Biden privately 'raged' at New York Times pushing Hamas propaganda about hospital bombing: Report



In a private meeting last week, President Joe Biden reportedly "raged" over the New York Times' coverage of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital bombing.

The New York Times disseminated Hamas propaganda two weeks ago by publishing as truth allegations that Israel struck the hospital and killed more than 500 people. But the newspaper, like most legacy media outlets, was quickly forced to backtrack because Israel was not responsible, the hospital was not destroyed, and 500 people were not killed.

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Meeting with a group of Wall Street executives at the White House last week, Biden fumed that a headline and story spreading Hamas' propaganda had appeared "in an American newspaper," according to Semafor.

Biden also expressed concern that the newspaper could have escalated tensions in the Middle East, the news outlet reported.

To its credit, the New York Times published an extensive mea culpa last week.

Editors at the newspaper acknowledged they "relied too heavily on claims by Hamas" in the initial coverage of the story and "did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified."

"The report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was," the editors said.

The acknowledgment of poor judgement is good. But could the reliance on Hamas have been prevented? According to Vanity Fair, which obtained internal company messages showing deliberations about the Times' coverage of the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital story, the answer is yes.

Vanity Fair reported last week:

A series of Slack messages obtained by Vanity Fair shows there was immediate concern inside The New York Times over the paper’s presentation of the Gaza hospital bombing story. But senior editors appear to have dismissed suggestions from an international editor, along with a junior reporter stationed in Israel who has been contributing to the paper’s coverage of the war, that the paper hedge in its framing of events.

That international editor, whom Vanity Fair did not name, told senior editors the Times' initial headline — "Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say" — went "way too far."

And when the international editor received pushback, he informed his colleagues that it is journalistic malpractice to "hang the attribution of something so big on one source without having tried to verify it" and that putting "the attribution at the end doesn’t give us cover, if we’ve been burned and we’re wrong."

As it turned out, within minutes, the international editor was right, and the rest is history.

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Rashida Tlaib's excuse for not believing Israel did not bomb Gaza hospital raises an important question



Rep. Rashida Tlaib refuses to believe the truth about the Al-Ahli Hospital bombing.

The Michigan Democrat released a statement on Monday demanding an "independent investigation" into the incident, which became international news last Tuesday when media outlets disseminated Hamas propaganda.

"Media outlets and third-party analysts have raised doubts about claims and evidence offered by both Israel and the Gaza Ministry of Health, and I agree with the United Nations that an independent investigation is necessary," she said.

Unfortunately, with a single exception, Tlaib failed to cite the "media outlets and third-party analysts" that have shown evidence disproving the U.S. government's assessment that Israel was not responsible for the bombing.

But even more telling, Tlaib said she cannot "uncritically accept Israel's denials of responsibility as fact." She said:

Both the Israeli and United States governments have long, documented histories of misleading the public about wars and war crimes — like last year’s Israeli military assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh and the false claims of weapons of mass destruction that led our country into the Iraq War — and cannot clear themselves of responsibility without an independent international investigation.

The statement raises an important question.

If Tlaib cannot "uncritically accept" Israel's denial and the American assessment that Palestinian terrorists were responsible for the hospital bombing, then how can she uncritically accept Hamas' claims that Israel destroyed the hospital and killed more than 500 people?

After all, this is exactly what Tlaib did last Tuesday. When news of the hospital bombing broke, she posted on social media, "Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that."

We now know, of course, the hospital was not destroyed and 500 people were not killed.

Blaze News reached out to Tlaib's office for a response to that question. A representative for the congresswoman replied with the first sentence of her statement.

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New York Times editors make sobering admission about their coverage of Gaza hospital bombing



The New York Times issued an extensive mea culpa on Monday, admitting its journalists relied "too heavily" on claims from Hamas about the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital bombing.

Last Tuesday, the legacy media regurgitated Hamas' claim that Israel had struck the hospital and killed more than 500 people.

The evolution of headlines that New York Times journalists slapped on the story told the tale of the media's uncritical reporting. The first headline declared, "Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say." The second read, "At Least 500 Dead in Strike on Gaza Hospital, Palestinians say." And the third iteration declared, "At Least 500 Dead in Blast on Gaza Hospital, Palestinians say."

As the facts surrounding the incident became known — including Israel's denial of responsibility — editors at the Times changed key aspects of the headline. First, they removed direct blame, editing out "Israeli." Then, editors removed the work "strike" and inserted "blast."

Importantly, the citation of "Palestinians" was a reference to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which Hamas controls, and thus a tell that the Times was relying on Hamas for its information.

