Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025-12
Media coverage framework of crimes committed by Israeli occupation against Palestinian female journalists: An analytical comparative study of the YouTube videos of AlJazeera and BBC channels
This study seeks to identify the digital media frames of the violations committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian female journalists as presented on the AlJazeera YouTube channel and BBC YouTube channel from 1/1/2020 to 30/06/2023. The media framing theory foregrounds the current study. This study is considered descriptive and uses the media survey methodology as well as quantitative and qualitative analysis. A sample of 105 videos posted on the two YouTube channels were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The study results reveal that both TV news channels covered Israeli violations against Palestinian female journalists, such as killing, arrests, and abuse, while completely ignoring Israeli violations related to restricting freedom of opinion and expression. Furthermore, the YouTube channels primarily documented Israeli violations against Palestinian female journalists through videos created by citizens using mobile phones. The study also revealed that the assassination of the Palestinian journalist Sherine Abu Aqelah is the most significant incident featured in YouTube videos. Results indicate that the number of videos published on AlJazeera YouTube channel is greater than that published on the BBC channel. In addition, AlJazeera’s YouTube channel used emotional and rational persuasion techniques in covering Israeli violations. The news coverage by AlJazeera gives more attention to the violations against its journalists and reporters than those working for other media organizations.
Abu AklehLAbdelnabiR (2024) Shireen Abu Akleh: The everlasting voice of Palestine. Journal of Palestine Studies53(3): 126–133.
2.
Abu Al-hodaE (2025) Egyptian youth’s exposure to influencers’ content on social media after the 2023 war on Gaza and their awareness of the Palestinian cause. The Egyptian Journal of Media Research2025(90): 41–94.
3.
Abu Al-KhairKZ (2024) The structure of digital storytelling in news websites: A comparative analytical study of Al Jazeera and BBC. The Egyptian Journal of Public Opinion Research23(3): 291–340.
4.
Abu AounM (2021) Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists. Malaysian Islamic Journal of Media Research1(2): 2.
5.
AbushmasMJ (2020) Palestinian female journalists—Their struggles, risks, and challenges: A case study of Gaza 2007–2019. Master’s thesis, Al-Quds University.
6.
Al Jazeera Mubasher [@aljazeeramubasher]. (2021, May7). [Al Jazeera Correspondent Recalls Her Assault and Arrest by Occupation Forces in Sheikh Jarrah] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVWgUbnkbQA
7.
Al Jazeera Mubasher [@aljazeeramubasher]. (2022, May11). حصريا .. فيديو جديد لحظة إطلاق النار على شيرين أبو عاقلة [Exclusive: The Moment Shireen Abu Akleh Was Shot] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqdzSDDQZ-o
8.
Al-AbdNA (2009) Radio, Television, and Satellite Channels: Origins, Development, and Future Prospects. Dar Al-Fikr Al-Arabi, p. 257.
9.
AlJazeera Arabic قناة الجزيرة [@aljazeera]. (2022a, May11). لحظة إعلان استشهاد شيرين أبو عاقلة على قناة الجزيرة وتأثر وليد العمري [The moment Al Jazeera announced the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, as Walid Al-Omari grew emotional on air] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjdZgQvJNc8
10.
AlJazeera Arabic قناة الجزيرة [@aljazeera]. (2022b, May12). جيفارا البديري: أنا أمسكت رأس شيرين بيدي لا توجد فيه جمجمة [Givara Al-Budairi: ‘I Held Shireen’s Head in My Hands — Her Skull Was Shattered’] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS0ZNM9HAjM
11.
AlJazeera Arabic قناة الجزيرة [@aljazeera]. (2022c, May12). رئيس الاتحاد الدولي للصحفيين: اغتيال شيرين أبو عاقلة تمّ عن سابق تصور [President of the International Federation of Journalists: Shireen Abu Akleh’s Assassination Was Premeditated] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeQcfLm6Td0
12.
AlJazeera Arabic قناة الجزيرة [@aljazeera]. (2022d, May13). في مشهد مؤثر.. جيفارا البديري تودع زميلتها شيرين أبو عاقلة [In an Emotional Farewell, Ghivara Al-Baderi Bids Goodbye to Her Colleague Shireen Abu Akleh] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otK-v_9p1Ok
13.
AlJazeera Arabic قناة الجزيرة [@aljazeera]. (2022e, May13). لأول مرة.. فيديو جديد للحظة اغتيال الشهيدة شيرين أبو عاقلة [For the first time… A new video of the moment of martyr Shireen Abu Akleh’s assassination] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7EckONqZZ8
14.
