,000 Palestinians. Al JazeeraLC “His footage is a personal record of a war that has killed over 73,000 Palestinians.” Read at Al Jazeera ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- A short video feature that presents the war through one Gazan's camera as a personal record of bombardment and displacement.
- Emphasis
- Individual witness and the scale of death (over 73,000 Palestinians killed).
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, the ceasefire, Gazans abroad, or the Israeli military's position.
- Charged language
- “Israel's genocide in Gaza”
- For example
-
“For almost three years, Ibrahim Rabaa has filmed fragments of his life through Israel’s genocide in Gaza” — Al Jazeera
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Reuters wire copy run by The Straits Times: a human-interest story on one displaced man in Cairo, set in the stalled post-ceasefire situation.
- Emphasis
- Conditions for return, the figure of more than 100,000 Gazans overseas, the roughly 7,000 who have returned, Israel's and Hamas's control, and the Israeli military's response.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives no overall death toll for the war.
- Charged language
- “wiped out much of his large family”
- For example
-
“Israeli forces still hold more than 60% of the territory and conduct almost daily airstrikes, while Hamas controls most of the area where Palestinians live” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- The war began after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
- Gaza remains devastated three years on.
- Many Palestinians have been displaced, either abroad or within Gaza.
Where accounts differ
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How to describe Israel's conduct of the war
- Left
- Al Jazeera calls it "Israel's genocide in Gaza".
- Right
- Reuters, via The Straits Times, reports Israeli strikes and the military's statement that it targets military sites and tries to reduce civilian harm, without using the word genocide.
East and Southeast Asia1 outlet
The Straits Times carries Reuters's account of displacement abroad and the conditions for return.
“remains there waiting for enough stability, security and reconstruction in his still devastated homeland to return” — The Straits Times
The Straits Times
Middle East1 outlet
Al Jazeera focuses on a Gazan's footage as a record of the war and its toll.
“capturing bombardment and repeated displacement” — Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Left1 article
-
Three years of genocide in Gaza through one man’s camera
Sympathetic A brief video feature that frames the war as genocide, seen through one filmmaker's footage.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
The Straits TimesRC · · via Reuters
Haunted by grief, Gaza's displaced still wait overseas for return
Sympathetic Reuters wire copy that follows one bereaved man's wait in Cairo and sets it against the ceasefire's stalled progress, with an Israeli military response included.
- 4 Oct 08:08 First The Straits TimesRC Haunted by grief, Gaza's displaced still wait overseas for return via Reuters
- 4 Oct 17:18 +9h 9m Al JazeeraLC Three years of genocide in Gaza through one man’s camera
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.