Fire rages following an Israeli strike amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, May 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Reuters TV

An independent military investigation is underway to ascertain exactly what happened following an Israeli airstrike on two senior Hamas commanders in Rafah on Sunday night, which also led to a fire that killed a number of Gazan civilians.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deaths as “tragic,” and said Israel had been working to protect civilians by evacuating one million Palestinians from Rafah. “Despite our efforts not to hurt them, there was a tragic mishap. We are investigating the incident. For us it’s a tragedy, for Hamas, it’s a strategy,” he said.

A US official reportedly said that the likely cause of the blaze was shrapnel from the strike hitting and igniting a fuel tank, with the fire then spreading to a nearby encampment.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military stated that it suspects munitions or another explosive substance, of which it was unaware, caused the secondary blast and fire.

The IDF also confirmed that the strike occurred outside a designated humanitarian zone.

“Strike on Rafah Refugee Camp”

Despite the evidence, several leading news outlets have suggested that Israel directly struck or targeted the encampment.

The Guardian accused Israel of carrying out a “deadly” airstrike on “on tents housing displaced Palestinians,” while The Los Angeles Times also claimed that the IDF had killed dozens in a “strike on a tent camp…”

As tragic as this incident was, Israel did not carry out an airstrike “on refugee tents.”

The IDF targeted senior Hamas terrorists outside of the designated humanitarian zone. Despite @guardian‘s headline, Israel does not deliberately target civilians.https://t.co/Gs1xSHcrbo pic.twitter.com/GPmjE9nHXe

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 28, 2024

Meanwhile, the Associated Press also cited “health officials” in Gaza, who claimed at least 45 people had been killed when a strike “hit a tent camp” and caused a large fire.

The BBC quoted the incendiary comments made by the Irish deputy prime minister, Micheál Martin, saying he had “condemned an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced Palestinians, describing it as ‘barbaric’.”

Like the AP, ABC News also referenced unverified Gaza health ministry figures without stating it is operated by Hamas.

Just wow. @ABC literally republishes the statement of a terrorist org. This isn’t verified info from an independent health ministry, it’s the unverified claims & propaganda of Hamas.

At least have the honesty to tell your readers where it came from.https://t.co/e5A0d4l2sP pic.twitter.com/KDDeBLoRPN

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 28, 2024

The New York Times implied malice on Israel’s part in a piece headlined, “Charred Bodies and Screams” which describes “scenes of horror after an airstrike at a camp.”

Every single civilian death is horrific. It still doesn’t mean Israel targets civilians.

Israel struck & killed two Hamas leaders. Right now, investigations are underway to understand what exactly led to the tragic civilian casualties.

Shame on you @nytimes for implying malice. pic.twitter.com/08BQA0pJIx

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) May 28, 2024

It was a deliberate choice by these media outlets to frame the tragic Rafah incident as an intentional Israeli attack on Palestinian civilians sheltering in a refugee encampment.

This is part of a recurring pattern, where these outlets prematurely — and without evidence — suggest that Israel is guilty of grave war crimes.

The media have a duty to get the facts right, and to report fairly and truthfully. In the context of war, where every piece of misreporting can have potentially devastating consequences, this duty becomes even more critical. Lives depend on it.

The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.