President Biden reportedly criticizes the New York Times for its coverage of an explosion near a Gaza Strip hospital. The Times blamed Israel for the attack and exaggerated the death toll.
Following the incident on October 17, the Times published a headline citing Hamas officials in Gaza who claimed Israeli responsibility and stated that 500 people had died.
However, independent investigators later confirmed that the explosion was caused by a rocket fired from within Gaza by Islamic Jihad terrorists. The actual death toll from the blast near Al Ahli Arab Hospital was estimated to be around 50.
According to the news site Semafor, Biden expressed concern that the Times’ headline could have contributed to an escalation in conflict throughout the region. He was particularly upset that it appeared in an American newspaper.
Biden’s dissatisfaction with the Times is not new; it reportedly stems from the newspaper’s coverage of his 2020 campaign, during which they raised doubts about his ability to defeat Donald Trump.
Reports suggest that Biden has turned down interview requests from Times reporters and instead granted interviews to opinion columnists who are more favorable towards his administration.
The meeting between Biden and Wall Street executives provided an opportunity for the president to reconnect politically with a constituency that has been critical of his administration’s antitrust crackdowns and increased securities regulations.
Notably, Wall Street figures such as Bill Ackman, Ken Griffin, and Marc Rowan have expressed support for Israel following the Hamas-orchestrated massacre on October 7, which claimed the lives of over 1,400 Israelis and resulted in the kidnapping of 200 others.
The Times initially amplified Hamas claims of Israeli responsibility for the hospital blast but later changed the headlines after questions arose about the reliability of these claims.
Western intelligence agencies have also questioned Hamas’ death toll figures, with Biden himself casting doubt on the accuracy of casualty numbers reported by officials in Gaza.
Last Monday, the Times acknowledged that they had relied too heavily on Hamas claims and failed to verify them. They attributed the claims to Palestinian officials and noted that the Israeli military was investigating the incident.
Follow-up investigations and analyses supported Israel’s claim that the explosion was caused by an errant Palestinian rocket. The governments of the United States, Canada, and France have publicly absolved Israel of blame for the deaths at Al Ahli Arab Hospital.
