The Representation of Gaza War (2021) in the Official Remarks of Hamas and Israel: A Critical Discourse Study

Abstract

This study investigated the representation of Gaza War (2021) in the official remarks of Hamas and Israel. All remarks released over the 11-day war were collected and analysed according to Van Dijk's (2006) ideological square to explore the discursive strategies that each party utilized and uncover the possible hidden ideologies. Two main strategies were employed in the speeches, namely, emphasizing our good things and emphasizing their bad things. The collected examples generated different themes including praising war achievements, war justifications, threats, future aims, and national glorification. The study found that each party tended to represent themselves positively and the other negatively. Israel focused their speeches on war achievements and threats while Hamas's speeches were more emotional and centred on self-glorification.