Journalist Eli Barak, a senior editor at Israel Hayom, expressed joy over a report stating that up to one hundred thousand people have been killed in the Gaza Strip so far. Barak explained this by saying that the Palestinians in Gaza are similar to the Germans during World War II. Israel Hayom refused to condemn the statement.
Last Thursday, Haaretz journalist Nir Hasson published an article about estimates that approximately 100,000 people have been killed in Gaza so far, almost twice the official estimate of the Gaza Health Ministry, about half of them (56%) women and children. Hasson shared a link to his article on Facebook, and one of the responses was from Barak.
Barak, who describes himself on his Facebook account as head of the news desk at Israel Hayom and deputy editor of the Israel Hashavua supplement, wrote "Thank you for the good news".
User Eran Tzidkiyahu protested and wrote: "This is the response of the news editor of Israel Hayom - this needs to be framed and hung for all eternity".
In response to this, Barak replied to him: "Send me a frame so I can hang it at my place too".
In response to a follow-up question about why he considers the death of 100,000 Gazans "good news", Barak explained: "Just as if I were now in 1943, I would be happy to hear about high mortality in Berlin, Munich, and Dresden".
The perception that "there are no innocents in Gaza" and that the Palestinian population in the Strip should be destroyed contradicts not only morality and simple humanity, but also the official policy of the State of Israel and the IDF, who claim repeatedly that Israel is not committing genocide in the Strip and that the Israeli army operates according to the laws of war.
Indeed, a perception like that of the senior editor at Israel Hayom also contradicts international law and specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, which was formulated after World War II and the Holocaust of the Jews. This convention, which Israel also signed, was designed to distinguish between combatants and civilians who are not involved in combat, with the aim of protecting civilians and preventing harm to them.
Statements like Barak's, from ministers, Knesset members, celebrities, and media figures, helped form the basis for the complaint filed against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Israel Hayom responded: "This is a private statement on social media. We do not conduct dialogue with Israel Hayom employees through the media".
The article was first published in Hebrew on June 29