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Telegraph
23 minutes ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
BBC blamed Israel for aid massacre on word of single Palestinian source
A BBC report claiming Israeli troops killed Palestinians at an aid distribution centre was based on the accounts of a single Palestinian journalist and a Hamas spokesman, it has emerged. The White House has attacked the BBC's coverage of the incident, accusing the broadcaster of taking Hamas's word as 'total truth'. The BBC's first report on the June 1 incident said that at least 15 Palestinians had been killed by 'Israeli tank shelling and gunfire', according to 'medics and local residents'. But the 'local residents' amounted to one Palestinian journalist, Mohammed Ghareeb, who told the broadcaster that Israeli tanks had approached and opened fire on the crowd queuing for food. No medics in the article spoke of tank shelling or gunfire, only reporting the number of dead and injured. The BBC also included a quote from Mahmud Bassal, a civil defence spokesman, claiming that victims were killed and wounded 'due to gunfire from Israeli vehicles towards thousands of citizens'. The broadcaster did not mention that civil defence in Gaza is run by Hamas. As highlighted by the White House, the story was altered several times during the day. The first report was published on the BBC News website at 5.15am. The story was updated two hours later to increase the claimed number of fatalities from at least 15 to 26. The death toll was increased to 31 in a third version of the story, published at 2.12pm. That story was updated to include denials from the Israel Defence Forces and from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the aid distribution centre. Another update, at 4.23pm, included a denial from an IDF soldier in Rafah, who contacted the BBC to say that Israeli soldiers fired near the crowd but not at them, and nobody was hit. Finally, at 8.34pm, the headline and opening paragraph were changed to remove references to Israeli tanks and gunfire, instead admitting that the incident was the subject of 'disputed reports'. The BBC Verify unit – billed by the corporation as experts in fact-checking and rooting out disinformation – also looked into the incident, and concluded the following day that 'it's extremely complicated because we have conflicting reports from multiple sources'. Israel does not allow international journalists to enter Gaza. On Tuesday, the contentious reporting was held up for ridicule by Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump's press secretary. She brandished a print-out of the changing headlines on the BBC story, saying: 'Unlike some in the media, we don't take the word of Hamas as total truth. We like to look into it when they speak… unlike the BBC.' The BBC has rejected the claims. Danny Cohen, the BBC's former director of television, said he expected the corporation to dismiss the White House criticism. 'Anti-Israel bias in newsroom' Speaking to the Daily T podcast, he said: 'They will take on an uber-defensive posture in response to this, because it has come from the Trump administration, rather than actually look at what they've said.' Mr Cohen claimed that there was 'anti-Israel bias in the newsroom' and condemned the BBC's rush to put out stories without first checking their validity. 'The BBC should no longer be using this approach, which is 'report first and ask questions later' because it leads to dangerous misinformation from a genocidal terrorist group into the mainstream,' he said. Mr Cohen added of BBC Verify: 'If it wasn't so serious, it would be a really bad joke. First of all, there is an absolute obsession with Israel. And second of all, it often doesn't verify anything. It just does a report and doesn't prove anything.' Verify is the brainchild of Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC news and current affairs. A day after the offending report, she announced the launch of BBC Verify Live, in which the team will share its work throughout the day in a rolling news feed on the corporation's website. Ms Turness described it as 'a new way of working, and an exciting step towards even greater transparency'. Asked about the Gaza story, a BBC spokesman said: 'As we made clear already, we stand by our journalism, including the accurate attribution of sources throughout our coverage. We continue to press for international independent journalists to be able to report from inside Gaza.'
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Gunman shoots at Gazans getting food at aid center, footage released by Israel shows
Armed and masked gunmen in Gaza opened fire on civilians collecting aid at a distribution center, drone footage released by the Israel Defense Forces shows. The footage, shared by the IDF on X on Sunday and purportedly taken in the nearby city of Khan Younis, shows the armed thugs throwing stones and shooting at civilians trying to collect basic supplies. 'Drone footage shows gunmen in Gaza shooting at civilians going to collect aid. Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza,' the IDF wrote in the post accompanying the footage. 5 The IDF has shared drone footage purportedly showing Hamas firing on civilians. X/ IDF The video has not been independently verified. It follows claims, staunchly denied by Israel, that their forces killed dozens of people collecting humanitarian aid at a distribution center in Rafah in the Palestinian territories on Sunday. More than 30 Palestinians were killed and nearly 170 injured in Sunday's shooting close to the distribution center, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said. Later on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said 21 people were 'declared dead upon arrival,' while women and children were among 179 casualties. The US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) had earlier said that there were no deaths or injuries at the distribution center near Rafah and that aid was distributed as normal. 5 The footage follows claims, denied by Israel, that its force killed civilians at a food distribution center. X/ IDF 5 The IDF footage was reportedly taken in Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip. X/ IDF An Israeli soldier in Rafah later said that Israeli soldiers had fired near the crowd but not at them, and that no one was injured, the BBC reported. Additional information is set to be released, following what the IDF described as false reports that its soldiers fired upon civilians at the aid center on the border with Israel. 5 It follows chaotic scenes at a food distribution center near Rafah. AFP via Getty Images 'Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false,' the IDF said in a statement. 'The IDF is cooperating with the American Civil Organization (GHF) and international aid organizations in order to enable the distribution of aid to the Gazan residents — and not to Hamas.' 5 Children wait for food supplies in the Gaza Strip. AFP via Getty Images Witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around 1,000 yards from the aid site run by the Israeli-backed GHF. Thousands had gathered at the site when Israeli tanks reportedly approached, Palestinian journalist Mohammed Ghareeb told the BBC. But the IDF has accused Hamas of spreading false rumors and 'fake news' to disrupt Israel's efforts to distribute aid. 'I urge not to believe every rumor spread by Hamas. We will investigate each and every one of those incidents and each and every one of those allegations. We are a professional military,' IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin told reporters from Rafah.
