Few questions on Gaza, fewer on media access: Inside Indian media’s Israel junket

Last Friday, Indian readers woke up to a curious headline: Benjamin Netanyahu – accused of war crimes and facing corruption charges — offering to advise Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on dealing with the United States.

The same day, photos began circulating online: a group of Indian journalists posing with the embattled Israeli PM, another of a Netanyahu autograph posted by a journalist. 

Buried in the fine print below that Netanyahu headline was a key detail: the trip was a junket organised by the Israeli foreign ministry. A few outlets, like The Indian Express and Republic TV, clarified their journalist was there “at the invitation of the Israeli embassy in New Delhi”. But some didn’t bother to give that disclosure.

Junkets are usual newsroom practice. But the timing of this one couldn’t have been worse. Israel is bombing civilians, starving them, and killing them as they reach food distribution spots – more than 18,500 Palestinian children have been killed so far. To control the Gaza narrative, the country has banned access to international media and has continued to target local journalists. Over 230 journalists have been killed so far – an Al Jazeera crew was wiped out on Sunday in a tent for journalists near a hospital. But only a few in the contingent broached these questions.

The same day as the Netanyahu headline, Israeli spokesperson in India Guy Nir boasted that he was “proud to lead this delegation of Indian journalists” – including Aditya Raj Kaul (TV9), Zakka Jacob (CNN-News18), Vishnu Som (NDTV), Abhishek Kapoor (Republic TV), Siddhant Sibal (WION), Manash Pratim (PTI), and Shubhajit Roy (The Indian Express).

But what did this coverage achieve? 

A detailed look at some of the reports filed by these Indian journalists in Israel shows a clear pattern: reportage predominantly centered on the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, with comparatively little attention to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. There were a few common interviewees too.

Focus on hostage crisis 

Among the common interviewees were Mazal Tazazo, a survivor of the Nova music festival attack; Jonathan Zadka, Head of the Middle East Division at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Daniel Shek, Head of Diplomacy at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum; Ronnie Kaplan, former spokesperson of Israeli Defense Force (IDF). 

Mazal Tazazo spoke to two journalists: Sibal and Som. Daniel Shek spoke to four: Sibal, Kaul, Kapoor, and Som. Ronnie Kaplan was interviewed by Sibal and Som. Zadka was interviewed by Sibal and Kaul.

Meanwhile, Aditya Raj Kaul, reporting for News 9 and actively sharing updates on social media platforms like Instagram and X, concentrated his coverage on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the extension of the Abraham Accords, the status of Israeli hostages in Hamas custody, ongoing protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and Israeli casualties of the war.

In a video interaction with the Israeli Foreign Minister, shared via his social media, Kaul raised questions on PM Netanyahu’s appeal to the Red Cross for assistance in securing the release of remaining hostages and the United Nations’ perceived failure to act decisively against terrorism.

During an interview with Jonathan Zadka, Head of the Middle East Division at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kaul again focused on strategic topics such as the IMEC corridor and the future of the Abraham Accords. 

Sidhant Sibal also interviewed Zadka, with the conversation similarly revolving around regional geopolitics, notably the IMEC and Abraham Accords. Both Sibal and Kaul also covered protests in Jerusalem, where demonstrators demanded the swift release of hostages and a resolution to the war. Though their overall coverage continued to be dominated by themes of Israel’s hostage crisis and its bilateral relationship with India.

Sibal additionally reported from the Indian War Cemetery in Haifa, commemorating Indian soldiers who played a critical role in the 1918 liberation of Haifa. There were no questions about ​​Waibhav Anil Kale, a former Indian soldier deployed as a UN aid worker. 

A rare moment addressing the humanitarian cost of the conflict came when Sibal asked Daniel Shek about the situation in Gaza. “I have a personal view… it pains me a lot to see suffering in Gaza,” Shek responded. “It hurts me to see so much human suffering,” while stressing Hamas’ responsibility for initiating the war.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Kapoor from Republic TV delivered a ground report from Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, offering a vivid portrayal of the hostage crisis.

“This is another corner of Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. In this corner you can see stuff picked up from two kibbutzim that were attacked by the Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023,” Kapoor reported, describing personal belongings such as a piano, table lamps, and items representing the “tunnel experience” hostages allegedly endured while held in Gaza. The “tunnel experience” was a common feature in the reportage from Israel.

