The Listening Post

The unravelling of the New York Times ‘Hamas rape’ story

An horrific story in the New York Times falls apart and exposes systemic issues.

In December 2023, the New York Times published an explosive article – now widely discredited – that detailed Hamas’s agenda to weaponise rape and sexual violence on October 7. We reveal the controversies surrounding the article along with the broader issue of Western media outlets’ pro-Israeli/anti-Palestinian bias.

Lead contributors:
Ali Abunimah – Director, Electronic Intifada
Chris Hedges – Former Middle East bureau chief, the New York Times
Yumna Patel – Palestine news director, Mondoweiss

On our radar:

After they won an award at the Berlinale film festival, the reaction to a speech by filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra has become the latest example of Germany’s toxic debate on Gaza. Meenakshi Ravi reports.

Genocide in Gaza through the eyes of Israeli soldiers

For months, Israeli soldiers in Gaza have been documenting their own war crimes against Palestinians and sharing them on social media.

The Listening Post collected and reviewed hundreds of items. We asked three experts on human rights and torture to examine the material.

Featuring:
Basil Farraj – Assistant professor, Birzeit University
Lisa Hajjar – Professor of sociology, UC Santa Barbara
Sarah Leah Whitson – Executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN)

Producers: Tariq Nafi and Elettra Scrivo

With thanks to: Younis Tiwari and Tali Shapiro