Frontline’s ‘Genocide in Gaza’ irks Israeli allies, Editor says ‘Hamas was not begotten in a vacuum’

The Hindu Group’s magazine, Frontline, has come under severe criticism from the Israeli ambassador to India Naor Gilon and Israel’s allies for including an interview with Hamas spokesperson Moussa Abu Marzouk.

Frontline sought to bring attention to the unfolding "untold horrors and cruelties" in the region through its November 17 issue, adorned with a cover image capturing a man holding a blood-soiled child.

Gilon expressed his disappointment, labelling it as a "shameless attempt to justify giving stage to an arch-terrorist." He argued that Hamas, with its "jihadist agenda," does not represent the Palestinian people and is seeking the "annihilation of Israel," emphasizing that the conflict is not merely a territorial dispute.

Frontline's editor, Vaishna Roy, defended the magazine's editorial choices, highlighting that they also interviewed pro-Israel figures such as Dror Eydar and Yaakov Amidror. She pointed out Amidror's headline, "To win the war we have to destroy Hamas," emphasizing the diverse perspectives presented in the coverage.

In an editor's note, Roy addressed that people are “being harangued to condemn Hamas, but Hamas was not begotten in a vacuum”.

“The Zionists have taken their generational rage and turned it not against the powerful West, whose arms and support they need, but against the hapless people on whose lands they have settled,” she wrote.

Gilon's response, a two-page letter expressing his dismay, was directed not to Roy but to the editor-in-chief of The Hindu, Frontline's sister outlet under the Hindu Group. This move has raised questions about the diplomatic channels chosen by the Israeli ambassador to voice his concerns.

The controversy adds fuel to the ongoing global debate on the status of Hamas, with opinions divided while the Gaza region faces a humanitarian crisis, reporting over 8,000 deaths and shortages of essential supplies.