On NDTV, Vishnu Som raised the humanitarian crisis in Gaza but focussed more on the hostage crisis and the losses faced by Israelis. He anchored two episodes of Left, Right & Centre on the conflict.

One was broadcast from the Israeli border near the Gaza Strip, where the October 7 Hamas attack began. He interviewed a survivor and an IDF spokesperson, who walked Som through the destruction caused in Israeli towns near the border. 

In this episode, Som claimed he had questioned Israeli PM Netanyahu about Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and whether Israel planned further military expansion into the Gaza Strip that could increase civilian casualties. “Israel finds itself in a situation where it has been facing a great deal of criticism over the increasing and evolving humanitarian threat in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives. Some estimate the loss of life is 60,000. These are numbers Israel has disputed. But there is no dispute in the fact that the situation in Gaza is absolutely dire,” he said.

In a second 25-minute segment, Som focused largely on the hostage crisis, dedicating about five minutes to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He also reported from two frontline locations – Nir Oz Kibbutz, just 1.7 km from Gaza, and Majdal Al Shams, near Israel’s border with Lebanon – highlighting the impact of attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah.

In Nir Oz, Som interviewed Ronnie Kaplan to illustrate the “horror” of the October 7 attacks. In Majdal Al Shams, he spoke to a grieving mother who lost her daughter in a missile strike launched from Lebanon.

The most direct acknowledgment of restrictions on press access came in a tweet. Journalist Zakka Jacob posted on X: “On the other side of the brown/gray wall is Gaza. Arguably the worst place on the planet right now. Untold death and destruction. We are not allowed to go in and report. But hopefully this war will end, sooner than later.”

This post stood as one of the few instances where the visiting journalists directly addressed the constraints on independent reporting from Gaza.

The itinerary: From site of Oct 7 attack to Hostage Square

On the second day of their visit, Indian journalists attended a press briefing by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at the Foreign Ministry’s office. The session veered towards India-Pakistan tensions.

In an 18-minute video of the briefing, uploaded by YouTube channel DRM News, carried the headline “Israeli FM dodges Indian reporters' back-to-back anti-Pakistan questions”.

WION’s Sibal asked about Israel's support for India on cross-border terrorism and followed up with a question about the India Middle East Economic corridor. Kapoor asked about the “double standard” adopted by some nations on terrorism and what more could be done to solve the problem. Kaul questioned Israel’s faith in the UN over terrorism. He also asked about the Iranian president’s recent visit to Pakistan, noting trade deals and nuclear cooperation.

While there is no official itinerary of the journalists’ visit, Kapoor’s “Dispatch from Israel” reporting provided some details about the delegation’s schedule.

In a video posted on August 3, Kapoor reported from Israel saying he was part of a media delegation visiting for five days. “This is our first day in Israel. It’s a five-day visit and this is organised by the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs. Their idea is to make some senior Indian journalists familiarise themselves with what is happening on ground,” he said.

Kapoor outlined the planned itinerary, mentioning visits to kibbutz settlements, Jerusalem, and a possible meeting with Netanyahu. He shared personal context for his enthusiasm: "I come from a town called Vadodara in Gujarat, which had an organisation called Friends of Israel since the early 1990s... And they would be sending youngsters from town to town to Israel to live and experience for themselves what it is like to be living in a kibbutz... I would now be visiting a couple of them during this visit.” He also referenced reading O Jerusalem in college, a book about Israel’s founding, adding: “so I am pretty excited about seeing some of those places on the ground”.

According to Kapoor, the delegation landed on August 3 and visited Hostage Square. Day two was described as “very hectic and busy,” with meetings including the Israeli Defense Forces media and strategic communication team for an hour-long briefing on the Israel-Hamas situation, followed by the press briefing with the Foreign Minister and meetings at the Israeli foreign ministry with the bureau head of the Middle East.

On day three, the delegation travelled to south Israel, visiting different kibbutz communities that Hamas attacked on October 7, as well as the site of the Nova Music Festival that came under attack.

On August 5, Kapoor said he returned to Tel Aviv and visited broadcast network I-24, known for its support of Benjamin Netanyahu. He mentioned they were headed to northern Israel the following day for briefings on the security situation regarding Lebanon, Hezbollah and Syria, with a planned visit to Haifa as well.

Newslaundry reached out to all the journalists named above as well as Guy Nir for comment. This story will be updated if they respond.

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