See the Washington Post’s apology here.
[IsraelTimes] Spokesman says army probing 3rd incident in as many days, acknowledges troops fired warning shots but insists they ‘didn’t hit that many people as far as we understand’The Israel Defense Forces’ Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin on Tuesday accused Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...of making "exaggerated" claims about deadly incidents over the past three days near US- and Israel-backed aid distribution sites in southern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
The IDF front man’s televised presser also featured the presentation of a map of military positions in the Strip and new details on the deaths of three troops Monday.
"This week, it was claimed that the IDF fired on civilians at the aid distribution site. This is a totally false report, it echoes Hamas propaganda," said Defrin at his presser, referring to reports of 31 people killed near a site in Rafah early Sunday.
"This did not happen," he said of those reports.
"Hamas disseminates false information, which is unfortunately taken by some international media without verification," said Defrin, even as The News Agency that Dare Not be Named released a statement standing by its coverage of Sunday’s incident.
The IDF has acknowledged firing warning shots at Paleostinians about a kilometer (0.6 miles) from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site before it opened for distribution on Sunday. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
it denied that any gunfire took place "within" the aid site during opening hours, and GHF said the aid distribution went on without incident.
On Tuesday morning, Hamas again reported dozens of people killed and injured at the aid site in Rafah, but GHF denied the reports. Asked about those reports, Defrin reiterated the military’s response that troops had fired warning shots, but said troops "didn’t hit that many people as far as we understand [and] we will continue to investigate."
"The numbers given by Hamas were the same. It reported 29 on Sunday and today — exaggerated. We are investigating," he said.
"We fired warning shots toward a group of people who posed a threat to our forces, far from where they were supposed to be. Warning shots were fired, not to hit anyone," said Defrin, referring to Tuesday’s reports. "According to the claims, people were hit, so we are investigating, but it will take time."
Defrin added that he was aware of criticism that the IDF takes too long to investigate such claims. "We will not report information or details that are not true," he said. "Reliability is critical, even if it takes time."
He said, "Hamas is losing control of the population" in Gaza because GHF prevented the terror group from controlling humanitarian aid
in the Strip."Alongside the continuous military pressure against Hamas, its rule is cracking and is being undermined," said Defrin. "Each day, tens of thousands of food packages are handed out, directly to residents."
During the presser, Defrin said three troops who were killed in action on Monday in northern Gaza’s Jabalia were hit by roadside kabooms planted by button men who had set out from a tunnel hidden inside a partially demolished building.
"The holy warriors set out from a tunnel shaft in a building and planted the bombs. This is an active tunnel that is used for terror," he said.
"The entrance to the tunnel is located inside a destroyed building, close to a route. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that this building is a military target, like tens of thousands of other buildings in Gaza that are used for terror," Defrin said.
"Nearly every other building is booby-trapped and contains a tunnel entrance. We are demolishing these homes, not for the sake of destruction. Every building that is destroyed poses an operational threat and could harm our forces," he said.
The IDF has accused Hamas of embedding itself in civilian infrastructure, including schools, mosques and hospitals, throughout the war sparked on October 7, 2023, when the terror group invaded Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Defrin also presented for the first time a map showing troop deployment in the IDF’s renewed ground offensive in Gaza, which the military said last month would seek to seize 75 percent of the Strip.
According to the map, the Gaza Division is operating in the Rafah area, the 36th and 98th divisions are pushing into Khan Younis from the south and east, the 252nd is operating in Gaza City and the Netzarim Corridor area, and the 162nd is fighting Hamas in the Strip’s north.
AP STANDS BY REPORTING AS ISRAEL, US SLAM MEDIA GAZA COVERAGE
…unlike the Washington Post, which shows relative level of professional ethics.
In an online briefing for international media, a government front man reiterated the military’s response to Gaza casualties reported Tuesday, saying troops had "diligently" fired warning shots at suspects who approached them roughly half a kilometer (0.3 miles) away from the Rafah aid site."Let’s be clear: Israel is not preventing Gazooks from accessing humanitarian aid, and the IDF did not fire at civilians in or near aid distribution zones," said David Mencer. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazooks to get to the humanitarian aid."
Referring to the casualties reported on Sunday, Mencer said, "The IDF’s initial investigation confirms that serious accusations made on Sunday in so much of the media... were based on Hamas propaganda."
He said the IDF had already "put out materials proving them to be false and baseless."
In fact, the IDF has not issued any materials from the incident in Rafah to prove its account of what happened there. The IDF did release a video from an unrelated event later Sunday, which the military explicitly said was from Khan Younis and not Rafah.
Mencer said it was "clear that Hamas is trying their hardest to keep its own people, Gazooks, away from the GHF distribution sites."
"We urge the media — do not amplify Hamas disinformation. Verify before reporting," Mercer said. "It’s a battle of the narrative, and too many global newsrooms have become foot soldiers for Hamas."
The statement came after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Monday accused foreign outlets of fomenting antisemitism with their coverage, leading to an attack on pro-Israel protesters in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, and the killing of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington last month.
Responding to Huckabee’s statement, The News Agency that Dare Not be Named said it stood by its reporting, which the news agency said included multiple eyewitness accounts, interviews with health and hospital officials and the Red Thingy, as well as statements from the IDF and GHF.
"The Israeli military later released a video of what it said were masked men firing at civilians trying to collect aid, which the AP included in its coverage. That video was shot in daylight from the city of Khan Younis, miles from the incident in Rafah that witnesses described," the AP statement said.
"The Rafah incident occurred in an Israeli military zone that international journalists have been barred from entering except on approved military embeds. AP and other news organizations have repeatedly called for international journalists to be allowed into Gaza to report on the war," the statement added.
Huckabee had cited "drone video and first-hand accounts" as showing that the reports by AP and other major outlets had been false.
It was unclear what drone footage and first-hand accounts Huckabee was referring to. A US embassy spokesperson cited IDF drone footage when pressed by The Times of Israel, but the footage released by the military was not shot at the time or place of the Rafah incident.