A TV News Journalist On Reporting During Israel-Hamas Fog of War – The Hollywood Reporter

More than 60 days into the war, it’s hard to pinpoint a single moment that stands out. The coverage has been a series of moments. Many horrifying, sad, scary and unpredictable. Every day reporters on the ground — I’ve been in Israel covering the conflict for Fox News since it started on the morning of October 7 — are faced with an unmanageable amount of information and are tasked with sifting through the noise to decide what is important and what facts are critical to the broader story. I wrestle with the understanding that I can’t be in two places at once and I can’t tell unlimited stories.

With that said, I feel a massive responsibility to tell the world about what is happening in Israel and Gaza. To speak with Israelis and Palestinians. And to help people understand that two things can be objectively true at once. The October 7 massacre was the largest slaughter of Jews since the holocaust. And the Israeli response to that massacre is leaving thousands of innocent Palestinians dead. These things are not mutually exclusive.

It’s why when you watch my reports, you’ll see interviews with family members of those being held hostage inside Gaza. You’ll see first-hand what the war looks like as we embed with the military. You’ll also hear from Palestinian voices. Doctors who are struggling with overflowing hospitals. Civilians who are coming to terms with being internally displaced. Despite a commitment to report objectively, fairly, and accurately, the world is watching and sometimes participating in a parallel information war. It’s why it’s so important that we get it right and speak the truth when others get it wrong.

The fog of war first became heavy 10 days after the conflict began. It got foggier as the days went on. On October 17, a rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad misfired and hit the Al-Ahli hospital in northern Gaza. Many Palestinians were killed, though we may never know exactly how many. Initially, many media outlets blamed Israel for the explosion, repeating only the claims by Hamas and other factions inside Gaza. We were delicate with our attribution, patient with our reporting and clear with our information. That wasn’t the case for everyone. Without revisiting every detail, some reporting on this explosion at a hospital where thousands of Palestinians were sheltering ignited the Middle East in protest. For the first time since the war began, the world experienced the power of journalism. The world was also reminded of the responsibility that comes along with this profession. The event highlighted how so many things are covered during the war. Facts and claims begin to trickle out and are reported as such. When covered with proper context this is okay, but the whole story is never understood right away. It takes disciplined, well-sourced journalists to get it right.

On a daily basis, we receive information that we never bring to air on Fox News. My team and I are either unable to verify it or need more supporting evidence. Often the information comes from Hamas officials, but sometimes from the Israeli military as well. All information should be viewed through a critical lens, especially during times of war. Given how careful we are with information, it’s particularly disheartening to see conspiracy theories spread on the internet about our coverage. Recently someone on Instagram claimed that my team worked with the Israelis to stage a fake arrest of a Palestinian at the site of the music festival massacre. The claim wasn’t true, but the fake post spread like wildfire on the internet. For days I received threats and hateful messages as the posts spread on Instagram, TikTok and X. I took to social media to push back against the false information. Since then, PolitiFact and Snopes have both done independent investigations and labeled the conspiracy theory as false. 

I’m proud of the reporting I’ve done in both Israel and Gaza over the past nine years. I’ve been embedded with Hamas’s Al-Qassam brigades and the Israeli military. I’ve sat for tea with leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, only to later fly on the plane of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This access is based on trust and reputation. Despite the political opinions that people have about this war, I believe we can provide accurate information that allows people to come to their own conclusions based on the facts at hand. 

As I reflect on the coverage of this war so far, I think it’s important to highlight the rising death toll among journalists. As well as the brave Palestinian reporters and photographers covering the conflict from inside Gaza. They provide a glimpse into the strip. Into the suffering, the bloodshed, and the agony of civilians there. To Motaz Azaiza, Mohammad Al-Masri, Hind Khoudary and many others, we see and appreciate your coverage. 

Another interesting thing about covering these types of stories. People in the industry are generally supportive of one another. Most journalists have the same goal. To cover the story to the best of their ability. This plays out as a less competitive environment than normal, rightfully so. If we have security information to share with fellow journalists, we do. If we are inside Gaza with the military, correspondents will help each other to shoot stand ups when there is no room for a cameraman on the assignment. This comradery is important. We saw similar synergy in Ukraine as the entire world watched the Russians invade. My team and I were in Kyiv the night the invasion began and stayed in touch with journalists across the industry to discuss relevant security information. 

Today’s reporting in Israel is the true first draft of history. Years later, the stories done today will be reviewed to learn more about the October 7 massacre and the war that followed. This knowledge should guide correspondents and reporters on what could be a much longer path forward, with no end to the war in sight.

