"We're going to beat them. We're going to surprise them." In front of the camera of Israeli Channel 13, the commander of the Golani unit, one of the battalions hardest hit in the Hamas attack of October 7, with several dozen dead, expresses his determination to crush the terrorist organization. Opposite him, the journalist in charge of military coverage made a promise to the dozen or so soldiers gathered in front of tanks: "When the war is over, we'll meet again here." The soldiers appreciated this. The journalist promised the officer that he would find his daughter. Then he gave him a hug.

A nation at war, television at war. On October 7, Israel lost a battle against Hamas, but the Jewish state will prevail: This was the very patriotic tone of the hours of television news Le Monde watched on October 17 and 18. On Israeli news channels, programming has been completely turned upside down since the Hamas attack. "With God's help, we will win," proclaims a permanent banner on Channel 14, close to the far right and a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Netanyahu, unlike the three main news channels, which are more neutral. "Israel at war," reads the one on Channel 13.

The banners scroll with rocket alerts and the latest news, including all official IDF announcements. The Gaza Strip is filmed from afar, with regular explosions visible. However, hardly any images are shown of the interior of the Palestinian territory and the consequences of the massive strikes. The Israeli media – like the international press – have no access to the bombed areas. Nevertheless, there is footage captured by Palestinian journalists, which is widely reported by Arab media.

For over a week, Israeli newspapers have been full of testimonies from Israeli victims of the terrorist attacks. Channel 13 filmed the funeral of five members of the same family from the Kfar Aza kibbutz. "I would have preferred to die in your place," declared the grandfather to the crowd of relatives. In the archives, the journalists found a report made nine years earlier about this family. It showed the mother and her young children rushing into the shelter of the house when the rocket alerts sounded. "I'll never leave this place," said the mother. On October 7, all five members of the family were killed in the shelter, said the journalist.

'National solidarity'

Later, the head of security at another kibbutz recounted how he gathered residents in a supposedly better-protected room. He blocked the door by holding the handle and also fired at the assailants with the only weapon available, a pistol. A border police officer described her unit's response and their shock at discovering the dead lying all over the villages near the Gaza Strip. The presenter wore a bullet-proof vest and the guest was in uniform and held a rifle during the interview. Channel 12 told the story of a young fallen Israeli soldier at length. The doctors were able to harvest five different organs, explained a presenter. One of them was the liver, transplanted into an 8-year-old child. The boy and his mother appeared on TV from the hospital. The mom addressed the parents of the dead soldier: "A part of your son now lives in my son."

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