Trump attacks BBC over Gaza misreporting
The White House has launched an attack on the BBC and its coverage of a chaotic aid mission in Gaza, accusing the broadcaster of taking Hamas's account as 'total truth'.
On Tuesday, Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump's press secretary, was asked about reports that Israeli security forces had shot Palestinians dead as they waited for food distribution.
Ms Leavitt said US officials were trying to confirm what had happened before pivoting to criticise the BBC.
'Unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don't take the word of Hamas with total truth,' she said.
'We like to look into it when they speak … unlike the BBC.'
She brandished a printout of stories published on the BBC website a day earlier, and described how the headlines changed from claiming an Israeli tank had killed 26 people, to 21 people, to that gunfire had killed 31.
'And then, oh, wait, they had to correct and take down their entire story, saying we reviewed the footage and couldn't find any evidence of anything,' she said.
'So we're going to look into reports before we confirm them from this podium or before we take action. And I suggest that journalists who actually care about truth do the same to reduce the amount of misinformation that's going around the globe.'
The BBC later issued a clarification on the story:
A US and Israeli-backed group began distributing aid in Gaza last week, but its distribution point descended into chaos after it was overrun by thousands of Palestinians.
Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded at a food distribution site on Tuesday.
Israel's international reputation stands on a knife-edge due to its expanded military offensive in Gaza and the new controversial aid distribution system.
Israel insists that by setting up purpose-built distribution hubs in the largely flattened southern area city of Rafah, it is both fulfilling its humanitarian commitments and preventing Hamas from stealing the aid.
However, the UN and other NGOs are distancing themselves from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the American company set up to distribute the aid, because they say it violates humanitarian principles by forcing civilians to walk long and dangerous journeys to receive it.
They also allege that it 'politicises' aid by forcing the population into the south and thus making it easier for the IDF to conduct its new 'seize, hold and demolish' strategy elsewhere.
Some have even suggested it sets the condition for the realisation of Mr Trump's controversial Gaza 'riviera' vision, which envisages the forcible displacement of the Palestinians from the territory.
There have now been three shooting events which implicate the IDF. They have resulted in the deaths of more than 50 civilians. Witnesses have alleged sniper fire and shelling, with corpses lining the road to the new aid hubs.
The next few days are seen as crucial in saving the credibility of the project – for which the US is Israel's only major backer – and by extension the Jewish state's continued war against Hamas.
The BBC has been approached for comment.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
27 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Billionaire GOP megadonor Ken Griffin is confused: Why is the US trying to bring back 'jobs that'll never pay much'?
Ken Griffin had no good answer. The billionaire founder of the $66 billion hedge fund Citadel and its sister company, market maker Citadel Securities, Griffin is a megadonor to the Republican Party and was excited for the American economy after President Donald Trump's election. Less than half a year since Trump's inauguration, Griffin said he was asked during a recent visit to China, "Why are you trying to be like China?" He said there isn't a logical reason the US would want to bring manufacturing "jobs that'll never pay much" to the country, but that seems to be the goal of the tariff policies pursued by Trump's administration. "It's one thing to make Nikes, it's another thing to make F-35 fighters," he said Thursday morning at the Forbes Iconoclast conference in Manhattan. Griffin has been critical of the administration's tariff policies in recent months, calling them a mistake that will hurt the economy and consumers. He said Thursday that they were an "anti-growth agenda," and the expected growth of the US economy has been cut in half since Trump took office. He continued his criticism of Trump, whom he voted for, focusing on the current tax bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives and is now in the Senate. Griffin said it will add "several trillions" of dollars to the deficit and lacks "tough decisions." "The United States' fiscal house is not in order," Griffin said, questioning the decision to cut taxes on small and medium-sized businesses when the deficit was rising. He said credit markets have noted the uncertainty plaguing the US thanks to the administration's policies, noting that "the risk of a US default is priced the same as Italy or Greece." "There's just no words for it," he said. If there was any optimism in his talk, it was about the resilience of American CEOs. He said hiring and capital expenditures will slow as long as there is uncertainty from Washington. Still, he was impressed with how individuals like Doug McMillon, the CEO of Walmart, explained the impact tariffs would have on the consumer. "We should not criticize CEOs for being honest," he said, adding, "shame on the administration" for scolding McMillon and other CEOs for talking about the tariffs' impact. There's still time for Trump and his team to return to pro-growth economic policies, he said, and there's no time to wait. "The United States desperately needs growth" to pay for entitlements like Social Security, he said.
