Times of Israel · Gaza · 6 Sept 2026

The headline editorialises, passive voice hides who attacked, and the dead are counted, not named.

/ 10 · article score

scored on 6 of 10 measures

The double standard

Palestinian amputee deaths are reported without an actor named, while Israeli casualties are given a precise, sourced account of who fired, from where, and with what weapon.

How it builds, in Biton injury paragraph versus Gaza amputee references

No actor named: who caused Gaza amputations?
citing the high number of amputees in the Gaza Strip, and in particular children, as a result of the recent war there
Agentless construction; cause attributed to 'the recent war' with no named actor
Actor, weapon, origin, and location all named
an anti-tank missile fired from inside Gaza hit the military vehicle he was in on the Israeli side of the border
Full attribution: weapon type, launch origin, and precise location all specified
Israeli dead named and ranked
Biton was seriously injured, and fellow soldier Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib was killed.
Individual named with military rank; death confirmed as fact
Palestinian child amputees: no individual named
the highest percentage of child amputees in the world
Statistical framing only; no individual named or humanised
Gazan children appear only via activist framing
Activists posted images of Biton running with his prosthetic leg alongside photos of Gazan amputee children.
Palestinian victims introduced only as objects of activist rhetoric, not as independent subjects
Israeli deaths given precise figure and named actor
The recent war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led an invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people.
Named actor, precise casualty figure, and causal framing all provided

The same decision, both sides

Attribution of cause of injury or death

Palestinian amputees are described without any named actor responsible for their injuries.

citing the high number of amputees in the Gaza Strip, and in particular children, as a result of the recent war there

Biton's injury is given a fully attributed account naming the weapon, its origin, and the precise location.

an anti-tank missile fired from inside Gaza hit the military vehicle he was in on the Israeli side of the border

Individual identification of casualties

Palestinian amputees, including children, are referred to only in aggregate statistical terms with no individual named.

the highest percentage of child amputees in the world

Israeli casualties are individually named and, where applicable, given their military rank.

Biton was seriously injured, and fellow soldier Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib was killed.

How the broader conflict's death toll is introduced

Palestinian casualties from the war in Gaza are not given a standalone figure anywhere in the article.

citing the high number of amputees in the Gaza Strip, and in particular children, as a result of the recent war there

Israeli deaths from October 7 are given a precise figure with a named actor in a standalone contextual sentence.

The recent war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led an invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people.

What a reader is left with. A reader is left with a vivid, sourced, humanised account of one Israeli soldier's injury and a named Israeli death, while Palestinian amputees, including children, remain a faceless statistic attached to no responsible actor.

File a complaint

This article can be challenged with Times of Israel's editorial-standards team.

Amend the headline to include a named agent or a finite harm verb that reflects the causal context of Biton's injury, for example: "Adidas faces boycott calls over promotion featuring ex-IDF soldier injured by Gaza missile strike in 2021."
Add individual detail, such as a name, age, or direct quotation, for at least one Gazan amputee child, to bring the humanisation of that group into proportion with the treatment of Biton.

Be the first to complain

Every highlight is a quote the model flagged. Tap one — or a metric below — to see what it measures and why it scored the way it did.

Aggressor framingHeadline analysisCasualty humanisationLegal framingVictim affiliation labelsPerspective allocation

Adidas faces boycott calls over promotion featuring ex-IDF soldier who lost leg in 2021

