Dead Gazan children? No it’s traumatized Israeli pets making the front page

The importance of Israeli dogs

In the war of propaganda, the Israeli press has been struggling to maintain a ‘fair and unbiased’ perspective with the disproportionate number of casualties in Gaza compared to those in Israel. 

At last count, 67 Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombs and three Israelis died from Hamas rockets in the last six days. Finding it tough to get the scoop on Israeli casualties with so few reported, one journalist from the Jerusalem Post decided to work her own angle on the story.

Sharon Udasin, infrastructure and agriculture reporter for the paper, sent out a message on her Twitter account as a matter of urgency:

“Does anyone have pets that are freaking out because of the rocket sirens?’ she asked, adding: “If so please contact me today for a story. Thanks!” 

When asked to clarify if, given the serious loss of human life in Gaza, this was some kind of hoax, she responded:

“No, this is a real concern for southern dog and cat owners in Israel.”

Udasin added that she would be equally happy to interview Gazans with traumatized pets, to ensure that her story was not biased. Netizens reacted with bemusement. Many tweeps were unsure if Udasin was still joking while others used her tweet to demonstrate a wider Israeli lack of concern for Palestinian human life.

While the reporter correctly stated that her newspaper included articles on Gazan deaths as well as those in Israel, the numbers are so far incomparable.  And, while the civilian casualties, including women and children, rise, Israel considers a ground invasion with, no doubt, more loss of life inevitable.

Do you want to read about Israeli dogs and cats? Is it a legitimate story? Tell us what you think below.