A guest op-ed in the New York Times by Gaza City’s Hamas-appointed mayor, Yahya R. Sarraj, decrying damage to buildings as Israeli forces have worked to free hostages being held in the West Bank city has drawn equal measures of ridicule and disgust.
The essay was released on Christmas Eve and sought to outline examples of destruction in Gaza after Hamas terrorists killed and kidnapped Israeli, American and other civilians on Oct. 7.
It was entitled: “I Am Gaza City’s Mayor. Our Lives and Culture Are in Rubble”
Sarraj wrote of his hurt and pain at the “invasion” causing the destruction of infrastructure in the aftermath of deadly Hamas terrorist attack.
The Israeli invasion has caused the deaths of more than 20,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and destroyed or damaged about half the buildings in the territory. The Israelis have also pulverized something else: Gaza City’s cultural riches and municipal institutions.
The unrelenting destruction of Gaza — its iconic symbols, its beautiful seafront, its libraries and archives and whatever economic prosperity it had — has broken my heart.
He condemned without irony or self awareness the “obliteration of our way of life in Gaza,” and said he felt he was living in a nightmare thanks to the “horrific campaign of destruction and death” but did not call for the release of the hostages which would help end the attacks by Israel.
Instead he portrayed Hamas supporters as victims, something critics were quick to point out.
International Legal Forum CEO Arsen Ostrovsky outlined in a simple post on Monday just who appointed the mayor who graced the pages of the NYT, stating:
Oh, nothing to see here. Just @nytimes publishing an op-ed by Hamas appointed mayor of Gaza, Yahya Sarraj.
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) December 25, 2023
I wonder, would NYT also publish an op-ed from Al-Qaeda justifying 9-11? Of course not, but there is no red line to this paper's Jew hatred. pic.twitter.com/pLAVgo9sn3
Others were just as quick to point out the sickening move by the newspaper.
The @nytimes published a guest essay by Gaza City's Mayor. The problem? Hamas appointed him, and The Times failed to mention it.https://t.co/P1hcI1Oqb4
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) December 26, 2023
Yes, Gaza City’s Mayor is a Hamas member.
— Yoni Michanie (@YoniMichanie) December 25, 2023
And yes, this was clear to the New York Times before publication. pic.twitter.com/SSBCommDaf
Remember when the @nytimes journalists lost their minds and a chief editor had to resign because they ran an op-ed by a sitting US Senator?
— Chaya Raichik (@ChayaRaichik10) December 25, 2023
Well now the New York Times is running opinion pieces written by Hamas.
Are their journalists outraged? 🤔
NYT showing their true colors! pic.twitter.com/aXpwGKngKn
New York Times comes under fire after publishing op-ed from Hamas installed mayor. This is like Hitler claiming he's the victim in the London Times after bombing London. The NYT isn't fit to print (or read) anymore. https://t.co/Xh9JfhfOkO
— Frank Turek (@DrFrankTurek) December 26, 2023
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been working in the West Bank since Oct. 7 trying to free the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists.
Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant personally visited the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun 48-hours before the op-ed was published and made no excuses for Israel fighting to free her people, as Breitbart News reported.
Instead he issued a pointed warning to Hezbollah in Lebanon: this could be Beirut.