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We now know 500 people did not die, the hospital was not struck, and Israel was not responsible for the Palestinian-launched rocket that actually fell on a parking lot in the hospital compound.

Nearly a week later, editors at the so-called "newspaper of record" decided it was time to issue an explanation about its coverage of the incident. In a statement, the New York Times admitted to relying on Hamas in its initial reporting.

The Times's initial accounts attributed the claim of Israeli responsibility to Palestinian officials, and noted that the Israeli military said it was investigating the blast.

However, the early versions of the coverage — and the prominence it received in a headline, news alert and social media channels — relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified. The report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.

In retrospect, the editors admitted they "should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified."

The statement, however, does not explain the newspaper attached an image of a destroyed hospital in Gaza — that was not the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital — to their story, thus giving more credence to Hamas' claim that the hospital was destroyed in an airstrike.

On one hand, it's good that the Times is willing to admit its error. It's sobering, however, that such an admission needs to be made at all.

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Former Israeli PM mic drops on CNN over media coverage of Gaza hospital bombing: 'Do your job and show the truth'



Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett scolded the mainstream media on Wednesday for disseminating Hamas propaganda about the bombing of the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza.

In the immediate aftermath of the hospital bombing, the Western media uncritically reported what Hamas claimed: that Israel was responsible. But those outlets quickly backtracked when it became more clear that Israel did not bomb the hospital. American intelligence later corroborated this fact.

In an interview with Bennett, CNN host Anderson Cooper asked if "more could have been accomplished" with President Joe Biden's short visit to Israel, invoking a meeting with other Arab nations that was cancelled after Hamas claimed Israel bombed the Gaza hospital.

Bennett, however, ignored the question and immediately trounced on the media.

"There are no two sides to this hospital" story, Bennett declared.

"Either it was bombed by Israel, or it was targeted by someone else on the Palestinian side," he said. "If two people come and say one says it's raining outside and the other said it's dry, you don't bring the quotes of both sides. You just god**** open the window and look whether it's raining or no.

"That's what we did. And this hospital, in fact, it's a parking lot, was hit definitely a hundred percent by Islamic Jihad barrage shot fired at 6:59 p.m. We have three different videos from different angles showing it. We have the ballistics. We know that an Israeli bomb would have created a crater, which does not exist," Bennett explained.

Bennett then said the media only believed Hamas because the claim involved Israel, and if it didn't, the "media would have behaved very differently."

"So, Anderson, with all due respect, there aren't two sides to this. Not everything is two sides," Bennett scolded.

No, CNN, there aren’t two “narratives” to the Gaza hospital blast. Go do your goddamn job. www.youtube.com

Still, Cooper defended the media playing both sides.

Cooper explained that media outlets "have not been able to independently verify the claims," which is why they broadcast the competing versions of the incident. But Bennett was in no mood to hear it.

"I have to barge in here. I have to say something," Bennett interjected, silencing Cooper.

"I was in 9/11. I was in Manhattan when it happened. And if a day later, Al Qaeda would have said that it's America who perpetrated it. No one would have quoted it Al Qaeda," he said. "And somehow there's a double standard here.

"You had 30 hours to validate. We have all the information. Everything is transparent. For heaven's sakes!" Bennett continued. "To see the headline of the New York Times saying the Palestinians claim that Israel bombarded a hospital — we don't do that. It's the Palestinians who rape young girls. It's the Palestinians who tear apart limbs. It's the Palestinians who burn whole families and shoot 5-month-old babies. It's the Palestinians, for heaven's sake, who kidnapped 84-year-old Holocaust survivors. It's not the Israelis. This is not what Israel does."

In the end, Bennett told Cooper, "You've had ample time, do your job and show the truth. There is moral clarity in the world. Not everything has two sides to it."

And with that mic drop, the interview was over.

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Sen. Fetterman asks key question about Tlaib, Omar rushing to believe Hamas propaganda about hospital strike: 'Truly disturbing'



Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) provided Democrats with a voice of moral clarity on Wednesday when he called out lawmakers who blamed Israel for the bombing of the the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.

After Hamas authorities blamed Israel for bombing the hospital and killing more than 500 people — claims we now know were lies — Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) rushed to regurgitate the claims despite possessing no evidence verifying them.

"Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that," Tlaib claimed.

Omar said, "Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes. The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific."

Fetterman responded to his Democratic colleagues — though without naming them — by probing the motive behind their rush to judgment.

