Deadly strike on Gaza hospital
At least 500 people were killed in an Israeli air attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday.
The health ministry in Gaza said the blast at the hospital was caused by an Israeli air raid. Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of carrying out “a massacre”.
Israeli authorities said the hospital was hit by a ‘barrage of rockets’ fired by the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which operates inside the Gaza Strip.
A statement from the Israel Defense Force said ‘A failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization hit the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City. This is the tragic result of firing rockets from densely populated neighborhoods.’
US President Joe Biden responded to the attack, saying that it “appears to be the other team”, not Israel, that carried out the attack.
“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there’s a lot of people out there not sure, so we have to overcome a lot of things,” he said in Tel Aviv while visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A now-deleted tweet posted via the official account of the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel sparked further outrage and fueled further division over whether or not Israel was behind the attack.
It has been almost 2 weeks since the Hamas attack on Israel, which has since become a highly divisive political and humanitarian concern.
It is also raising alarm across the middle east, with protests throughout the region in support of Palestine taking place in the aftermath of the attack.
The official twitter account for the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic posted the following:
The BBC has since come under fire for its coverage of the rapidly unfolding war.
The Israeli government accused the BBC of “a modern blood libel” in its reporting on Twitter, including an image of a Daily Mail front page.
Deputy chief executive of BBC News Jonathan Munro said the broadcaster made a “mistake” while covering the immediate aftermath of the bombing.
He said, “The correspondent [Jon Donnison] was wrong to speculate about the cause of the explosion of the hospital. At no stage did he actually say it was caused by the Israelis… but nonetheless, when the impression is left that we’ve speculated, [it] is important to correct that which we’ve done.”
Israel has continued to warn it could stop the BBC from reporting in the country if it continues “crossing the line in accordance with our laws”.
Coverage of ongoing wars is difficult, complex, and often obscured by the fast-paced nature of events. However, it is important to keep in mind that bias – or in the case of the BBC, outside influence – can play a role in shaping the information delivered to the public.
In the meantime, let’s take a look at how the rest of the media has covered events.
Missile strike on Ahli Arab Hospital probably fired from within Gaza, analysts claim
Israel faces blame from regional allies over Gaza hospital deaths
Israel-Gaza war: Biden backs IDF account of hospital blast
Israel DENIES it was responsible for blast at Gaza hospital that ‘killed 500’: Tel Aviv blames Islamic Jihad rocket for carnage – but Palestinian leader Abbas cancels meeting with Biden
Channel 4 Reporter Challenges ‘Confusing’ Gaza Blast Claims: ‘Israel Has Form When It Comes to War Propaganda’
Israel-Hamas war: US says ‘analysis of imagery and intercepts’ shows Israelis not behind Gaza hospital blast
Gaza Hospital Explosion: What We Know
‘It’s from us?!’ Hamas terrorists shocked at discovery over Gaza hospital strike
After blast kills hundreds at Gaza hospital, Hamas and Israel trade blame as rage spreads in region
Israel continues to issue evacuation warnings in northern Gaza, hundreds killed in hospital blast
