The Listening Post: "Smear. Kill. Repeat."

Date: October 4, 2025
Host: Al Jazeera
Theme: Systematic Targeting of Palestinian Journalists in Gaza

Overview

This searing episode marks the second anniversary of October 7th, focusing on Israel's systematic targeting and killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza during its military campaign following the Hamas attacks. The Listening Post explores the deliberate dismantling of Gaza's journalistic community, the tactics used to smear and justify attacks against media workers, and the widespread impunity enabling these crimes. Key voices – investigative journalists, human rights advocates, media analysts, and survivors – dissect how not only Israel but also Western media institutions contribute to the silencing of Palestinian reporting.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Unprecedented Level of Journalist Killings (01:34–03:14)

• The killing of journalists in Gaza since October 7th has reached "unprecedented levels." Israel has killed more media workers in Gaza in ten weeks than ever in a single year anywhere, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
• Quote (01:34):
  "The targeting and the killing of journalists at an unprecedented level that we hadn't seen before. They are trying to paint Palestinian journalists as not journalists at all in order to be able to kill them." – Investigative Journalist

2. Justification and Smearing of Journalists (03:14–05:24)

• Israeli officials and media have cultivated a narrative casting Palestinian journalists as Hamas operatives to legitimize targeting them.
• Quote (03:14):
  "After October 7th, you had Israeli parliamentarians, including the Foreign Ministry, and then amplified by Israeli media, suggest that Palestinian journalists in Gaza somehow had prior knowledge about the October 7 attacks or that they were working for Hamas." – Bradley Martin
• Israeli playbook after killings: deny, blame victims, promise investigation, eventually admit after international attention fades—now escalating to overt intention and elimination of journalists’ families.

3. Changing Methods: From Denial to Open Targeting (05:24–08:44)

• Israel’s approach has shifted, with warnings, doxxing, and family targeting becoming normalized. Families of journalists are now "fair game."
• Example: Al Jazeera’s Wael Dahdouh lost multiple family members; his son Hamza, an Al Jazeera cameraman, was killed in Jan 2024.
• Memorable moment (06:00–07:15):
  The harrowing personal losses endured by journalists and their families, painting a vivid picture of the personal cost and intimidation strategies.

4. Smear Campaigns & Posthumous Accusations (08:44–10:56)

• After a journalist’s killing, Israel often claims the individual was a militant, frequently producing unsubstantiated or implausible "evidence."
• Example: Ismail Al Ghul was accused posthumously of being a militant leader in 2007—when he was just 10.
• Quote (09:38):
  "Those documents were proven to be unsubstantiated by press watchdog groups and the United Nations... that's how ridiculous these claims are." – Investigative Journalist

5. The Case of Anas Al Sharif (10:05–13:20)

• Al Jazeera’s Anas Al Sharif, who defied orders to leave Gaza and continued reporting, was systematically smeared, threatened, targeted, and eventually killed in an Israeli airstrike in 2024 along with five other journalists.
• Quote (12:32):
  "We know that Anas Al Sharif was very frightened and he genuinely believed that the smears against him were a precursor to his murder. And that proved to be the case." – Media Analyst
• After Al Sharif’s death, Israel offered no justification for killing the five other journalists in the same attack.

6. Institutionalized Smearing: The "Legitimization Cell" (14:01–14:56)

• Right after October 7th, Israel reportedly set up a special military unit, the "Legitimization Cell," tasked specifically with gathering and disseminating information to smear Palestinian journalists.
• Quote (14:01):
  "It was a PR role to inflict reputation damage on Palestinians who are doing their job reporting Israel's genocidal war in Gaza... because it will give us time, it will allow us to prolong the war." – Bradley Martin

7. Western Media’s Complicity and Double Standard (16:35–20:50)

• Western institutions have, through lack of solidarity and uncritical repetition of Israeli narratives, enabled the dehumanization and endangerment of Palestinian journalists.
• Quote (17:04):
  "That language is used that continually and perpetually dehumanizes Palestinians, that diminishes what's being experienced, that casts doubt on the veracity of individuals." – Media Analyst
• Double standards: While wrongful imprisonment of Western journalists is promptly called out as "fabricated," disclaimers or support are rarely afforded to Palestinian journalists.
• Quote (18:10):
  "When they covered, for example, Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter... the headline and the lead would say these charges are widely seen as fabricated. They do not engage in that kind of narrative when it comes to Palestinian journalists." – Investigative Journalist

8. The Human Cost & Ongoing Courage (20:50–22:51)

• Palestinian journalists work under extreme danger, aware they’re targets, with some preparing farewell letters in anticipation of their deaths.
• Quote (22:51):
  "I think what we are witnessing is the bravest act of journalism in our lifetimes, that these journalists in Gaza refused to leave Gaza. They refused to stop their coverage, despite being killed in unprecedented numbers." – Investigative Journalist

9. Global Implications: Spread of Impunity (23:56–24:43)

• Without consequences for Israel, a global precedent is set: states can kill journalists without repercussions.
• Quote (23:56):
  "Impunity spreads. If you can get away with killing journalists in order to control the narrative, and you know that there will be no repercussions... you will continue to do this." – Media Analyst

10. Testimony and the Loss to History (24:43–end)

• The deaths of journalists also mean the loss of direct witnesses who could have testified to war crimes in future international proceedings.
• Quote (24:43):
  "Journalism is a form of evidence gathering. It's a form of documentation... when it comes to international courts trying to hold Israel to account for this genocidal war, we have now lost scores of people who were capable and equipped to give testimonials... and who now cannot because Israel has killed them." – Bradley Martin

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "They are trying to paint Palestinian journalists as not journalists at all in order to be able to kill them." (Investigative Journalist, 01:34)
• "If you know that you can get away with murder, you will do it again and again and again." (Media Analyst, 01:55 and 23:56)
• "I think what we are witnessing is the bravest act of journalism in our lifetimes." (Investigative Journalist, 22:51)
• "Western media do not see Palestinian journalists as the same as them. …and that in itself places Palestinian journalists in Gaza in a different category, and it is not an equal one." (Bradley Martin, 19:12)
• "We have an entire generation of Palestinian journalists who have been lost in Gaza. …when it comes to international courts… we have now lost scores of people who were capable and equipped to give testimonials… and who now cannot because Israel has killed them." (Bradley Martin, 24:43)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:34 – Start of Journalist Killings Discussion
• 03:14 – Smear Narrative Construction
• 05:24 – Old Playbook vs. New Tactics: Family Targeting
• 08:44 – Brazen Smearing Post-Killing
• 10:05–13:20 – The Case of Anas Al Sharif
• 14:01 – "Legitimization Cell" and Systematic Smearing
• 16:35–20:50 – Western Media's Complicity
• 22:51–24:43 – Testimony, Courage, and Historical Loss

Tone and Language

The episode is urgent, grave, and unflinching, blending investigative rigor with personal testimony and mounting outrage. Speakers use direct, precise language, at times graphic in illustration, with deep empathy for the victims and harsh criticism for perpetrators and enablers alike.

Conclusion

The episode delivers a detailed, damning examination of Israel’s campaign against Palestinian journalists and the complicit silence or distortion by Western media. It stands as both memorial and call to action, foregrounding the courage of Gaza’s journalists, the loss to journalism and history, and the dangers posed by unchecked impunity to freedom of the press globally.