"It's truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel for the hospital tragedy in Gaza," Fetterman said.

"Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?" he asked.

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Fetterman raises an important question.

Democrats love to scream about "misinformation," so why exactly did Tlaib and Omar lack the discipline to wait for the facts about what happened rather than believe Hamas' claims without second thought? More importantly, what does their rush to judgement say about their character and their ability to govern as members of Congress?

Omar has since retracted her claims, while Tlaib doubled down and dodged questions about the truth.

Meanwhile, legacy media apologist and former CNN host Brian Stelter ripped the media for pushing Hamas' propaganda about the hospital strike.

"There is no defense here," Stelter said. "This was an atrocious series of mistakes by many different major newsrooms all around the same time on Tuesday, and unfortunately I don’t think there’s been enough follow-up or accountability to make sure it doesn’t happen again."

He added, "War is already hell; it should not be made worse by misreporting, but I fear that on Tuesday the media made a bad situation worse. They actually did harm as opposed to trying to do the opposite."

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Reporters reveal what happened when they confronted Rashida Tlaib with truth about Gaza hospital bombing



Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) allegedly ran away from reporters on Wednesday when confronted with the truth about the purported bombing of the the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Hamas authorities claimed Israel bombed the hospital and killed over 500 people. Without any evidence to back their claim, Tlaib rushed to judgment and regurgitated the pro-Hamas propaganda.

"Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that," Tlaib reacted.

As we know now, Israel did not bomb the hospital. Rather, a failed rocket launched by terrorists in Gaza fell into a parking lot at the hospital compound. People tragically died, but there is no evidence of the casualties that Hamas claimed. And, importantly, the hospital suffered minimal — if any at all — structural damage.

On Wednesday, multiple reporters directly asked Tlaib if she planned to retract her baseless accusation. But instead, she ran away and refused to say anything, let alone admit that she falsely accused Israel for something the country did not do.

"I just asked @RashidaTlaib multiple times why she hasn't deleted this tweet—and whether she has seen evidence that refutes it. Rep. Tlaib refused to say anything as she rushed from the House floor to a car waiting to pick her up outside the Capitol building," reported John McCormack of the National Review.

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"Tlaib wouldn't respond just now when I asked if she had considered taking this post down, after Biden said he believes Israel didn’t bomb this hospital," reported Max Cohen of Punchbowl News.

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Unfortunately, Tlaib has not retracted her claims, despite American intelligence confirming Israel did not strike the hospital. In fact, Tlaib doubled down on Wednesday.

On the other hand, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who similarly blamed Israel for the hospital bombing, retracted her accusation late Wednesday, though she deflected direct responsibility by blaming the Associated Press for her conclusion.

The AP report to which Omar referred cited the "Gaza Health Ministry" as its source of information. As Omar probably understands, that agency is controlled by Hamas, the de facto government of Gaza.

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'Squad' members rush to push Hamas propaganda about Gaza hospital blast: 'The gravest of war crimes'



Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) rushed to promote Hamas propaganda on Tuesday over allegations that a Gaza hospital was struck by the Israeli Defense Forces.

On Tuesday afternoon, Hamas authorities claimed an IDF airstrike struck the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, killing over 500 people. The allegations triggered sharp condemnations from the Arab world despite no evidence proving that Israel was responsible for the strike.

Tlaib and Omar quickly joined the chorus of those rebuking Israel.

  • Tlaib: "Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that. [President Biden] this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate.Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood."
  • Omar: "Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes. The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific."

Their reaction, which remains published on X, appears to be a premature rush to judgement that promoted Hamas propaganda.

The IDF fiercely denied it was responsible for the blast or that the military had been conducting airstrikes in the region of the hospital. IDF officials said a failed rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza struck the hospital. Not only does video footage appear to show that a failed rocket did fall back into Gaza just seconds before the hospital was struck, but the IDF released audio of two Hamas personnel discussing the failed rocket. (Click here for more evidence.)

On the other hand, Hamas did not release any evidence proving the IDF was behind the strike. There is also no evidence proving the number of casualties Hamas claimed.

Meanwhile, when day broke over Gaza Wednesday morning, the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital was still standing.

Pictures from the scene prove the hospital itself was not struck; whatever projectile hit the hospital compound actually struck a parking lot and courtyard. There is little to no structural damage to buildings, and, most importantly, there is no crater, near-certain evidence that IDF ordinance was not responsible for the blast.

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Importantly, President Joe Biden said Wednesday that, based on American intelligence, "the other side" — not Israel — was responsible for the blast at the hospital.

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