The BBC issued an apology on Wednesday after a presenter falsely asserted that Israel was targeting medical staff and Arab speakers at Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital.
“This was incorrect and misquoted a Reuters report,” the publicly funded British broadcaster said.
“What we should have said is that IDF forces included medical staff and Arabic speakers for this operation. We apologize for this error which fell below our usual editorial standards. The correct version of events was broadcast minutes later.”
Israeli forces entered Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City overnight Tuesday to conduct what the Israeli military said was a precision operation against Hamas.
The IDF’s statement said that the Israeli forces entering the hospital include medical teams and Arabic-speaking soldiers “who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians being used by Hamas as human shields.”
The army announced on Wednesday morning that incubators, baby food and medical supplies brought into Gaza by IDF tanks had reached Shifa, and that the medical teams and Arabic speakers were ensuring that the supplies reached those in need.
The BBC has been accused of anti-Israel bias and relaying inaccurate information during the war with Hamas, including censoring criticism from Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
An interview with Herzog was trimmed significantly by the BBC, with the network ultimately choosing to air six out of the total 28 minutes.
