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A BBC reporter was criticized for suggesting that “it is difficult to see what else could have happened other than an Israeli airstrike”, referring to the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza.
The comments were made during Tuesday night’s broadcast of the BBC News channel The Context, and before the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) came forward with evidence claiming the blast was caused by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group.
Palestinian officials have been claiming Israel was behind the blast, which killed more than 500 people, while the IDF claims it has a recording of alleged Hamas militants admitting the attack was carried out by jihadists. The launched rocket had deviated from its course.
The report, which once again resulted in the BBC facing criticism for its coverage of the Hamas–Israel conflict – as well as its refusal to label Hamas as terrorists – has since gone viral online.
In it the reporter says: “The Israeli military has been contacted for comment and said they are investigating.
“But you know, other than an Israeli air strike or multiple air strikes, given the size of the explosion, it’s hard to see what else it could really have been.
BBC faces backlash over coverage of conflict after refusing to call Hamas “terrorists”
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“Because when we see rockets fired from Gaza, we never see explosions of that scale. We may see half a dozen, maybe a few more, people die in such rocket attacks, but we have never seen explosions on this scale. Haven’t seen anything like the kind of explosion I was seeing earlier in the video – as you say, still to be verified.”
The reporter’s admission that the material provided still needed to be verified, combined with his belief that the horror was caused by an Israeli airstrike, upset many X users.
Responding to the report, one fan criticized on the site formerly known as Twitter: “This reporter should be suspended, as the evidence we are seeing this morning indicates that this is a Was not an Israeli rocket.”
Second strike: “BBC. All too happy to spread anti-Israel ‘news’ without waiting for the facts to emerge. They’re doing Hamas’s dirty work for them. #DefundTheBBC.”
While a third explained: “‘Still to be verified’ but I will blame Israel with zero evidence, and stir up hostility and hatred towards Jews in Britain. @BBCNews should be discredited immediately.”
“Shameful haste. I like @BBCNews but this is not serious reporting,” said a fourth, while a fifth condemned: “Another day of rejoicing at my TV license being cancelled. @BBCWorld now just a political It’s a project.”
“No terrorist can be called a terrorist; there can be a quick assessment of a disaster that obviously has multiple causes,” he continued. Before the sixth deliberation: “It might well be in an opinion panel discussion. However, as a reporter – when broadcasting to millions of people, one must demonstrate greater discretion. Stick to known facts (avoid insinuation).” (Thus)
Among the alleged evidence released by the IDF in the wake of the hospital explosion are recordings of alleged Hamas terrorists discussing an unintentional rocket attack on the hospital as well as purported video footage of the alleged rocket deflecting off its path.
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IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari claimed about the material presented: “The walls are intact. There are no craters in the parking lot. These are characteristics that show that it was not any aerial ammunition that fell on the parking lot.”
US President Joe Biden arrived in Tel-Aviv, Israel on Wednesday and expressed his support for Israel’s claims that it had not carried out an airstrike that caused the hospital explosion.
Biden told Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu: “Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as if it was done by the other team, not you. But there are a lot of people out there who are not sure so we “Too many things to overcome.”
The IDF’s claims have yet to be independently verified. According to Al Jazeera, the PIJ has denied the allegation.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of committing “genocide”, as Palestine has been blaming Israel for the blast.
