Photo: dw.
The British newspaper The Guardian became the epicentre of controversy after publishing a review of the documentary One Day in October, which covers the events of 7 October and was shown on Channel 4. The film, directed by Dan Reed, shows the shocking moments of the attack on Kibbutz Be’eri, including interviews with eyewitnesses and former hostages.
Criticism of the review
The author of the review, Stuart Jeffreys, noted that the film was “heartbreaking” and contained disturbing material. However, his remarks caused a wave of outrage. In particular, he noted that the film demonises the people of Gaza, calling them “murderers” and “looters”. Jeffries also said: “If you want to understand why Hamas is killing civilians, One Day in October is not going to help you. The film perfectly illustrates how the people of Gaza first appear as Hamas’s deranged killers and then as shameless looters.”
Public reaction
These comments provoked anger among many viewers and commentators. Journalist Nicole Lampert expressed her outrage, noting that “criticism of why Hamas and the Gazans who killed and looted look bad is highly unacceptable”. The editor of The Jewish Chronicle, David Collier, stressed that such criticism is “disgusting even for the Guardian, a publication that has a decades-long history of anti-Semitism”.
This incident prompted a discussion not only of the film’s content, but also of the media’s attitude to the ongoing conflict. Critics of the review believe that such statements only deepen stereotypes and do not contribute to understanding in the complex context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
