THIS is in response to news items in the Dawn Multimedia section titled ‘Israel bombs Gaza strip again’ [1] and news item titled ‘17 killed, over 100 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza’ (July 9).

While covering the clashes, international news agencies and news channels (including CNN and BBC) portrayed the entire scenario as if both sides, i.e. Hamas in Gaza and Israel are retaliating against each others’ actions, and that Israel’s bombing of Gaza is in response to the rocket attacks launched by Hamas from Gaza.

On the contrary, there has been a hugely disproportionate use of force by Israel. Homes, vehicles and other targets are being attacked using fighter jets and through the sea, whereas rockets fired by Hamas are mostly short ranged, lack accuracy and have not inflicted a single casualty during the clashes. These rockets mostly land in uninhabited areas and are quite rudimentary compared to the ordinance used by Israel.

Hamas is no match for the Israeli army’s might and its highhandedness against civilians. Gaza is known as the world’s largest open air prison with a transport, aid and fuel embargo permanently imposed upon the besieged strip.

Also, it is worth mentioning that Hamas is also the winner of elections in Gaza and thus a legitimate political force representing the people of Gaza -- a fact conveniently overlooked by the international media by declaring them as militants and terrorists.

Nizar Diamond Ali

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2014