Washington Post Removes Hamas Cartoon Deemed Racist

An editorial cartoon that depicted a Hamas spokesman putting civilians in the line of fire was taken down by The Washington Post on Thursday after employees in the newsroom and readers complained it was racist.

The cartoon, drawn by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Ramirez, featured a caricature of a Hamas spokesman with three children and a woman tied to him by rope and a baby tied to his head. He is standing next to the Palestinian flag on one side and a portrait of a bearded man and a mosque on the other. In a text bubble, he says, "HOW DARE ISRAEL ATTACK CIVILIANS."

The cartoon appears to reflect accusations that Hamas terrorists, who carried out an attack Oct. 7 in southern Israel that massacred more than 1,400 Israelis, use civilians as human shields. In response to the attack, Israel launched an unprecedented aerial assault on the Gaza Strip, in which it was criticized for targeting and killing thousands of Palestinian civilians.

Israel, which has steadfastly denied targeting civilians and said Hamas is using civilians as cover, is now conducting a ground operation in Gaza to root out Hamas terrorists and rescue hostages taken in the attack.

"A cartoon we published by Michael Ramirez on the war in Gaza, a cartoon whose publication I approved, was seen by many readers as racist," David Shipley, the Post's opinion editor, wrote in an editor's note on the newspaper's website. "This was not my intent. I saw the drawing as a caricature of a specific individual, the Hamas spokesperson who celebrated the attacks on unarmed civilians in Israel.

"However, the reaction to the image convinced me that I had missed something profound, and divisive, and I regret that. Our section is aimed at finding commonalities, understanding the bonds that hold us together, even in the darkest times."

In taking down the cartoon, Shipley said the Post is publishing a selection of responses to the cartoon.

"We will continue to make the section home to a range of views and perspectives, including ones that challenge readers," Shipley wrote. "This is the spirit of opinion journalism, to move imperfectly toward a constructive exchange of ideas at all possible speed, listening and learning along the way."

Soon after Shipley removed the cartoon and replaced it with his note, The Wall Street Journal reported Post Executive Editor Sally Buzbee alerted staff of the cartoon's removal "given the many deep concerns and conversations today in our newsroom."

Newsmax reached out to Creators Syndicate, which distributes Ramirez's cartoons, and Ramirez for comment.

• UN Chief Says Gaza Becoming a 'Graveyard for Children'
• IDF: Hamas Using Kids as 'Human Shields,' Staging in Playgrounds