Opinion: How an ‘antisemitism hoax' drowned out the discovery of mass graves in Gaza

A gruesome discovery was made in Gaza at the weekend. Some 300 Palestinian bodies - of men, women and children - were unearthed from an unmarked mass grave in the courtyard of the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

Even given Israel’s record of committing relentless atrocities in Gaza over the past six months - killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them women and children - this one stood out.

Some bodies were reported to have been found with their hands and feet bound, and stripped of clothing, strongly suggesting they had been executed during a three-month invasion of the city by Israeli soldiers. Others were said to be decapitated, or their skin and organs removed.

And yet, like so many other Israeli atrocities, this one barely caused a ripple in the news cycle. 

Months ago, the establishment British media largely lost interest in reporting on the continuing slaughter in Gaza. The contrast with the media’s early coverage of Ukraine has been stark. The discovery of a mass grave containing some 100 bodies in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha - blamed on Russian troops - caused international outrage.

READ MORE: How an ‘antisemitism hoax' drowned out the discovery of mass graves in Gaza, opinion by Jonathan Cook