Medics: Six Israelis Wounded in West Bank Shooting Attack Near Hebron - Israel Security

Haaretz reports that six Israelis were wounded in a shooting near Hebron and that Israeli occupation forces killed two Palestinian suspects. It never says the wounded were soldiers at a military checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, so a reader is left to picture an attack on Israeli civilians. It does name the IOF as the force that killed the two Palestinians.

1. Leaves out what changes the picture

   Serious

   “Six Israelis were wounded, two critically, in a shooting attack near Hebron in the West Bank”

   Why this matters

   The words "Six Israelis were wounded" describe the wounded only by nationality and the place only as "near Hebron". Nothing says who they were or where they were standing.

   The impression it gives

   A reader comes away believing Israeli civilians were shot somewhere near Hebron.

   The context

   Other outlets reported the same morning that the wounded were Israeli soldiers, shot at a military checkpoint in northern Hebron. Al Jazeera, citing the army, said a reserve battalion was attacked near the illegal settlement of Telem. The article never uses the words soldier or checkpoint.

   How we know

   • Middle East Eye reported“a shooting in Hebron wounded five Israeli soldiers on Friday”Israel prepares full West Bank lockdown after Hebron shooting (opens in a new tab)
   • Middle East Eye reported“Two Palestinians opened fire on Israeli troops at a checkpoint in northern Hebron”Israel prepares full West Bank lockdown after Hebron shooting (opens in a new tab)
   • Al Jazeera English reported“they had attacked a reserve battalion near the illegal settlement of Telem”Israeli military kills 2 in Hebron gun battle as tension soars in West Bank (opens in a new tab)
   • The National reported“a shooting at a military checkpoint near the city of Hebron”Netanyahu orders West Bank lockdown after Hebron checkpoint shooting (opens in a new tab)

   Show it in the article

   “Six Israelis Wounded in West Bank Shooting Attack Near Hebron”

   Why this matters

   The headline repeats "Six Israelis Wounded" with no sign that the target was a military position, and it says "West Bank" with no word that the territory is occupied.

   The impression it gives

   From the headline alone, a reader takes this as a shooting of Israeli civilians inside an ordinary territory.

   The context

   Other outlets reported that the people shot were occupation soldiers at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. Haaretz's own count of six does not match the five reported elsewhere, or the two its own body says medics were treating.

   How we know

   • The National reported“five people were injured in a shooting at a military checkpoint near the city of Hebron”Netanyahu orders West Bank lockdown after Hebron checkpoint shooting (opens in a new tab)
   • Elsewhere in the article“it was treating two people at the scene”
   • On the recordThe International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion found Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem unlawful.icj-cij.org (opens in a new tab)

   Show it in the article

   Written straight

   Two Palestinians opened fire on Israeli soldiers at a military checkpoint near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, wounding several of them, medics said. Israeli forces then killed the two Palestinians, who were suspected of the shooting.