B'Tselem learned from the media today that the Israel Broadcast Authority (IBA) had rejected an appeal against IBA Radio’s refusal to air a spot in which the names of Gazan children killed during Operation Protective Edge were read out. In response, B'Tselem posted the censored spot on Facebook. Within hours, almost 300,000 people had been exposed to the names and the post was shared more than 900 times.

More than 600 Palestinians have been killed during the fighting in Gaza so far, including more than 150 children. Yet Israeli media is barely covering the story, other than mentioning the number of casualties. To encourage public debate in Israel on the issue, B’Tselem asked to purchase a spot on IBA Radio in order to have the names of some of the children killed read out. The radio refused, on the grounds that reading out the names of Palestinian children killed in Gaza is politically “controversial”. Yet the refusal is, in itself, far from neutral: it is a powerful statement in favor of silencing public debate over the massive price that Gazan civilians are paying for this operation.

One reason given for refusing to play the spot was that reporting the names of the dead “belongs in newscasts”. In a letter to the IBA, B'Tselem Executive Director Hagai El-Ad responded: “The newscasts in Israel, which – so you yourself claim – should broadcast the names of the Palestinian dead, are not doing so. To bring these facts to the public's attention, we had to resort to buying radio spots ourselves. Yet our request was denied based on the hypothetical claim that the newscasts should broadcast the names. The result of this circular reasoning is that a human issue of utmost, urgent public importance has been effectively silenced and erased from the public sphere, both in newscasts and in radio advertising."

Below is a list of Palestinian children up to age 15 killed from the beginning of the operation until 21 July 2014.