Sportswear giant Adidas is facing calls for a boycott of all its products over its inclusion of a former Israeli soldier to promote a service that enables amputee athletes to buy just one running shoe. Pro-Palestinian activists panned the company for working with Shalev Biton, citing the high number of amputees in the Gaza Strip, and in particular children, as a result of the recent war there. In a response Sunday to the Times of Israel, Adidas stressed that its Single Shoe service is a worldwide campaign and rejected suggestions that it was specifically for Israeli soldiers. The furor began last week after Biton published a homemade video highlighting his participation in Adidas’s promotion of its Single Shoe service. The global sports company launched the Single Shoe service in Europe in January, and expanded the initiative to markets in the Middle East a couple of months later. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms Biton, along with 10 other disabled athletes, was featured in a series of posters displayed in local Adidas outlets across Israel. The posters were only used in Israel and not as part of a global campaign. Biton was formerly a soldier serving in the IDF’s Nahal infantry brigade. On May 12, 2021, amid a conflict with Hamas in Gaza dubbed Operation Guardian of the Walls, he was injured when an anti-tank missile fired from inside Gaza hit the military vehicle he was in on the Israeli side of the border. Biton was seriously injured, and fellow soldier Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib was killed. As a result of his injuries, Biton’s left leg was amputated. After rehabilitation, he now runs with a prosthetic limb. Advertisement The Free Palestine movement is (once again) upset. This time, it is because Adidas launched a new "single-shoe" campaign for people living with amputations, featuring an Israeli. One person they collaborated with was Shalev Biton, a former IDF soldier who lost a leg while… pic.twitter.com/3R5cPajYdh — Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) September 4, 2026 He posted the clip to his Instagram account to laud the Single Shoe service, while speaking about how much it meant to him to be able to pay for only a single shoe, rather than buying a pair. The Hebrew-language video made no mention of his army service or how he lost his leg. Advertisement However, a wave of social media criticism erupted with activists urging a boycott of Adidas. Much of the criticism falsely claimed that Biton was involved in the recent fighting in Gaza and accused him of having participated in “genocide,” or that he had lost his leg while serving in Gaza in 2021. Activists posted images of Biton running with his prosthetic leg alongside photos of Gazan amputee children. Among those who reportedly have called for the boycott are Spanish actor Javier Bardem and Palestinian activist Abeer Khatib. Khatib, who has over 300,000 followers on X, posted last week, “I’m burning every Adidas product I own.” The Eye on Palestine activist group, which also has over 300,000 followers on X, posted last Thursday that Adidas’s choice of Bitan “has sparked a wave of anger and sharp criticism, given that it highlights a soldier belonging to the occupation army—which is responsible for causing the highest percentage of child amputees in the world—while completely ignoring the tragedy of Palestinian victims who have lost their limbs as a result of the ongoing aggression.” In a follow-up post on Saturday, Biton posted to Instagram about the “crazy wave of hate and reports all over the world” that he has faced. “The truth is, at the moment I am getting a lot more hate than love,” he wrote and asked his followers to share the post so that, in the face of the “millions” who are hounding him, “I want to feel that you are here with me.” People walk outside an Adidas shop in Jerusalem on October 25, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90) In a statement, Adidas said, “We are aware that interpretations in recent days have misrepresented the purpose of the service. It is important to clarify that this is a global initiative intended to expand choice and accessibility for athletes and consumers around the world.” The video that Biton had posted was no longer available on his Instagram account on Sunday. It has been widely shared on social media by both critics of Adidas and those backing Biton. Advertisement The recent war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas led an invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people. Israel, which denies that its military response was a “genocide,” says it strives to avoid civilian casualties and accuses Hamas of embedding itself among civilians. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting. — Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist Support our work Support our work Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this You're a dedicated reader We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE , as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members. Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel Join Our Community Join Our Community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Report: Alerted to Hamas onslaught, Netanyahu took 2 hours to leave home, didn’t speak to IDF chief for 3 2 Analysis German far-right AfD party’s projected win puts Jews between the left and a hard place 3 US said drafting postwar plan to create alliance against Iran, expand Abraham Accords 4 Roger Waters to headline 9/11 ‘truth’ conference at NYC-owned museum 5 Huckabee, in West Bank, urges severe consequences for settler violence: ‘Terror is terror’ 6 Analysis El-Sayed and Vance call each other ‘evil,’ while both handling antisemitism the same way 7 US military says it destroyed 3 Iranian oil tankers after IRGC targeted its warships 8 Israeli triathletes barred from race in Northern Ireland after organizer objects read more: Israel & the Region Operation Guardian of the Walls amputees boycotts anti-Israel activity 2023-2025 Israel-Hamas war Adidas If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? Log in here close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] Continue Or Continue with By joining you agree to the terms and conditions Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition back close popup Register to continue Email address * Change REGISTER Or Continue with back close popup Log in to continue Email address * Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.. Continue back close popup Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community Sign in or Register You are currently registered. Please join The Times of Israel Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits Only ToI Community members can comment below articles Email address * Password * Incorrect password. Please try again or choose an option below. Forgot your password? / Send me a login link Continue Sign in without joining Or Continue with close popup Check your email We sent an email to you at . It has a link that will sign you in. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. back close popup Join The Times of Israel Community Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits. Email address * Please use the following structure: [email protected] JOIN NOW! close popup Thank you! Now check your email You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.

Read the original article ↗