BBC defends Gaza aid massacre coverage amid White House criticism

The BBC has stood firm in defending its coverage of a deadly incident near a Gaza aid centre, amid criticism from the White House, accusing the broadcaster of accepting "the word of Hamas" without sufficient scrutiny.

The controversy centers on an event last Sunday when Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that "Israeli" gunfire killed at least 31 Palestinians close to a US-backed aid facility. However, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) denied any involvement, asserting its forces did not fire on civilians near the centre. Both the IOF and the aid centre’s administrators accused Hamas of spreading false information.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the situation on Tuesday, urging the BBC to "correct and take down" its reports. She criticized the BBC for publishing multiple headlines with varying death tolls, accusing the broadcaster of failing to verify Hamas’s claims.

"The administration is aware of those reports and we are currently looking into the veracity of them because, unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don't take the word of Hamas with total truth," Leavitt stated.

Leavitt further said, "We like to look into it when they speak, unlike the BBC, who had multiple headlines," adding, "And then, oh, wait, they had to correct and take down their entire story, saying 'We reviewed the footage and couldn't find any evidence of anything'."

In response, the BBC rejected these allegations, insisting it had not removed any stories related to the incident and stood by its reporting. The broadcaster explained that fluctuating death tolls in headlines are a normal journalistic practice as updates come in throughout the day from various sources.

The BBC clarified that all figures were clearly attributed, starting with an initial count of 15 fatalities from medics, rising to 31 as reported by the Gaza health ministry, and later citing the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which confirmed at least 21 deaths. The ICRC also said its field hospital in Rafah received 179 people, including 21 declared dead on arrival.

Leavitt also criticized the Washington Post’s handling of the incident, noting that the newspaper deleted one article due to sourcing concerns. The Post subsequently updated the story and headline to clarify that there was no consensus on who was responsible for the deaths.