On Monday, July 8, global media reported a devastating airstrike by Russia on one of Kyiv's largest children's hospitals, resulting in at least 40 fatalities. The attack targeted multiple critical areas in the Ukrainian capital, including the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, which treats 20,000 children with cancer annually.
Ukraine accused Russia of bombing the hospital, citing the discovery of Russian missile fragments in the debris. Conversely, Russia denied the accusation, asserting that Ukrainian defense systems were responsible and that fragments from a Ukrainian air defense missile caused the incident.
International and local newspapers extensively covered the hospital attack, with some news sites and global agencies describing it as "the horrific Russian attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv" and the "deadly attack." Numerous international officials condemned the attack, and the United Nations Security Council convened a meeting regarding the Russian attack on the same day the hospital was bombed.
Misbar highlighted the similarities between the recent Russian attack on the Ukrainian children's hospital in Kyiv and the Israeli forces' assault on the Al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza on November 14 of the previous year. During that raid, Israeli forces stormed vital facilities within the hospital, which housed thousands of patients and injured individuals, under the pretext of having intelligence about an underground tunnel network beneath the hospital.
This article compares the journalistic standards in the coverage of both events by some Western newspapers: the Ukrainian hospital bombing and the Israeli raid on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
The Guardian Describes the Russian Bombing of the Children’s Hospital as Horrific
On July 8, the British newspaper The Guardian published an article titled "'No words for this': horror over Russian bombing of Kyiv children's hospital." The article began with the statement, "Witnesses express shock and revulsion after Russia's deadly missile strike on Ukraine's largest pediatric clinic."
The article described the scene: "The children sat in stunned silence, their fragile bodies still tethered to medical drips outside the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in central Kyiv, where an impromptu field clinic had sprung up." It added, "They had not long emerged from the hospital’s dark, dusty bomb shelter, and their eyes were still adjusting to the light." and "A woman rushed past, cradling an infant covered with blood."
In contrast, The Guardian's coverage of the Israeli forces' raid on the Al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza last November featured the headline "IDF says it has entered Gaza’s largest hospital – as it happened." It is notable that the newspaper opted to use the term "enter" rather than "raid" or "military operation," while also citing the Israeli occupation army's allegations.
Misbar found that the newspaper does not employ emotive language to convey the tragic humanitarian events experienced by the doctors and patients at Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza over a period of ten days, as it does in reporting the Russian bombing of the Ukrainian hospital. The article quoted the Israeli army: "The Israeli Defence Force has just said on X that it is 'carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital.'"
The newspaper also quoted Palestinian health ministry officials, who stated that the Israeli army informed hospital officials of their plan to carry out a military operation inside the hospital.
Reuters’ Coverage of the Israeli Raid on Al-Shifa Medical Complex
Reuters covered the Israeli forces' raid on the largest hospital in Gaza, relying on statements from the Israeli occupation army. The headline read, “Israeli forces carrying out operation in Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital.”
Misbar highlighted that the agency failed to mention that the Al-Shifa complex housed thousands of patients, including many in critical condition, who remained trapped during the Israeli forces' military operation inside the hospital.
In the body of the article, Reuters reported, citing the Israeli military, that "its forces were carrying out an operation on Wednesday against Hamas within Gaza's biggest hospital, Al-Shifa.” The article quoted an official army statement: "Based on intelligence information and operational necessity, IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital." Notably, the agency provided no perspective from the Palestinian side, covering the incident solely from the Israeli viewpoint.
Conversely, in Reuters' coverage of the Russian bombing of the largest children's hospital in Ukraine, the headline read, "A mother shields her baby amid chaos at bombed Kyiv hospital," accompanied by images of mothers holding their infants.
In the article's introduction, Reuters adopted a more expressive approach, stating, "Moments after a Russian missile smashed into a Kyiv hospital where her infant son was being treated, Svitlana Kravchenko rushed to cover the two-month-old with a cloth to protect him from debris and dust in the air." It added, "Her voice quivering, the 33-year-old woman spoke as she emerged from a shelter, following one of the worst Russian missile strikes on Kyiv in months."
Associated Press Coverage of the Ukrainian Hospital Bombing and the Raid on Al-Shifa
In another example, the Associated Press reported the Israeli forces' raid on the Al-Shifa medical complex with the headline, "Israeli military forces raid Gaza's largest hospital in operation against Hamas."
For the Russian bombing of the largest children's hospital in Kyiv, the headline read, "Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in 4 months kills at least 31 and hits a children’s hospital."
In the body of the article, the agency mentioned the Russian perspective only once, noting that the Russian Ministry of Defense denied targeting the children's hospital in Ukraine. However, it did not include Russia's accusation that Ukrainian air defenses were responsible for the explosion.
The New York Times Adopts the Israeli Narrative in Its Coverage of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex Raid
The New York Times opened its report on the raid by stating, "Israel Says Military Has Entered Gazan Hospital Grounds to Root Out Hamas," omitting the hospital's name in the headline and failing to provide information on its capacity and vital role amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The newspaper justified the Israeli forces' entry into the hospital by citing in a subheadline the Israeli claim, which states that weapons belonging to Hamas were present in the hospital, thus prompting the Israeli forces to raid the complex.
On the other hand, The New York Times headline on the Russian bombing of Ukraine's largest children's hospital read, "Russia Strikes Children’s Hospital in Deadly Barrage Across Ukraine," detailing an operation that involved launching 40 Russian missiles across multiple areas. The headline notably emphasized that the targeted facility was the largest children's hospital in Ukraine.
Read More
The Intercept Exposes the New York Times’ Bias in Favor of the Israeli Narrative
Al-Shifa Hospital: Most Prominent Evidence Debunking the Israeli Claims During the Gaza War
