Western Media Coverage of Palestinian Men During the 2023-2024 Israeli War on Gaza

Abstract

This study focuses on how mainstream Western media covered Palestinian men during the 2023-2024 Israeli war on Gaza, between October 7th and December 31st, 2023. It particularly addresses the ways in which events involving Palestinian men were covered. Based on both a qualitative and quantitative analysis that focuses on two mainstream Western media outlets – BBC and CNN – the thesis argues that mainstream Western media contributes to building a narrative that tends to gloss over the plight of the suffering of Palestinian men and obscures the experiences of these men. Additionally, the study argues that mainstream Western media treat Palestinian men as a homogenous category ignoring the differences between these men and surpassing childhood in the process. It further highlights the importance of including gender when analyzing media coverage of wars as it demonstrates how the strategic use of particular images of masculinity in specific narratives serves wider political projects and can assist in legitimizing the subjugation of certain bodies and the legitimization of violence against these bodies.