WaPo Admits To Faulty Reporting

The Washington Post has issued a correction for a story claiming Israeli soldiers killed 31 civilians in Gaza attempting to collect aid at a US-run site. 

In a Tuesday X post, WaPo admitted it could not verify the Sunday report, headlined: “At least 31 people were killed Sunday morning in southern Gaza, according to the Strip’s Health Ministry, when Israeli troops opened fire on crowds making their way to collect aid.”

WaPo acknowledged the article failed to clarify whether the deaths were attributed to Israel by the Gaza Health Ministry or verified by The Post. It also gave insufficient weight to Israel’s denial and overstated certainty about Israel’s role. “The early version fell short of Post standards of fairness and should not have been published in that form,” the correction stated.

The updated story still reports 31 Palestinians killed while seeking aid at an Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site, citing local health officials and medics, but now includes the Israel Defense Forces’ denial of involvement and the GHF’s rejection of “fabricated” claims. The GHF stated, “All aid was distributed today without incident. No injuries or fatalities,” alleging Hamas spread false reports, per Fox News.

Fox News, citing the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, reported over 175 Palestinians wounded and at least 26 killed on Sunday. The International Committee of the Red Cross hospital in Rafah reported a “mass casualty influx” of 179 cases, per the BBC. UN Secretary-General Guterres, in an X post, called the deaths “appalling,” urging an immediate, independent investigation and accountability for perpetrators.