Media Learned Little from Last Year’s Al-Ahli Arab Hospital Strike Misinformation

[Social Media]

 

Journalists seem to have learned little from the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital debacle last year. In that incident, media outlets reported the destruction of a hospital, attributing it to an Israeli airstrike, when in fact it was later found that rockets from a Palestinian terrorist group had exploded nearby. The story, fueled by activists posing as journalists, was too sensational to be checked thoroughly.

 

Last week, headlines were again dominated by reports that Israel had bombed a tent camp in Rafah, resulting in the deaths of at least 45 civilians. This narrative, like many before it, relied heavily on information from Hamas officials. Given past experiences, there is a strong likelihood that these reports do not present the full story, if they are accurate at all.

 

The prudent approach would be to handle this incident cautiously, waiting for conclusive evidence before drawing any conclusions. Unfortunately, patience is not a popular trait among many journalists. For instance, National Public Radio reported, “Israel pushes deeper into Rafah after deadly strike at camp for displaced Gazans,” while the New York Times stated, “An Israeli airstrike on a makeshift tent camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, Gaza, killed at least 45 people on Sunday night and wounded 249, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Monday.” MSNBC added, “Biden admin: Israel airstrike on Rafah tent camp doesn’t cross red line.”

 

These reports prompted swift condemnation from political leaders, activists, and the international community. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, responded with statements emphasizing their efforts to avoid civilian casualties and announcing an investigation into the incident. Netanyahu noted, “Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night there was a tragic mishap. We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy.” 

 

Netanyahu did not explicitly place responsibility on Israeli forces, nor did he confirm that Israel had bombed the tent camp directly. This ambiguity suggests there might be more to the story, potentially involving secondary explosions caused by Hamas munitions hidden among civilian areas.

 

While there is no dispute that Israel bombed a bunker in Rafah, killing two senior Hamas terrorists, the exact cause of the civilian deaths remains unclear. Whether these deaths were a direct result of the airstrike or a secondary explosion from a Hamas arms cache is still under investigation. Despite the plausibility of the latter theory, it received scant mention in initial news reports.

 

Publications such as the Telegraph irresponsibly reported headlines like “Israel admits bombing Rafah camp as civilians ‘burnt alive’ in melting tents” without verifying the facts. Some media outlets, including the Washington Post, have since reviewed forensic evidence, revealing that Israel used a small munition, often chosen to minimize civilian harm. Further analysis supports the theory of a secondary explosion caused by a hidden munitions cache.

 

The initial airstrike may have unintentionally ignited this cache, leading to the deadly chain reaction that reached the tent camp. While this remains a theory, it aligns with Israel’s position and requires further scrutiny, especially since wartime claims need careful examination.

 

It is possible that Israel’s airstrike directly caused the civilian casualties, but it is equally plausible that Hamas’s practice of storing munitions in civilian areas contributed to the tragedy. The lack of definitive information means that much of the reporting last week, which outrightly blamed Israel for bombing civilians, was premature and irresponsible.

 

The New York Times and NPR, among others, failed to corroborate the Gaza Health Ministry’s claims, presenting them unchallenged and condemning Israel in the court of public opinion. This repeats the mistakes made during the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital incident, where the media was misled by sensational, unchecked reports.

 

Becket Adams, a writer in Washington and program director for the National Journalism Center, highlights this recurring issue, reminding us of the importance of thorough verification in reporting, especially in conflict zones. Fool us once, shame on them. Fool us twice? We should know better.

 

Credit: The Hill 2024-06-05

 

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[thaibeachlovers]

Pity the author of that didn't follow their own advice "The prudent approach would be to handle this incident cautiously, waiting for conclusive evidence before drawing any conclusions" before trying to blame Hamas.

 

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Pity the author of that didn't follow their own advice "The prudent approach would be to handle this incident cautiously, waiting for conclusive evidence before drawing any conclusions" before trying to blame Hamas.

 

Where has the author laid blame on the Rafah incident? They are pointing out the media's frenzy over the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital Strike Misinformation. They are also pointing it it has again been repeated in Rafah.

[ChicagoExpat]

Casualty figures are supplied by Hamas, both in terms of numbers and who specifically is killed.  It's incredible that the credulous media accept these figures and report them to the world, sometimes with no accreditation at all.  We wouldn't accept information from ISIS or Al-Qaeda without questioning it -- it's incredible how often (most of the time) this happens with what Hamas says.