From what I can gather this conflict as been going on a long time and the Hamas group has existed for a while too. Why are all the news cycles suddenly focusing on this the past few weeks?
Something like 10,000 civilians dead in the period of a month. Tends to draw the attention
OP has a point. There are other conflicts that have high body counts that don’t drive front page stories. Yemen. The stuff going on in Myanmar. Uyghurs. Even the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean.
You’re right that this is a significant conflict, but our news industry doesn’t assign column inches to body count.
Not the volume of deaths, but the continuousness of deaths.
Everyday another ~300 people die on average.
Not to mention media availability, because it’s basically a prison having rockets thrown at it, media can get really good information. They’re not really in a war zone. It’s a one-sided killing field more or less. So great reporting conditions great visuals. Conflicts really concentrated. Just put the cameras right there. You’ll capture most of it.
If it bleeds it leads.
Hamas led the largest attack on Israel in decades, Israel has responded with their most significant attack on Hamas in decades.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Hamas_attack_on_Israel?wprov=sfla1
Hamas announced the start of the operation, stating that it had fired over 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel within a span of 20 minutes. Israeli sources reported that at least 3,000 projectiles had been launched from Gaza. At least five people were killed by the rocket attacks.
They overwhelmed the air defense systems through sheer numbers. Proving a bit of theoretical weakness
There’s also a contingent that’s betting it’s the kickoff to the End Times.
the media requires people to pay attention to it or they cant sell ad placement. bad news sells better than good news does.
the war in Ukraine is basically at a standstill, no one is going to watch it. media needs a new focus and Israel vs Iranian funded hamas terrorists is the next big thing. in a few months it’ll be something else - it’s just the focus of the “now”.
It’s an easy story, there are clear sides, and there are vocal demographics in the West that really care about it.
So it drives clicks. Local Palestinian, Jewish, and related groups are saying stuff that makes for easy interviews. The “other side” is easy to find, so creating multi-source stories is a breeze. For journalists with tight daily deadlines, it’s a gift.
Even better, politicians are courting those groups, so they’re saying stuff that, again, is easy to report on. And it’s local news!
The right side, and the wrong side,. Plus you can interview people who argue about right versus wrong. It’s a lot of content that can be farmed
In your opinion, Which sides are which sides? I don’t need an essay, just a definition :)
The sides are clearly defined. Which, if any is the good side, not so much. However people have strong opinions about one or the other so there’s lots of opportunity for arguments