Hierarchies in death: coverage of Palestinian and Israeli victims in the context of October 7 and the war on Gaza

This study examines the framing of Israeli and Palestinian deaths in German media, focusing on the construction of grievability within public discourse after 7 October 2023, during the early stages of the war on Gaza. Analysing the coverage of five prominent German newspapers, the research explores how linguistic choices and contextual presentations shaped public perceptions of deadly violence, fostering empathy with some victims and reinforcing distance towards others. The findings indicate that Israeli victims often receive highly personalised coverage, which highlighted individual stories, family backgrounds, and emotional narratives. By contrast, Palestinian casualties are predominantly portrayed as impersonal statistics, trivialised as collateral of war, and embedded within abstract conflict narratives. By juxtaposing these divergent representations, the study raises critical questions regarding media ethics and the relation between conflict journalism and the conditions of public mourning for victims of violence. It also calls for greater scrutiny of epistemic practices that undermine sociality and empathy amid mass violence.