The Hill
28 minutes ago
- The Hill
Bongino: ‘Threat picture' for US is ‘dramatic'
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino sounded alarms during an interview Wednesday night on Fox News's 'Hannity' about the perilous threats the country faces and the impact of emerging technologies as law enforcement tries to stop terrorism. 'The threat picture now for the United States is dramatic,' Bongino told host Sean Hannity. 'When you get the president's daily brief every morning like the director and I do for this … you go out of there (and) your blood pressure is through the roof — it's so many different things.' He cited threats from drone attacks, artificial intelligence (AI), China and infiltration from other countries among his biggest concerns. 'People say, 'Well, what keeps you up at night?'' Bongino said. 'Well, the answer is, I'd never sleep if I thought about this stuff all the time, but it all keeps me up at night.' President Trump named longtime ally Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent, radio personality and podcaster who has guest hosted Hannity's show in the past, to the FBI's No. 2 role in February. Bongino said he and FBI Director Kash Patel have prioritized building trust in federal law enforcement through reform. 'Without reform, we're not going to have anything, because the American people won't trust us,' he said. Bongino noted that he had spoken to recent graduates of the FBI Academy at Quantico earlier in the day and stressed the multitude of threats he sees facing the country. 'I said, 'There's no one coming to save us — the Marvel Avengers ain't coming,'' Bongino recalled to Hannity. 'It is us.'
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘We Don't Want Them': Trump Cracks Down on Foreign Nationals Coming to America
Donald Trump took his war on immigrants up a notch on Wednesday night, issuing an executive order barring nationals from 12 different countries from entering the United States, and another denying visas to any foreign students trying to enter the U.S. to attend Harvard University. The president posted a video to Truth Social on Wednesday explaining the travel ban, asserting that the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado, has 'underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who have come here as temporary visitors and overstayed their visas.' 'We don't want them,' Trump said, noting that there are 'millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country.' The attack in Boulder was carried out by an Egyptian national who the administration says overstayed their visa. Egypt is not mentioned in the executive order. The travel ban affects Afghanistan, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The order cites 'national security and the national interests' of the nation, as well as the need to protect America from 'foreign terrorists.' Trump is also partially restricting the entry of nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Trump attempted to impose travel bans during his first term in office, but they were blocked by the courts. He vowed in the run-up to his run to take back the White House that he would bring a travel ban back 'even bigger and much stronger than before.' Trump has also ratcheted up his war on the nation's most prestigious higher-education institution, signing an order barring foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend Harvard. The order, titled, 'Enhancing National Security by Addressing Risks at Harvard University,' deems that Harvard is 'no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs.' The administration has been doing everything it can to hamstring the university — including freezing billions in federal grants — alleging that it hasn't done enough to crack down on antisemitism as students have protested the war in Gaza. Harvard has fought back, most recently in a lawsuit last week over the administration's move to restrict the school from enrolling international students. A federal judge quickly blocked the effort. The school did not take kindly to Trump's order on Wednesday night, either. 'This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights,' a spokesperson for the school said in a statement. 'Harvard will continue to protect its international students.' Harvard has shown it is willing to take Trump to court over the administration's actions. The courts have been mixed on the president's immigration agenda, although multiple federal judges have blocked the push to deport immigrants without due process. The Supreme Court ruled last week that the administration can revoke the temporary protected status of over 500,000 immigrants, making them subject to deportation. More from Rolling Stone Sean Penn Criticizes Plan to Remove Harvey Milk's Name From Navy Ship Late-Night Hosts Take Aim at Trump's Feud With Musk: 'Blew Up Faster Than a SpaceX Rocket' Yes, the Trump Admin Is Still Very Much Attacking Abortion Rights Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
