Reporting from Gaza during NBC’s Today show Monday morning, chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel was actually shown marching alongside Hamas militants while touting how the terrorist group was “seeing a wave of popularity” among Palestinians after lobbing thousands of rockets at Israel. The reporter then painted Israel as the villain in the conflict.
“Hamas’s military wing, unseen throughout the conflict, down in tunnels firing rockets, has emerged from hiding to show it has not been destroyed,” Engel declared at the top of his report. In the next shot, he was shown walking alongside the terrorists “as the militants paraded through the streets, Gazans looked on with overwhelming support.”
He added to the celebratory atmosphere by proclaiming: “Hamas is seeing a wave of popularity after this latest round of violence, presenting itself as the soul defenders of the Palestinian people, the only ones willing and able to stand up to Israel.”
Engel tried to portray Israel as the defeated antagonist in the conflict:
Israel wanted to set back Hamas’s military capacity and did, but Israel also hoped the air strikes would turn people in Gaza against Hamas. That didn’t happen....In Gaza, they see it very differently. Gaza is completely cut off. Israel doesn’t allow the two million Palestinians here to leave and there were no shelters to run to while Gaza was under attack.
Talking to two young women living in Gaza, the correspondent wondered: “What about the rockets? When the rockets were launched from here? Did that make you happy or were you against that?” One of them announced: “It’s just the feeling that there is someone who is defending you.” The other cheered: “We are fighting for our freedom. And if that’s the only way, us from Gaza, we can literally do nothing to defend ourselves.”
Terrorists attacking Israel gains them “popularity” in the eyes of the left-wing press, along with fawning coverage.
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Here is a full transcript of the May 24 segment:
7:09 AM ET
HODA KOTB: Let’s move now to the latest from the Middle East. Over the weekend, Israel and Hamas continued to honor that cease-fire that brought an end to the most recent round of fighting, but the region is still very much on edge. And just this morning, the White House is announcing the Secretary of State will travel there in the coming days. NBC’s chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel is there for us in Gaza. Richard, good morning.
RICHARD ENGEL: Good morning. Here in Gaza, they are still clearing away the rubble and they have a long way to go, but tensions remain extremely high and on both sides there is a sense that this truce is just temporary.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Middle East Cease-Fire Enters Day Four]
Hamas’s military wing, unseen throughout the conflict, down in tunnels firing rockets, has emerged from hiding to show it has not been destroyed. As the militants paraded through the streets, Gazans looked on with overwhelming support.
Hamas is seeing a wave of popularity after this latest round of violence, presenting itself as the soul defenders of the Palestinian people, the only ones willing and able to stand up to Israel.
Israel wanted to set back Hamas’s military capacity and did, but Israel also hoped the air strikes would turn people in Gaza against Hamas. That didn’t happen. In Israel, many wanted the air strikes to continue.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN [ISRAELI CITIZEN]: I’m against the cease-fire with Gaza. I think we should continue the fighting.
ENGEL: In Gaza, they see it very differently. Gaza is completely cut off. Israel doesn’t allow the two million Palestinians here to leave and there were no shelters to run to while Gaza was under attack.
CARMA HYJAL: It felt like a living hell.
ENGEL: A few blocks from their homes, I met Carma Hyjal and Selma Abu Shah Ban, both law students and best friends. We spoke in the remains of a popular coffee shop in a hotel.
What about the rockets? When the rockets were launched from here? Did that make you happy or were you against that?
SELMA ABU SHAH BAN: It’s just the feeling that there is someone who is defending you.
HYJAL: We are fighting for our freedom. And if that’s the only way, us from Gaza, we can literally do nothing to defend ourselves.
ENGEL: The rockets fired at Israeli cities killed at least 12 Israeli civilians. Around 250 Palestinians were killed in the air strikes fired in response. President Biden says he supports a two-state solution, one for Israelis, the other for Palestinians, but that seems far off. For now there’s only a cease-fire, and it’s a fragile foundation to build on.
An Egyptian delegation has met with both Palestinians and Israelis to try to build on this cease-fire but so far we’re hearing they have not produced any results.
KOTB: Alright, Richard Engel for us there in Gaza. Richard, thank you.
