Pro-Hamas protesters outside the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Photo: Ron Sachs via Reuters Connect

On Saturday morning, guided by intelligence from the Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN) and Shin Bet, the Israeli Air Force executed a precision strike on a Hamas command and control center, conveniently nestled within the Al-Taabin school complex near a mosque in the Dura’ Tafah area of Gaza.

According to the IDF, the strike successfully eliminated at least 38 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, with a strong likelihood that Ashraf Juda, the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Central Brigade, was among the casualties.

The IDF was crystal clear in its assessment: the precision munitions used were targeted at specific rooms within the men’s section of the school, where these terrorists were reportedly hiding.

The rest of the complex was largely untouched. Israel went to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties, even when dealing with a site exploited by terrorists for their own deadly purposes. After the strike, photos revealed that the damage was indeed limited to just a few rooms.

Did the media wait to verify the facts before reporting? Unfortunately, no.

Instead, they quickly amplified Hamas’ claims, accusing Israel of targeting civilians who were “praying” or “seeking refuge” inside the school, as was claimed in some reports.

For instance, The Wall Street Journal ran a headline accusing Israel of killing civilians, without providing a credible source for the alleged death toll. Reuters followed suit, reporting that “officials” claimed at least 100 people had died — although which officials these were was left unclear.

The IDF targeted terrorists operating from inside a Gaza school.

Here’s a rolling 🧵 of just some examples of how the media are parroting Hamas:

1. @WSJ: “Israel says” it killed terrorists yet the headline states civilian deaths as unattributed fact.https://t.co/0m9fmiJeEc pic.twitter.com/k11tSfBvUF

— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 11, 2024

CNN and Reuters both relied on casualty figures from the “Gaza Civil Defense,” with CNN’s report quoting a spokesman who claimed Israel struck people “performing dawn prayers,” many of whom were “torn apart” and “still unidentified.”

However, neither outlet clarified that Gaza’s Civil Defense is controlled by Hamas.

Reuters even suggested that this Hamas-run entity has a “credible record in stating casualty numbers,” despite well-documented instances of inflated figures.

The IDF has since disputed these casualty numbers, noting the limited damage and pointing out that the figures don’t align with the precision munitions used.

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”

Yet again, Hamas runs to the press with fake numbers without mention of the terrorist infrastructure that was in the complex.

Yet again, Hamas hides behind civilians.

Yet again, we… pic.twitter.com/VA6w5vq63o

— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) August 11, 2024

NPR sensationally reported that Israel had “struck another school, killing at least 80 people,” suggesting that Israel was targeting civilians.

Yes, NPR, it was “another school” that Hamas had repurposed for its operations, and another successful Israeli airstrike aimed at the terrorists who started this conflict on October 7 and continue to threaten Israel.

But it’s also another instance where the media rushed to report, without fully examining the facts, leading to yet another round of stories that uncritically echoed the narrative of a terrorist organization. It’s yet another lapse in journalistic responsibility.

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.