Aljazeera Media Library [@AljazeeraArchive]. (2020, May15). استهداف صحفيي الجزيرة من قبل جنود الاحتلال الإسرائيلي [The targeting of Al Jazeera journalists by Israeli occupation soldiers] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOfGUnuBm7k
15.
Al-JundiH (2024) The Impact of Post-October 7, 2023 Violence on the Safety of Palestinian Journalists in the Gaza Strip. Journal of Media Research70(3): 1813–1870.
16.
AlkallinyS (2017) Framing of media coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in CNN and Fox News. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences2(4): 239–207.
17.
Al-MuntasirM (2021) Evaluating citizen journalism in specialized news bulletins on Arab satellite channels reliant on interactivity and Arab audience participation on social media platforms. Scientific Journal of Radio and Television Research21: 419.
18.
AlsarayrahAA (2024) The role of journalism in documenting and addressing crimes against journalists in Gaza: An analytical study. Pakistan Journal of Criminology16(3): 355–368.
19.
AminGM (2024) Framing of short animated videos on the 2023 Israel-Gaza war. The Scientific Journal of Radio and Television Research2024(30): 601–672.
20.
Asa’dHOMAl-BadriHOreqatA (2025) The role of mobile journalism in documenting Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists: a survey study. Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences52(1): 143–162.
21.
AvelarB (2024) Resistance beyond borders: Eye-witness accounts from young Palestinian journalists and global perception of the current Palestinian genocide through social media. Master’s thesis, Jönköping University.
22.
BBC News عربي [@bbcnewsarabic]. (2022a, May11). [BBC Correspondent Talks About the Professional Bond She Shared with the Late Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EcOcm1q7Dw
23.
BBC News عربي [@bbcnewsarabic]. (2022b, May12). شيرين أبو عاقلة: قتل مراسلة الجزيرة في ذكرى مواجهات “الشيخ جراح” وحرب غزة [Shireen Abu Akleh: The killing of the Al Jazeera correspondent on the anniversary of the Sheikh Jarrah clashes and the Gaza war] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiehkBZJLSk
24.
BBC News عربي [@bbcnewsarabic]. (2022c, May13). شيرين أبو عاقلة: إلى أين تصل المطالبات بتحقيق دولي في مقتلها؟ | نقطة حوار [Shireen Abu Akleh: What Is the Status of Calls for an International Investigation into Her Killing?] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm9hKrSQyNc
25.
BBC News عربي [@bbcnewsarabic]. (2022d, May14). جدل “الترحم” على شيرين أبو عاقلة يثير غضبا واسعا على المنصات الاجتماعية [Controversy Over Prayers for Shireen Abu Akleh Sparks Widespread Outrage on Social Media] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBnSH9p3I6o
26.
BsharatTRAbedBAHamarshaMM, et al (2023). An analysis of the reality of the Palestinian press during its field coverage. Sherine Abu Aqleh’s assassination: a case study. EuropeanJournal of Theoretical and Applied Sciences1(3): 225–232.
27.
ChangKKZeldesGA (2006) Three of four newspapers studied favor Israeli instead of Palestinian sources. Newspaper Research Journal27(4): 84–90.
28.
De VreeseCH (2005) News framing: Theory and typology. Information Design Journal+ Document Design13(1): 51–62.
29.
EkraamF (2024). The use of political infographics in the coverage of the Israeli war on Gaza in Arab and Foreign newspaper websites: An analytical study. Journal of Media Research70(3): 1335–1396.
30.
FahmySSSalamaMAlsabaMR (2024) Shattered lives, unbroken stories: Journalists’ perspectives from the frontlines of the Israel–Gaza war. Online Media and Global Communication3(2): 151–180.
31.
FaizH (2024) The interaction of the audience with content related to “the war on Gaza 2023” on news pages on social media: A study within the framework of big data using sentiment analysis and topic modeling methods. Journal of Media Research69(3): 1445–1506.
32.
FaragWG (2021) Treatment of Arab and foreign satellite channels for Israeli violations of the rights of Palestinian children. Childhood Journal of Scientific Research80: 299.
33.
FarajW (2021) The coverage of Israeli violations of Palestinian children’s rights by Arabic and foreign satellite channels and the position of international law on these violations. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Media and Children’s Culture, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
34.
FosterD (2020) Factors influencing the popularity of YouTube videos and users’ decisions to watch them. Doctoral dissertation, University of Wolverhampton, UK.
35.
FodaM (2022) Frameworks for addressing Arabic and foreign electronic newspapers on the Egyptian stance towards the Israeli aggression on Gaza in May 2021: An analytical study. Egyptian Journal of Media Research. 2022(80): 299–367.
36.
GabrAM (2024). Frames of coverage by Arab newspaper websites of the Gaza war events 2023: an analytical study. Journal of Media Research and Studies29(29): 243–310.