Umamah Ousamah Khalil al-Hayah, 8

Osamah Mahmoud al-Astal, 6

Ahmad Ayman Siyam, 15

Ahmad Nael Mahdi, 15

Ahmad Na'Im Muhammad Musalam, 11

Ahmad Sufian a-Jamal, 9

Ahmad Tawfiq Ahmad Abu Jame', 8

Ibrahim Jamal Kamal Naser, 13

Ibrahim Khalil 'Abd 'Amar, 12

Ibrahim Ramadan Abu Daqah, 10

Aya Tawfiq Ahmad Abu Jame', 12

Ayub Ahmad Abu Jame', 10

Iman Khalil 'Abd 'Amar, 9

Islam al-Qasas, 15

Isma'il Muhammad Subhi Baker, 9

Israa al-Qasas, 7

Elyas Ibrahim Dib al-Kulani, 4

Amal Bahaa al-Batsh, 2

Amjad Salem Khamis Sha't, 15

Amir Iyad Salem 'Arif, 11

Anas 'Alaa Subhi al-Batsh, 10

Asil al-Masri, 15

Asil Wisam Marzuq Sheheibar, 7

Arwa al-Qasas, 4

Basem Salem Kaware', 10

Bader Siyam, 4

"Bisan Basem Ahmad Abu Jame', 6 months", 6 month

Bitul Basam Ahmad Abu Jame', 4

Jawdat Ahmad Abu Jame', 13

Jihad 'Isam Marzuq Sheheibar, 10

Dima 'Abdallah Salim, 3

Dina 'Abdallah 'Aziz, 5

"Dalal Siyam, 9 months", 0

Hiba Akram Saleh a-Sha'er, 15

Hiba Hamed a-Sheikh Khalil, 14

Haifaa Tawfiq Ahmad Abu Jame', 9

Haniyah 'Abd a-Rahman Abu Jarad, 3

Wisam 'Isam Marzuq Sheheibar, 8

Walaa Na'im Muhammad Musalam, 14

Wasim Mustafa Salhiyah, 15

Zakariyah 'Ahed Subhi Baker, 10

Khalil Ousamah Khalil al-Hayah, 5

Husam Ibrahim a-Najar, 14

Husam Husam Abu Qainas, 7

Hussein Yusef Kaware', 13

Hamzah Ousamah Khalil ak-Hayah, 4

Yamen Riyad al-Hmeideh, 4

Yasin Ibrahim Dib al-Kilani, 9

Yasmin Muhammad al-Mutawaq, 4

Yasmin Mahmoud al-Astal, 4

Yaser Ibrahim Dib al-Kilani, 8

Kinan Hasan Akram al-Halaq, 6

Lamyaa Iyad al-Qasas, 11

Muhammad Iyad al-Qasas, 4

Muhammad Iyad Salem 'Arif, 10

Muhmmad Ibrahim Antiz, 13

Muhammad Ibrahim Faek al-Masri, 14

Muhammad Ayman a-Sha'er, 5

Muhammad Ashraf Rafiq 'Ayad, 3

Muhammad Hani Muhammad al-Halaq, 2

Muhammad Ziad Saleh a-Rahal, 5

Muhammad Khalaf Nawasrah, 2

Muhammad Mustafa Malakeh, 2

Muhammad Na'im Muhammad Musalam, 15

Muhammad Salem Antiz, 3

Muhammad 'Ali Kaware', 13

Muhammad Ramez 'Izat Baker, 11

Muhammad Rami Fathi 'Ayad, 3

Musa Muhammad Taher al-Astal, 15

"Musa 'Abd a-Rahman Abu Jarad, 8 months", 8 month

Mustafa Siyam, 9

Maisaa Tawfiq Ahmad Abu Jame', 7

Manar Majed al-Batsh, 13

Marwah Suliman Ahmad a-Sarsawi, 12

Marah Shaker a-Jamal, 10

Miriam 'Atiyeh al-'Arja, 10

"Nujud Taysir Ahmad Abu Jame', 4 months", 4 month

Nur Yaser Ahmad Abu Jame', 2

Nidal Khalaf 'Awad Nawasrah, 4

Nasmah Iyad al-Qasas, 10

Nagham Mahmoud 'Abd al-Hamid a-Zweidi, 2

Sajidah Yaser Ahmad Abu Jame', 7

Saji Hasan Akram al-Halaq, 4

Saher Abu Namus, 4

Sarah 'Omar Sheikh al-'Eid, 9

Suhelah Basam Ahmad Abu Jame', 3

Sawsan Ibrahim Dib al-Kilani, 11

Suliman Ahmad Abu Jame', 14

Siham Muhammad Ibrahim Zu'rub, 11

Siraj Iyad 'Abd al-'Al, 8

Siraj Yaser Ahmad Abu Jame', 4

Samih Na'im Abu Jarad, 1

Samar al-Qasas, 3

Samar Musa Abu Jarad, 15

Safaa Malakeh, 6

Ahed 'Attaf 'Ahed Baker, 9

Asem Khalil 'Abd 'Amar, 4

Abd a-Rahman Akram a-Skafi, 12

Abd a-Rahman Basam Khatab, 5

Abdallah Yusef Daraji, 2

Abdallah Muhammad Kaware', 12

Abdallah Ramadan Abu Ghazal, 5

Omar Jamil Subhi Hamudah, 10

Fadi Diab Hassan Islim, 10

Fatmeh Mahmoud al-Haj, 14

Fatmeh Taysir Ahmad Abu Jame', 12

"Fares Jum'ah a-Tarabin? 3 months", 3 month

Qasem Jaber 'Adwan Kaware', 12

Qusai 'Isam al-Batsh, 12

Ghadah Subhi Sa'idi 'Ayad, 13

Ghaidaa Siyam, 7

Raed Muhammad Thari, 4

Rahaf Isma'il Abu Jam'ah, 4

Rahaf Khalil Hamadah a-Jabur, 4

Ru'ya Mhamhmoud 'Abd al-Hamid a-Zweidi, 5

Razan Tawfiq Ahmad Abu Jame', 14

Rizeq Ahmad al-Hayek, 2

Rayan Taysir Ahmad Abu Jame', 5

Rim Ibrahim Dib al-Kilani, 12

Rinat Taysir Ahmad Abu Jame', 2

Sha'ban Jamil Ziyadah, 12

Tala Akram al-'Atawi, 10

Tawfiq Tawfiq Ahmad Abu Jame', 4