The vanishing terrorists: The New York Times' new Gaza reporting strategy – opinion

An analysis of The New York Times' reporting on Gaza casualties between October 2023 and October 2025 reveals a significant editorial pattern, according to The Jerusalem Post. The study examined 653 headlines concerning Palestinian casualties in Gaza, finding that 85% referred to civilians or simply "Palestinians," with only 2% explicitly mentioning Hamas fighters other than high-ranking leaders. The cumulative casualty figures published in 11 headlines never distinguished between combatants and civilians, leading to the impression that all casualties were civilian. Furthermore, the Times rarely questioned its sources from Gaza, often presenting information as fact without attribution or acknowledging Hamas's control over the Gaza Health Ministry, which served as the primary data source. In contrast, the reliability of Israeli assessments of terrorist casualties was questioned in the single instance it was reported.