(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) The leftist New York Times issued an apology on Monday for endorsing a Hamas-driven narrative that falsely accused Israel of bombing a Palestinian hospital, resulting in the alleged deaths of more than “500” individuals—there was and still is little evidence to back Hamas’s claims.
Initially, the Times, alongside several other mainstream media outlets, disturbingly accepted Hamas’s version of events following the emergence of a video that seemed to depict a rocket landing in the Gaza Strip.
Bold headlines like, “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say,” dominated early coverage despite the lack of evidence to back the claim.
The New York Times and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) have long denounced disinformation on social media. They and various other media outlets now find themselves accused of spreading false images and accounts of the explosion at the hospital in Gaza… https://t.co/cttgVu32NU
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) October 19, 2023
In an editor’s note published on Monday, the Times acknowledged its missteps. “The Times’s initial accounts attributed the claim of Israeli responsibility to Palestinian officials, and noted that the Israeli military said it was investigating the blast,” the note stated.
“However, the early versions of the coverage — and the prominence it received in a headline, news alert and social media channels — relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified,” the Times added.
Subsequent investigations into the incident immediately revealed significant disparities from the original allegations.
Contrary to Times’s reports, the bomb did not hit the hospital building itself but instead struck the parking lot, causing minimal damage, according to photo evidence. It was later reported that the rocket was launched by the Palestinian Islamist Jihad, and the reported death toll of nearly 500 was allegedly grossly exaggerated.
In one of its first tweets about the bomb at al-Ahli al-Arab hospital, The New York Times used a photo from a different bombing site.
I’ve traced the photo to Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, which is approximately 25 km from Gaza City where the hospital is located. https://t.co/TJj2HNU9mx pic.twitter.com/VHg8lnjaYP
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 18, 2023
Both the Israeli government and U.S. intelligence agencies, backed by statements from President Joe Biden, corroborated that the rocket was launched from within Gaza.
BIDEN: “I’m not suggesting that Hamas deliberately did it … [They] gotta learn how to shoot straight”pic.twitter.com/OgNbm1UpM3
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 18, 2023
In response to mounting criticism, Hamas officials repeatedly refused to provide concrete evidence and instead removed any remaining traces of the rocket. “The missile has dissolved like salt in the water,” asserted Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in an interview with the Times. “It’s vaporized. Nothing is left.”
Salama Maroof took a more defiant tone, refusing to provide evidence. “Who says we’re obligated to present the remnants of every rocket that kills our people?” the spokesperson claimed. “In general, you can come and research and confirm for yourself from the evidence we possess.”
