Mick Hartley

A question for the @guardian

Bethan McKernan just left her post as Jerusalem correspondent and she wrote a big 'leaving' article. In it she describes being in Gaza 3 days before Oct 7.

She describes seeing a large amount of Hamas fighters out in the open training conducting… pic.twitter.com/GMRooOfUAM

— David Collier (@mishtal) June 11, 2025

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Bethan McKernan just left her post as Jerusalem correspondent and she wrote a big 'leaving' article. In it she describes being in Gaza 3 days before Oct 7.

She describes seeing a large amount of Hamas fighters out in the open training conducting 'military drills'. She goes on to say 'none of us had ever seen so many' out in the open and training before.

So here is my question. Why wasn't this a news item? If journalism is independent in Gaza and if your journalist saw a large *unprecedented* training exercise by Hamas terrorists…

Why wasn't it reported? Why didn't you tell the world?

I will answer for you. It wasn't reported for two reasons.

1. Because reporting in Gaza is neither free, nor independent – and if you wanted continued access to Gaza – you could not write ANYTHING to annoy Hamas. Not that you would ever tell your readers that.

2. You are an anti-Israel rag that doesn't care what is happening if you cannot demonise Israel with it.

Now think about this. What if you had reported it? And what if it had been seen by Israeli intelligence? And what if one of the officers had brought it to the attention of a superior officer? And what if one of them had thought it odd and thought it worth looking at more closely?

Three days before Oct 7. What if.

Bethan McKernan's article here.