Little effort was made to critically assess claims originating from Hamas-controlled territory, where independent reporting is heavily restricted. This imbalance leaves viewers with a partial picture of events, obscuring the complexity and competing narratives surrounding the ceasefire.

CityNews Toronto recently aired three segments, all led by journalist Brandon Rowe, on the circumstances in Gaza amidst a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

On April 7, Rowe reported on how the “Gaza ceasefire [is] under strain,” saying that the “violence” and Israeli strikes continue despite the ceasefire in place. Rowe later explained that the ceasefire is on shaky grounds because Hamas will not lay down its weapons “without guarantees” and Israeli officials “say Hamas cannot remain armed.” Rowe concluded by noting that both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire since it has been put in place.

Watch the full clip below:

These key facts need to be supported by evidence. But rather than exploring both sides of the current predicament, the news segment is entirely centered on the perspective of Palestinians. A Palestinian interviewee calls the ceasefire a “fake…lying ceasefire,” and another described how “occupation forces targeted [residents defending their homes] directly.”

Core to any reporting of or in Gaza is the central fact that freedom of press and expression is stifled under Hamas. Thus, claims made about events that occur in the region should, at the very least, be taken with a critical hesitancy.

But instead, Rowe’s coverage noted that “in central Gaza, health officials say at least 10 people were killed near a school sheltering displaced Palestinians.” More so, with “the humanitarian situation…worsening,” and extensive coverage of attacks that point a sole finger at Israel for the “fake” ceasefire, culpability for Hamas is narratively downplayed. Even by pointing out that both sides accuse the other of violating the ceasefire, uncritical coverage of claims made by Hamas, and under Hamas’ eyes, indicate that blame is conclusively attributed to the state of Israel.

On April 9, CityNews Toronto aired another segment with Brandon Rowe about a “Journalist killed after strike hits car in Gaza City.”

Watch the full clip below:

Rowe’s coverage of the incident began by noting how “dozens mourned at a funeral…for a journalist who was among the latest killed in Gaza.” Unsurprisingly, this incident is framed with the “accusations of ceasefire violations” and deteriorating “conditions… inside the territory.”

A representative from the Al Jazeera propaganda outlet takes over the coverage, referring to Gazan Mohammed Wishah as having “[ascended] today as a martyr” because the “Israeli occupation” targeted his vehicle. Again, “Gaza health officials” are quoted on the circumstances about the death of Wishah, and only afterwards are the Israeli military’s (IDF) claims about Wishah’s ties to Hamas’ military wing mentioned. Rowe immediately follows this with details of both Al Jazeera and Hamas’ denial of Wishah’s connections, which is not further scrutinized by the journalist.

Instead, coverage of the incident explores other incidents of journalists being killed in Gaza, and then transitions to coverage of the conditions in Gaza. A student, Nagham Abu Ghali, reports from Gaza about the loss of education and people in the region. This is followed by Rowe reporting on “tensions…rising in the occupied West Bank” and “increased settler violence.”

Rowe’s report concludes with noting that “the Gaza health ministry says at least 700 people have been killed by Israeli fire…Israel says 4 of its soldiers have been killed by militants in Gaza.”

Again, the details reported are used to construct a narrative that points a finger to the state of Israel as the culprit. Any scrutiny into the IDF’s claims about Wishah – that he is a key actor in Hamas’ rocket and weaponry production, a claim backed by evidence in 2024 – would challenge CityNews’ predetermined conclusions about the nature of the tensions and conditions in the Gaza Strip.

The IDF’s claims about Mohammed Wishah are sandwiched in between testimony on the ground in Gaza and a variety of claims by human rights groups & the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

On April 15, Rowe’s report on a “Funeral Held After Gaza City Cafe Strike,” uses various overlapping tactics from previous reports. For example, Rowe reported that “Israel says the strike targeted a Hamas militant,” juxtaposing the context with the statement that “for many Palestinians, scenes like this are becoming routine, even during what is supposed to be a truce.”

Watch the full clip below:

In this narrative, Rowe framed the Israeli military’s statements against the impact felt by Palestinian civilians, circumventing accountability for Hamas (whose presence is neither questioned nor covered) and pinning the blame for the “supposed to be” truce on Israel.

Rowe reported that “this is not an isolated incident.” Once again, the narrative relies on portraying tensions as though the onus is on Israel and its military for these circumstances. He quoted Gazans to aid his narrative: “we are not terrorists as the occupation claims” and that the world’s lack of response gives “the occupation an excuse to continue killing us.”

If any probing into Israel’s statements was considered and thus covered, then the carefully constructed narrative of Israel as a needless aggressor against a “militant” group with seemingly no role nor culpability (in protecting nor endangering its citizens, respectively, either) would fall apart.

CityNews Toronto’s airing of Brandon Rowe’s three segments covering circumstances in the Gaza Strip plays right into the narrative Hamas wants: accountability for thee, but not for me. The treatment of a Palestinian terrorist group and its claims as legitimate, let alone entirely trustworthy, will always prevent coverage from being accurate.