DISCURSIVE CONSTRUCTION AND NARRATIVE BUILDING: A CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA REPORTS ABOUT CEASEFIRE IN GAZA

Abstract

The discourse in media is very important in creating world sensitivities towards conflict and peace. The Gaza ceasefire of 2025 attracted the most extensive media attention, in which words served as the basis of political, humanitarian and ideological discourses. This study is a critical analysis of the way the international media framed and told the story of the recent Gaza ceasefire. It dwells upon the discursive strategies of representation of the event and the major actors in the event civilians, Hamas and Israel. Data has been collected from Al Jazeera, CNN, The New York Times, Le Monde and Times of Israel using from January to November 2025. The data was analyzed by using critical discourse analysis (CDA) and thematic analysis. The study has discussed 60 articles that comprised headings, introductory paragraphs and social media articles. Findings indicated conflicting presentation on media sources: the Western ones focused on diplomacy and stability, whereas the Middle Eastern and regional media predicted the humanitarian misery and unequal relations of power. The research finds that media discourses on the Gaza ceasefire are ideologically framed which exposes inequalities in the world in their conception of the concept of peace.