Washington Post Deletes ‘Unacceptable’ Tweet Deriding Parents of Israeli Hostage Held By Hamas

(AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke)

The Washinton Post deleted a tweet on Friday that referred to an Israeli hostage being held by Hamas as “missing” and derided that hostage’s parents for not publicly acknowledging the death toll in Gaza from Israel’s campaign against Hamas.

“Omer Neutra has been missing since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. When his parents speak publicly, they don’t talk about Israel’s assault on Gaza that has killed over 38,000 Palestinians, according to local officials. Experts have warned of looming famine,” read the now-deleted tweet from the Post.

After a fierce uproar, the Post took down the tweet and put out a statement saying, “A previous post referencing the below story was unacceptable and did not meet our editorial standards, and The Post has deleted it. The reporter of the story was not involved in crafting the tweet. We have taken the appropriate action regarding this incident.”

The tweet was for an article titled, “These parents of a U.S. hostage in Gaza took their story to the RNC.” In the article, reporter Joanna Slater does write the quote that the Post deemed “unacceptable” as a tweet:

When the Neutras speak publicly, they don’t talk about the ferocity of Israel’s counterattack, which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians and left nearly 90,000 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Swaths of the territory have been pulverized and international experts have warned of looming famine.

The Anti-Defamation League’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, tore into the Post on Friday, writing, “Are you kidding me, @washingtonpost? You may have deleted the post, but the thoughtless characterization of Omer Neutra’s parents – who have spent the last 287 days not knowing the fate of their son after he was kidnapped by terrorists on Oct 7 – remains in your article.” He added:

In what world did anyone find it acceptable to publish in the first place?

And to add insult to injury, the article cites “local officials,” aka the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas – the terror organization that launched the barbaric 10/7 massacre that led to the ongoing war.