The BBC was forced to apologize after causing uproar over incorrect reporting that Israeli soldiers “attacked medical teams and Arabic speakers” in a raid on Gaza City’s main hospital.
In the early hours of this morning, as the Israeli army stormed Al-Shifa Hospital, news anchor Monica Miller misquoted a report on the raid, saying that the IDF hadtargeted operation against Hamas‘.
Speaking about the unfolding incident, Miller misread the original Reuters news agency report, telling viewers: “We hear from Reuters that Israel says its forces are conducting an operation against Hamas at al Shifa hospital in Gaza.
“And they’re targeting people, including medical teams and Arabic speakers.”
The news anchor then repeats the false claim again, stating that Israel “targeted Arabic speakers and also some of the medical staff there.”
In fact, Reuters quoted an Israeli military statement saying that Arabic speakers and medical personnel had escorted the soldiers into the sprawling medical building when the raid began.
Britain’s largest Jewish community body today condemned the error, claiming that ‘this shows a staggering lack of care in reporting on a very volatile situation’.
BBC newsreader Monica Miller misquoted a report on what the IDF calls a “targeted operation against Hamas.”
The IDF said Israeli forces delivered medical supplies to Al Shifa Hospital, pictured here
Smoke rises as displaced Palestinians take shelter in the Al Shifa landlady after the IDF invaded the building this morning
The Council of Deputies of British Jews called for an immediate apology from the broadcaster, adding that “incidents such as these make a mockery of the BBC’s oft-stated commitment to professionalism and impartiality.”
The attack on the huge hospital could be a crucial point in the bloody war. About 1,000 male Palestinians were led out with their hands above their heads and some were stripped naked as soldiers checked them for explosives or weapons, AFP reported.
It comes as both the IDF and the US have insisted that Hamas hide underground in tunnels beneath the hospital, using vulnerable patients as human shields. The terrorist group has denied this.
The Council of Deputies statement added: ‘We are absolutely shocked by the footage from BBC News which appears to show a newsreader misquoting a Reuters report quoting the IDF and saying it was ‘medical teams and Arabic speakers ‘ to Al-Shifa Hospital to help patients.
‘The BBC Newsreader quoted the Reuters report stating that the IDF “targeted both medical teams and Arabic speakers.”
“The Corporation must issue a public apology without delay for this blatant misreporting.”
‘At best, this shows a staggering lack of care in reporting on a highly volatile situation, which could have a domino effect around the world, including in Britain, where anti-Semitic attacks since October 7 have increased by more than have increased 500 percent. .
In a statement on
In this photo released by the IDF, Israeli soldiers in a military vehicle are seen on their way to storm Al Shifa Hospital
Last month, following an explosion near al-Ahli hospital, Jon Donnison speculated that it was caused by an ‘Israeli airstrike’
“This was incorrect and misquoted a Reuters report. We should have said that the IDF forces brought in medical teams and Arabic speakers for this operation.
‘We apologize for this error, which does not meet our usual editorial standards. The correct version of events was broadcast minutes later and we apologized for the error aired later that morning.”
Last month, the broadcaster sparked backlash over its coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas after a reporter speculated that the rocket that hit Gaza was an “Israeli airstrike,” adding that it was “hard to see” what else it was could be.
Evidence emerged that the explosion at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City was caused by Islamic Jihad.
The incident, for which the broadcaster apologized and insisted it was wrong to speculate, prompted an Israeli official to say the government could take action if the BBC “continued to cross the line in line with our wars.”
It came after Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his policy of treating Hamas as militants was “appalling.”
The company then quietly dropped the reference and instead referred to Hamas as a “banned terrorist organization” by the British government and others.
