This study aimed at identifying the impact of the Israeli political environment on Israeli media coverage of the War on Gaza. It employed the gatekeeper theory, which posits that media outlets are influenced by surrounding pressures, including the political environment. The study utilized a descriptive-analytical approach, analyzing the qualitative content of a purposive sample of media materials published online in 2025 by the newspapers: Yediot Aharonot, The Jerusalem Post, and Haaretz. The study concluded that the Israeli media is subject to the authority of the discourse controlled by the government and the military, as well as the direct military censorship imposed by these entities on security and political issues. Furthermore, the study found that Israeli media outlets align themselves with the wave of extremism, incitement, and racism prevalent in both the public and official Israeli spheres against Palestinians, with the exception of Haaretz, which adopted an opposing stance. The study also found that the Israeli media is complicit in "genocide" through its dissemination of related news. These media outlets aligned themselves with Trump's pro-Israel policies and turned a blind eye to those that contradicted them, keen to maintain a strong relationship with the Trump administration—a stance that manifested itself in a form of "reliance on" Trump in particular. The study found that Israeli media echoed the government's statements of condemnation and denunciation regarding global protests against the genocide in Gaza and the recognition of the State of Palestine by governments allied with the occupation.

Title

Aljazeera for Communication & Media Studies

Publisher

Aljazeera Center for Studies

Publisher Country

Qatar

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

8

Year

2026

Pages

149-174