More than 60 days into the war, it’s hard to pinpoint a single moment that stands out. The coverage has been a series of moments. Many horrifying, sad, scary and unpredictable. Every day reporters on the ground — I’ve been in Israel covering the conflict for Fox News since it started on the morning of October 7 — are faced with an unmanageable amount of information and are tasked with sifting through the noise to decide what is important and what facts are critical to the broader story. I wrestle with the understanding that I can’t be in two places at once and I can’t tell unlimited stories.

With that said, I feel a massive responsibility to tell the world about what is happening in Israel and Gaza. To speak with Israelis and Palestinians. And to help people understand that two things can be objectively true at once. The October 7 massacre was the largest slaughter of Jews since the holocaust. And the Israeli response to that massacre is leaving thousands of innocent Palestinians dead. These things are not mutually exclusive.

It’s why when you watch my reports, you’ll see interviews with family members of those being held hostage inside Gaza. You’ll see first-hand what the war looks like as we embed with the military. You’ll also hear from Palestinian voices. Doctors who are struggling with overflowing hospitals. Civilians who are coming to terms with being internally displaced. Despite a commitment to report objectively, fairly, and accurately, the world is watching and sometimes participating in a parallel information war. It’s why it’s so important that we get it right and speak the truth when others get it wrong.

The fog of war first became heavy 10 days after the conflict began. It got foggier as the days went on. On October 17, a rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad misfired and hit the Al-Ahli hospital in northern Gaza. Many Palestinians were killed, though we may never know exactly how many. Initially, many media outlets blamed Israel for the explosion, repeating only the claims by Hamas and other factions inside Gaza. We were delicate with our attribution, patient with our reporting and clear with our information. That wasn’t the case for everyone. Without revisiting every detail, some reporting on this explosion at a hospital where thousands of Palestinians were sheltering ignited the Middle East in protest. For the first time since the war began, the world experienced the power of journalism. The world was also reminded of the responsibility that comes along with this profession. The event highlighted how so many things are covered during the war. Facts and claims begin to trickle out and are reported as such. When covered with proper context this is okay, but the whole story is never understood right away. It takes disciplined, well-sourced journalists to get it right.

On a daily basis, we receive information that we never bring to air on Fox News. My team and I are either unable to verify it or need more supporting evidence. Often the information comes from Hamas officials, but sometimes from the Israeli military as well. All information should be viewed through a critical lens, especially during times of war. Given how careful we are with information, it’s particularly disheartening to see conspiracy theories spread on the internet about our coverage. Recently someone on Instagram claimed that my team worked with the Israelis to stage a fake arrest of a Palestinian at the site of the music festival massacre. The claim wasn’t true, but the fake post spread like wildfire on the internet. For days I received threats and hateful messages as the posts spread on Instagram, TikTok and X. I took to social media to push back against the false information. Since then, PolitiFact and Snopes have both done independent investigations and labeled the conspiracy theory as false. 

I’m proud of the reporting I’ve done in both Israel and Gaza over the past nine years. I’ve been embedded with Hamas’s Al-Qassam brigades and the Israeli military. I’ve sat for tea with leaders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, only to later fly on the plane of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This access is based on trust and reputation. Despite the political opinions that people have about this war, I believe we can provide accurate information that allows people to come to their own conclusions based on the facts at hand. 

As I reflect on the coverage of this war so far, I think it’s important to highlight the rising death toll among journalists. As well as the brave Palestinian reporters and photographers covering the conflict from inside Gaza. They provide a glimpse into the strip. Into the suffering, the bloodshed, and the agony of civilians there. To Motaz Azaiza, Mohammad Al-Masri, Hind Khoudary and many others, we see and appreciate your coverage. 

Another interesting thing about covering these types of stories. People in the industry are generally supportive of one another. Most journalists have the same goal. To cover the story to the best of their ability. This plays out as a less competitive environment than normal, rightfully so. If we have security information to share with fellow journalists, we do. If we are inside Gaza with the military, correspondents will help each other to shoot stand ups when there is no room for a cameraman on the assignment. This comradery is important. We saw similar synergy in Ukraine as the entire world watched the Russians invade. My team and I were in Kyiv the night the invasion began and stayed in touch with journalists across the industry to discuss relevant security information. 

Today’s reporting in Israel is the true first draft of history. Years later, the stories done today will be reviewed to learn more about the October 7 massacre and the war that followed. This knowledge should guide correspondents and reporters on what could be a much longer path forward, with no end to the war in sight.