Douglas Murray condemns media’s ‘astounding lack of empathy’ for Israeli people

Author Douglas Murray has condemned international media outlets for their “astounding lack of empathy” for Israeli people through their reporting. Mr Murray pointed to coverage of an incident in Gaza where three hostages were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers after being mistaken as a threat. A preliminary report into the deaths of Yotam Haim, 28, Samer Talalka, 25, and Alon Shamriz, 26, suggested the men had removed their shirts to show IDF forces they were not armed or wearing suicide vests. It also found the three emerged from a building "tens of metres" away from the Israeli soldiers carrying a stick bearing white cloth - an improvised white flag. “Can you imagine what it was like for those soldiers who are in Gaza? Knowing that at any point there are sniping, booby traps everywhere, people coming out of tunnels they have built at British and American taxpayer expenses,” he told Sky News Australia host Piers Morgan. “Can you imagine what it was like for the soldiers who in that terrible moment made the life-changing mistake of shooting three people who turned out to be Hamas hostages?”