DAILY MAIL COMMENT: BBC’s masterpiece in terrorist propaganda

In the fog of war, the truth is all too often obscured. Claim and counter-claim compete, which is why it is so vital that news outlets verify every piece of information.

The BBC fell disgracefully short of this obligation with its questionable reporting of the devastating explosion at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.

Within minutes of Tuesday’s blast, Hamas had pointed the finger of blame at Israel, claiming an air strike had killed hundreds of patients, healthcare staff and people seeking safety in the medical centre’s grounds.

Israel, meanwhile, categorically denied culpability. It insisted the atrocity was caused by a malfunctioning rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a terror group based in Gaza.

Only one of these sworn enemies could be telling the truth. Indeed, the Mail’s front-page headline yesterday morning was: ‘Hospital horror: Who is to blame?’

The BBC fell disgracefully short of this obligation with its questionable reporting of the devastating explosion at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City (File Photo)

Given the volatility of the Middle East, the BBC should surely have exercised restraint rather than rushed to judgment at such a sensitive moment.

Instead, the broadcaster did the opposite. With obscene haste, it uncritically parroted the Hamas version of events.

‘It’s hard to see what else this could be other than an Israeli air strike,’ one correspondent irresponsibly told viewers.

But of course, there is another possible explanation, which grew in credibility as the hours passed.

Is it really conceivable that Israel would have fired missiles anywhere near a hospital? The Jewish state is conscious the world is watching as it seeks retribution against Hamas for the massacre of 1,400 civilians.

Nor would the timing have made sense with US President Joe Biden visiting the country yesterday in a show of support.

It would also have handed the terrorists a massive propaganda victory.

Crucially, the hospital buildings remained standing despite the blast. An Israeli airstrike would have left nothing but a smoking crater and rubble.

A view of damage on October 18, 2023 after Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was hit in Gaza City

Evidence released by Tel Aviv yesterday – and backed by US intelligence – points overwhelmingly to the bloodshed being caused by a militant rocket aimed at Israel falling short. It wouldn’t be the first time.

So why did the BBC give the world a masterclass in how to spread jihadist misinformation? There is a clue in its perverse refusal to describe the mass murderers of Hamas as ‘terrorists’ – despite being designated so in UK law.

The corporation’s left-liberal worldview means it is institutionally biased towards the Palestinian cause and distrusts Israel.

That is why it takes the word of Hamas, a death cult dedicated to annihilating the Jews, at face value, while simultaneously holding Israel to a higher level of scrutiny.

In an interview with the Mail, Israel’s president Isaac Herzog describes the BBC’s reporting of the conflict as ‘atrocious’. He’s right. And it’s more than that. It not only legitimises evil, it’s extremely dangerous.

With Israel bombarding the terrorists’ base in the Gaza Strip, it’s inevitable most Arabs and Muslims will believe it was responsible for attacking the hospital. By regurgitating Hamas’s line, the corporation – which wields unparalleled influence across the globe – validates this inaccurate view.

As a result, it risks fuelling riots across the Middle East, inciting anti-Western attacks elsewhere in the world and stirring up hatred against Jews.

Today Rishi Sunak will be the next world leader to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu.

While rightly supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, the PM will urge all sides to avoid ‘further escalation’ and press the case for allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.

By placing the UK at the vanguard of these efforts, he is showing that post-Brexit Britain remains a responsible presence on the global stage. If only the same could be said for the increasingly unreliable BBC.

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