A comparative analysis of media coverage in the early stage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since October 7, 2023

Abstract

This study examines the media coverage of four key events during the early stages of the 2023 Gaza war: the October 7 attacks, the explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital on October 17, the airstrike on Jabalya Refugee Camp on October 31, and the siege of Al-Shifa Hospital on November 15. Four major media outlets—The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, and Haaretz—are analyzed through a Corpus-Based Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach. The study aims to uncover the discursive strategies and framing techniques used by each outlet in their representation of the main actors: Hamas, Israelis, and Palestinians. The findings reveal significant differences in how the conflict is framed, with each outlet presenting the key actors in distinct ways, shaped by their respective political and cultural ideologies. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how media influences public perceptions of international conflicts, highlighting the importance of critical engagement with media messages by global audiences. Furthermore, this study explores how combining qualitative and quantitative methods can yield both objective and functional insights into language patterns, laying a foundation for future research on media discourses and ideologies in large-scale texts.