37.
GunawanYIhsanFMAndersonPA (2023) The murder of Shireen Abu Akleh: How does law protect the journalist in a war?Lex Scientia Law Review7(2): 375–412.
38.
HamdanY (2024) Wartime influencers: Palestinian citizen journalism on Instagram during the war on Gaza 2023–2024. Master’s thesis, Utrecht University.
39.
HayesAF (2020) Statistical Methods for Communication Science. Routledge.
40.
HazbounIMaozIBlondheimM (2019) Palestinian media landscape: Experiences, narratives, and agendas of journalists under restrictions. The Communication Review22(1): 1–25.
41.
HoroubI (2023) Understanding media empowerment: citizen journalism in Palestine. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications10(1): 1–10.
42.
JanssenMCG (2010) A framing analysis of online newspaper articles and weblog articles. Doctoral dissertation, San Jose State University, US.
43.
KandilA (2025) Analysis of war data-driven stories: A comparative study between Arabian and foreign websites. Journal of Mass Communication Research73(4): 2379–2452.
44.
KotišováJ (2024) The epistemic injustice in conflict reporting: Reporters and ‘fixers’ covering Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine. Journalism25(6): 1290–1309.
45.
KrippendorffK (2018) Content Analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology. Sage Publications.
46.
KuckartzURädikerS (2023) Qualitative Content Analysis: Methods, Practice and Software. Sage.
47.
LachoverE (2024) Negotiating between gender, national and professional identities: The work-experience of Israeli-Palestinian women journalists. Ethnicities24(1): 123–141.
48.
LechelerSDe VreeseCH (2019) News Framing Effects: Theory and Practice. Taylor & Francis.
49.
MADA (2015) Violations against female journalists in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms. Available at: https://www.madacenter.org/en/article/1028/ (accessed 1 July 2024).
50.
MahmoudOM (2024) The visual coverage of the Gaza war events on news accounts on Instagram. The Scientific Journal of Journalism Research29: 203–257.
51.
MahroomM (2023) Al Jazeera channel’s coverage of the assassination of Sherine Abu Akal and its impact on media students’ attitudes at Yarmouk University towards the risks of journalism in hotspots. Scientific Journal of Radio and Television Research25: 677.
52.
MajeedTAbushbakAMQadriM, et al (2024) Cross-national civilian reporting of the everydayness of war: Emerging citizen journalism practices in Palestine and Kashmir. Journalism26: 1122–1142.
53.
MakhloufA (2024) The media framing of the Palestinian cause on Arab satellite television: A descriptive and analytical study of a sample from the Today Harvest Program on Al Jazeera News Channel. Doctoral dissertation, Al Quds University.
54.
MohamedM (2024) The visual framing of Palestinian suffering during the Gaza war in Arab and International Online Journalism: A comparative study of Al-Masry Al-Youm and The Guardian. The Egyptian Journal of Media Studies2024(88): 431–480.
55.
OkashaH (2024) The discourses of Arab political influencers on social media regarding the Al-Aqsa Flood War. Journal of Media Research and Studies27(27): 241–314.
56.
PeeblesG (2022) Killing Palestinian Journalists and The Silence of Israeli Apartheid. CounterPunch.
57.
Quds News Network [@QudsNPS]. (2023, October23). الأسيرة المحررة الصحفية رولا حسنين تروي تفاصيل قساوة السجن [Rola Hasnain, Recently Freed, Describes the Harsh Reality of Prison] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihutTlmS27o
58.
SattiM (2015) Framing the islamic state on Al jazeera English and the BBC websites. Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research8(1): 37–53.
59.
ScheufeleD (1999) Framing as a theory of media effects. Journal of Communication49(1): 103–122.
60.
SchwalbeCBRellyJECruikshankSA, et al. (2019) Human security as a conceptual framework: the case of Palestinian journalists. Journalism Studies20(13): 1920–1939.
61.
ShmootKN (2024) Media coverage of Arab satellite channel websites on the Gaza war. The Scientific Journal of Radio and Television Studies2024(27): 279–307.
62.
TannenD (1993) Framing in Discourse. Oxford University Press.
63.
YoussefRS (2014) The role of television and social media in shaping public opinion towards Islamic groups. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Cairo University, Egypt.
64.
ZahoorMSadiqN (2021) Digital public sphere and Palestine-Israel conflict: A conceptual analysis of news coverage. Liberal Arts and Social Sciences International Journal5(1): 168–181.
65.
ZuhrohF (2022) Al Jazeera’s role in the enforcement of International Humanitarian Law in the case of shooting journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli army. Mediasi: Journal of International Relations5(1).
