A BBC reporter has been slammed for suggesting it's "hard to see what else this could be" other than an Israeli airstike when referring to an explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza.
The comments were made during Tuesday night's broadcast of the BBC News channel's The Context, and prior to the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) coming forward with evidence it claims proves the blast was caused by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group.
Palestinian authorities continue to claim Israel is behind the blast which has claimed more than 500 lives while the IDF claims to have a recording of alleged Hamas terrorists acknowledging a rocket launched by jihadists had gone off-course.
The report that has once again resulted in the BBC facing criticism for its coverage of the Hamas-Israel conflict - alongside its refusal to label Hamas as terrorists - has since gone viral online.
In it, the reporter says: "The Israeli Military has been contacted for comment and they have said that they are investigating.
"But you know, it is hard to see what else this could be really, given the size of the explosion, other than an Israeli airstrike or several airstrikes.
The BBC has faced protests for its coverage of the conflict after refusing to call Hamas "terrorists"
PA
"Because when we see rockets being fired out of Gaza, we never see explosions of that scale. We might see half a dozen, maybe a few more people, being killed in such rocket attacks but we've never seen anything on the scale of the sort of explosion on the video I was watching earlier - which as you say, is still to be verified."
The reporter's acknowledgment that the material provided still needed to be verified combined with his presumption the horror was caused by an Israeli airstrike left many X users perturbed.
Reacting to the report, one fan blasted on the site formerly known as Twitter: "This reporter should be suspended if, as the evidence we’re seeing this morning points to, it was not an Israeli rocket."
A second hit out: "The BBC. So happy to spread anti-Israel 'news' without waiting for the facts to emerge. They are doing Hamas' dirty work for them.#DefundTheBBC."
While a third pointed out: "'Still to be verified' but I'm going to blame Israel, with ZERO evidence, and create animosity and hatred towards Jews in the UK. @BBCNews must be defunded immediately."
"Shameful haste. I love the @BBCNews but this is not serious reporting," a fourth added while a fifth slammed: "Another day of being glad to have cancelled my TV licence. @BBCWorld just a political project now.
"Can’t call a terrorist a terrorist, can make an immediate assessment of a catastrophe that clearly could have multiple causes," they continued before a sixth weighed in: "This may be fine at an opinion panel discussion. However, as a reporter - broadcasting to millions, one must exhibit greater prudence. Stick to known facts (avoid insinuations)." (sic)
Among the alleged evidence released by the IDF in the wake of the hospital blast are recordings of alleged Hamas terrorists discussing a rocket inadvertently striking the hospital as well as alleged video footage of said rocket going off-course.
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IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari claimed of the material presented: "The walls stay intact. There are no craters in the parking lot. These are the characteristics that show it was not an aerial munition that hit the parking lot."
US President Joe Biden arrived in Tel-Aviv, Israel on Wednesday and threw his support behind Israel by backing the claims it did not carry out an airstrike that led to the hospital blast.
Biden said to Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu: "Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you. But there's a lot of people out there not sure so we have to overcome a lot of things."
The IDF's claims are still yet to be independently verified. The PIJ has denied the allegation, according to Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority’s health minister, Mai Alkaila, accused Israel of carrying out “a massacre” as Palestine continues to blame Israel for the blast.
