DOMINANT ANGLE
Israel is particularly focused on the human face of the Panamanian earthquake: frightened residents in cracked houses, a canal that was spared, and a tsunami alert that was ultimately lifted.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The Jerusalem Post, citing the USGS, reports a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday, October 9, near the southern coast of Panama, at a depth of 12.6 km.
- 02
In Penonomé, the tower of a historic building and several balconies collapsed; two lines of the Panama metro were suspended and schools closed.
- 03
The Panama Canal is unaffected and the American alert system no longer indicates any tsunami threat.
ANALYSIS
Jérusalem, October 10, 2026. The Israeli press is covering the Panamanian earthquake through two very different channels: a detailed dispatch from the Jerusalem Post, and a brief alert from Arutz Sheva (Israel National News), published in emergency.
The Jerusalem Post, relying on the USGS, describes a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred on Friday, October 9, near the southern coast of Panama, at a depth of 12.6 kilometers. The epicenter was located near the rural community of La Pitaloza, in a sparsely populated area of the province of Herrera, on the Pacific coast. The newspaper emphasizes that earthquakes of this magnitude are rare in the country and that buildings have been damaged, but that the Panama Canal, a critical commercial route, has not been affected.
The account focuses on the inhabitants. Television images show elderly people crying in the street during the aftershocks. Ricardo Brown, 74, reached by phone from Las Minas, in the province of Herrera, confides: "We are afraid. We are only two old people here. The house has cracked, and we fear it will collapse on us." The head of civil protection, Omar Smith, told Telemetro Reporta that Chitré, the capital of Herrera, and the coast of the province of Los Santos had suffered impacts.
The newspaper also relays videos from La Prensa: in Penonomé, a city located halfway between the epicenter and the capital, the tower of a historic building collapsed, as well as several balconies of a residential building. In Panama, two metro lines were temporarily suspended as a precaution, and the Ministry of Education ordered the closure of schools throughout the country. The tremors were felt as far as San José, Costa Rica, according to a Reuters witness.
Regarding the tsunami threat, the Jerusalem Post notes that, after initial fears, the American alert system finally indicated that no alert, watch, or threat was in effect.
Arutz Sheva, on the other hand, broadcast a brief report stating that a 7.6 magnitude earthquake had struck Panama City, the capital, and that American authorities were warning of a possible tsunami along the coasts of Panama and Colombia. This brief report contains no toll or details on the damage.