Middle East Eye
5 days ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Israel kills 32 starving Palestinians in latest US aid point 'massacre'
Israeli forces have committed a new massacre targeting Palestinian aid seekers in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 32 people and wounding scores more, the Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday. According to eyewitnesses and local officials, Israeli troops opened fire directly on civilians gathered at two US-Israeli food distribution points in Rafah and central Gaza. At least 31 people were killed in Rafah and one in central Gaza, while over 200 were wounded, many of them critically. The health ministry accused Israel of using the new aid mechanism as a 'trap for mass killings' and a tool for 'the forced displacement of Gaza's population.' It added that those killed in the 'massacre' had single gunshot wounds to the head or chest, indicating clear intent to kill. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In Rafah, thousands were instructed to queue some 500 metres from the US distribution point at the Al-Alam roundabout, local journalist Mohammed Ghareeb told Middle East Eye. As crowds approached the area, Israeli forces rained down bullets on them from every direction, eyewitnesses said. 'I was standing among the crowd, but when people started rushing toward the distribution point, I couldn't move with them because there were hundreds pushing forward,' Marwa al-Naouq told MEE. 'Then a quadcopter appeared and began firing at them. After that, the Israeli army opened fire directly on the crowd, and American security forces fired tear gas canisters. 'Dozens were killed and injured as people ran in every direction, trying to escape.' 'The occupation targeted hungry people as if these aid distribution centres were distributing death' - Marwan al-Hems, Palestinian doctor Marwan al-Hems, director of field hospitals in Gaza, described the scene as a 'massacre and a slaughter". 'The occupation targeted hungry people as if these aid distribution centres were distributing death instead,' he told MEE. Southern Gaza hospitals were overwhelmed, with patients lining hallways and lying on floors due to a lack of beds and medical supplies, Hems said. 'We tried to save as many as we could, but we lost some due to a shortage of blood,' he added. Hamas accused Israel of weaponising aid, saying the food distribution system had become part of a broader campaign of genocide. The Israeli military claimed it was 'unaware of injuries caused by [Israeli army] troops.' Ambushed In both Rafah and central Gaza, eyewitnesses described the incidents as 'ambushes' carried out by Israeli forces. In coordination with American security personnel working for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), starving civilians were instructed in the early hours to go to a designated point near the Wadi Gaza Bridge, ostensibly to receive aid. Instead, they were met with direct gunfire, according to the Gaza-based Government Media Office. Many remain 'trapped under continuous gunfire in the vicinity of the aid centre,' the office reported. A similar scene unfolded in Rafah, where thousands had gathered overnight to receive food. 'The Americans are lying to us... They call it a humanitarian point then kill us there' - Arafat Siyam, shooting survivor 'They told us to go to this humanitarian zone to receive food - then they killed us,' Arafat Siyam, a survivor, told MEE. Siyam's brother was killed. The two had arrived at the aid site at 11 PM Friday, hoping to bring back food for their starving children. 'The Americans are lying to us. Since when have they cared about humanitarian work?' he said. 'They call it a humanitarian point then kill us there.' According to the media office, Israeli forces have killed at least 49 Palestinians and injured 305 others at GHF-run distribution centres since the operation began on 27 May 2025 . GHF, a scandal-plagued US organisation backed by Israel, was launched to bypass the UN's aid infrastructure in Gaza. Senior humanitarian officials have condemned the scheme , saying Israel should stop blocking the UN-led system and allow aid to flow without obstruction. Overall, Israeli forces have killed over 54,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, including at least 16,000 children. Additionally, over 10,000 people are missing and presumed dead, while nearly 120,000 others have been wounded.
