‘CNN reports focused heavily on accounts from the Hamas-run media, which it referred to as ‘the Gaza government.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
A targeted IDF operation to eliminate 20-30 terrorists, some of whom took part in the October 7th massacre, resulted in the deaths of dozens of people in a UNRWA school in Nuseirat and an overnight strike on Thursday.
Initial reports from CNN focused heavily on accounts from the Hamas-run media, which it referred to as “The Gaza government” in updates shortly after the incident.
Throughout the report, CNN dismissed statements from Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, who was quoted as saying he “wasn’t aware of any civilian casualties.”
Lerner said that the “precision and intelligence-based” strike was intended to target terrorists who were “using the facilities to plan and execute attacks” against Israeli forces.
At the end of the article, the CNN journalist wrote of Lerner, “The spokesperson did not provide evidence for his claims.”
However, the CNN reporting focused on the statements from the Hamas media about the number of civilian deaths without adding a disclaimer similar to the one it used for the Israeli source, saying there was no evidence to support the claims.
The IDF said it took precautions to avoid civilian deaths when it launched its operation at the UNRWA school to target 20 to 30 terrorists who were hiding there.
CNN‘s blaming Israel for the deaths was without consideration of the fact that Hamas often embeds itself in schools, hospitals, and other populated areas to maximize civilian casualties.
CNN also neglected to mention that the IDF struck in three classrooms where the terrorists were hiding and which were separate from where Palestinian civilians were sheltering.
Hamas media claimed that civilians were killed in a “massacre” without mentioning the presence of terrorists and instead implying that the IDF was intentionally targeting civilians.
UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma told Reuters that there were between 35 and 45 people killed at the school without making the distinction between terrorists and civilians.
The IDF reported that an unspecified number of terrorists were killed in the operation.
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