BBC Defends Its Gaza Coverage Against White House Criticism

The BBC has issued a firm response to allegations made by the White House regarding its reporting on Gaza, reaffirming its commitment to unbiased journalism in the face of conflicting narratives.

The BBC has publicly rejected claims from the White House, articulating its position on the coverage of the Gaza conflict amid a flurry of accusations. At a recent briefing, Karoline Leavitt, President Trump's press secretary, alleged that the BBC had taken "the word of Hamas" regarding casualty figures from a shooting near an aid site in Rafah, also incorrectly asserting that the BBC had retracted a story.

In its statement, the BBC strongly refuted this, clarifying that it had not removed any content and emphasized that it stands by its reporting practices. “The claim the BBC took down a story after reviewing footage is completely wrong. We did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism,” the BBC noted.

Leavitt had also criticized the BBC for adjusting casualty numbers in its headlines. The BBC explained that updates to its reporting were made throughout the day as new figures emerged, a standard procedure in fast-evolving news scenarios. The outlet stated that these figures were attributed accurately from various sources: starting with medics’ initial estimate of 15 casualties, as well as later counts from the Hamas-run health ministry which reported 31 deaths, and concluded with the Red Cross's statement of “at least 21” from their field hospital.

Debates regarding the casualty figures stem from conflicting accounts: while civilian witnesses and NGOs reported shootings at the distribution point, the Israeli military denied these allegations. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group supported by Israel and the U.S. that oversees the aid efforts, labelled the reports as "outright fabrications."

Access to Gaza for international journalists, including BBC reporters, remains constrained, complicating the verification of on-the-ground developments. Earlier in the week, similar tensions arose when local accounts stated that Israeli forces opened fire on civilians collecting aid, resulting in at least 27 fatalities. The IDF contended that the fires were directed toward individuals they perceived as suspects deviating from designated paths.

Leavitt also suggested that BBC had retracted a piece due to a lack of evidence regarding a viral video related to the incidents. The BBC clarified that an examination of the footage revealed it was not connected to the aid distribution center and insisted that this video had not been featured on its news channels and did not impact its original reporting. The BBC criticized the conflation of these narratives as misleading, calling for broader support from entities like the White House for international journalists seeking access to Gaza.

The situation in Gaza worsened dramatically following Israel's military response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in a significant loss of life—around 1,200 victims and 251 hostages. The ongoing conflict has led to reports of over 54,470 deaths in Gaza since the escalation, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting 4,201 fatalities since the start of the latest military operations on March 18, 2023.