The IDF announced on Monday that it had discovered a concealed underground shaft near the home of one of the Hamas terrorists who killed two IDF soldiers in an attack on Friday.According to the IDF, the shaft was approximately 15 meters deep and relatively narrow. It was found near the terrorist's home in the Hebron area of the West Bank.While the discovery was not unprecedented, underground shafts are extremely rare in the West Bank. Underground warfare has been more commonly associated with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, where tunnels have played a significant role in military operations, than with Hamas in the West Bank, where the IDF maintains greater control and surveillance.
The discovery came after the IDF searched approximately 500 Palestinian homes and other locations throughout the West Bank, particularly in the Hebron area, as part of its efforts following Friday's attack.
The IDF also said it had found an unidentified electronic device inside the shaft. The device was transferred to investigators for examination.Two troops killed after terrorists with machine gun open fire in West BankStaff Sergeant Ron Yonatan Roytman, 23, from Ashkelon, and Sergeant Yuval Shai Svilem, 20, from Hod Hasharon, were named on Friday as the two soldiers killed in the attack.Roytman was a squad commander, while Svilem was a combat soldier in the Ari Battalion (775) of the Search and Rescue Brigade, according to the IDF.Both soldiers were killed in combat at the Judea Junction when two terrorists traveling in a car, armed with an M4 machine gun and a pistol, opened fire on soldiers at the scene.
The Jerusalem Post calls the two Palestinian attackers Hamas terrorists in its own voice throughout, with no source for the label or the Hamas link, and never names them. It sets the shaft beside tunnel warfare in Gaza and Lebanon but leaves out the army's own statement that the shaft has no exit and poses no threat to any settlement. It also describes the operation only as searches, saying nothing of its own earlier report that 2,000 Hebron-area Palestinians were forcibly expelled and buildings destroyed.
Labels people on one side's word
Serious
“Hamas terrorist”
Why this matters
The headline calls the attacker a "Hamas terrorist" as plain fact, with no attribution for either the label or the Hamas affiliation.
The impression it gives
That the man is established as a Hamas member and a terrorist, not that this is the army's description.
The context
Nothing in the article sources the Hamas link or the label to anyone. Other coverage of the same event describes the two men as Palestinian gunmen from Hebron and names them.
“one of the Hamas terrorists who killed two IDF soldiers”
Why this matters
The opening line repeats the label in the outlet's voice. It attributes only the shaft discovery to the army, not the description of the attackers.
The impression it gives
That the Post has independently established the attackers' organisation and status.
The context
The attribution "According to the IDF" covers only the shaft's depth. The Hamas label carries no source at all. The attackers were Hebron residents Mohammad and Firas Jaaba, whom the Post never names.
“Underground warfare has been more commonly associated with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, where tunnels have played a significant role in military operations”
Why this matters
The Post places the shaft alongside tunnel warfare in Gaza and Lebanon. It never reports what the army itself said about the shaft's lack of threat.
The impression it gives
That the shaft may be part of a tunnel network for attacks, a new military threat in the West Bank.
The context
The IOF itself said the tunnel has no exit, sits deep within Hebron and poses no threat to any settlement. The Post leaves this out.
The IOF said the 15-metre shaft has no exit, lies deep inside Hebron and poses no threat to any settlement, and that a device found inside was sent for examination.
Drops what it reported before
Minor
“as part of its efforts following Friday's attack”
Why this matters
The Post describes the army's sweep of 500 Palestinian homes as "efforts" after the attack, and says nothing else about the operation.
The impression it gives
That the army's response amounts to targeted searches linked to the attack.
The context
Two days earlier the Post reported that the army forcibly expelled 2,000 Hebron-area Palestinians and destroyed structures. It also reported that the army gave little information about any offences by those expelled. Other coverage reports some 50 people detained and two guns seized.