UPDATE - Israel’s former prime minister accuses international media of favoring Hamas

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By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) – Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has accused international media outlets of displaying bias in their reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, favoring the Palestinian group Hamas over Israel.

“If the international media is objective and shows both sides, it serves Hamas,” Lapid said Sunday.

“My argument is that the media cannot just claim to bring both sides of the story. If you do that, you are only bringing one -- Hamas’s side,” he said, noting “it is an insult to the victims, including the Palestinians.”

“It is an insult to the core idea of journalism,” Lapid added.

Noting that he worked as a journalist for 31 years, Lapid said “I have no problem with criticism of Israel. But when you know that one side lies and one side makes every effort to verify the facts, the least we can expect is that you don't give a never-ending platform to the lies.”

Israel launched a relentless bombardment campaign against Gaza following a surprise attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, putting the enclave’s residents under total siege and a blockade of food, fuel and medical supplies.

Nearly 7,200 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 5,791 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat