In the conflicts that are before our eyes, those of the last two years, we talk about these only because they are the ones closest to our hearts and our borders, in addition to counting the numbers of deaths and asking ourselves how we moved on from free trade agreements to shoot the neighbor, we have recorded, more or less the news war.
In ancient times the problem did not exist, it was always the winner who spoke about the war and the vanquished had no say in the matter. Now in the era of the social sphere things are no longer like that. Let’s say that benevolence and malevolence towards one or the other contender are generated by algorithms that orient our ability to choose towards an inclination that is created with the “information bubble”. Without realizing that in the end there is no winner in a conflict. Victory lies in finding common elements in the most total discord.
If we look at the most recent conflict between Israel and Hamas there were two facts that should make us reflect a lot on the manipulation of information: the first is that of the report presented to the United Nations in which there was: “sexual violence in the Hamas attack against Israel on October 7” by Hamas men against Israeli victims.
The second is the one presented by the Palestinian Authorities who denounce the attack against civilians while they were going to the Nablus roundabout to take the food dropped by planes.
As regards the first case, the United Nations report confirms sexual violence during the Hamas attack against Israel. After a mission lasting just over two weeks, the UN team found “well-founded reasons to believe” that “rapes and gang rapes” took place during the October 7, 2023 attack, while acknowledging the limitations of its investigation . Presenting the report at a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York, Pramila Patten, UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said there was “clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape , sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading practices” has been committed.
On the other hand, on March 8, the Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas declared in a press release: “We reject the results of the fictitious and misleading investigation presented today by the criminal Zionist occupation army regarding last week’s Nabuls roundabout massacre, which cost the lives of around 120 Palestinians who were waiting to receive aid, and met with widespread international condemnation. This prompted Israel to seek to clear its terrorist soldiers of the crime, who committed horrific crimes with no other justification if not their thirst to kill even more of our people. This false and deceptive investigation goes beyond the convincing facts, which have documented that Palestinians were subjected to direct fire on the upper parts of the body with the intention of killing instantly, which is evident from the inspection of the bodies of the martyrs, further to other evidence confirming that they were deliberately exposed to fire from soldiers and tanks. This horrific massacre will remain a testament to the criminality and Nazism of this entity devoid of human and moral values, and this and other massacres and violations will remain a curse that will haunt it until rights are achieved for our grieving Palestinian people and its leaders and soldiers are being tried for crimes and violations committed against our Palestinian people.”
Even in this case, the fact that led to the death of 120 people is not as acclaimed as the statement from Hamas and the Islamic Resistance states. Videos from Israeli drones show an incessant crowd of people heading towards vehicles carrying humanitarian aid and then there are the images of the dead. No images of the shooting.
Anything could have happened in those circumstances and to understand what exactly, the survivors and the military personnel in the area should be interviewed. Without reaching judgments from one side to the other, what can certainly be said is that both sides used the two facts to bring public opinion to their side as if it were an electoral campaign.
In the midst of these media campaigns supported by technology, i.e. algorithms, there are human beings who continue to die under bullets, bladed weapons, of hunger, thirst, of common diseases due to lack of medicines out of hatred.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
