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During a recent street report in Melbourne, I was interrupted by a passerby who called out, “Free Palestine, peace in the Middle East.”

The man, while advocating for peace, was critical of Israel and attempted to justify some of the actions of Palestinians following the October 7 Hamas terror attack.

The passerby expressed his desire for a peaceful resolution, but had strong criticisms of Israel's actions following the attack. When challenged, the man suggested that I exaggerate facts in my coverage, particularly around labeling Hamas as terrorists.

I pressed him on whether he considered Hamas’ actions, which included the kidnapping, rape and murder of civilians, as acts of terrorism. The passerby hesitated, arguing that terrorism is not defined by actions but by how an organisation is perceived. He attempted to draw parallels between Israel’s military actions and those of Hamas, suggesting both resulted in civilian casualties.

I countered by highlighting the deliberate targeting of civilians by Hamas terrorists, differentiating it from Israel’s military operations aimed at combatants in the hope of securing the release of hostages.

The conversation highlighted the concerning disconnect between what's really happening on the ground in the Middle East versus what people are told by anti-Israel activists in the media.