The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has debunked Hamas’s latest accusation of a “massacre” near a US-backed aid distribution site in southern Gaza earlier this week. Hamas claimed that Israeli forces killed 31 civilians, a lie eagerly broadcast by mainstream media outlets like CNN and BBC.

But IDF drone footage revealed the truth: Palestinian gunmen, not Israeli troops, had fired on civilians. This incident exposed, yet again, the media’s reckless rush to parrot Hamas’s propaganda while ignoring Israel’s evidence-based rebuttals.

Hamas’s fabricated narrative falls apart

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry spun a tale of Israeli forces luring civilians to the aid site only to gun them down—a vicious smear designed to demonize Israel. Predictably, Western media outlets ran with the story, amplifying the unverified claims without hesitation. But the IDF’s footage, backed by officials from the US-based Global Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), showed no Israeli involvement—only armed Gazans attacking their own people.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett slammed the initial reports as “a colossal fabrication,” demanding retractions that have yet to materialize.

Share now to expose the lie:
Israel did NOT open fire on or near any food distribution center.
THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.

שתפו עכשיו כדי לחשוף את השקר. pic.twitter.com/SxDtCjmOwW

— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) June 1, 2025

A pattern of media bias

This is hardly the first time the media has willingly and so blatantly followed Hamas’s playbook. In 2023, outlets falsely blamed Israel for the Al-Ahli hospital blast, only for evidence to later confirm it was a Palestinian rocket misfire. Despite Israel restricting media access in Gaza—a necessary security measure—these same outlets consistently prioritize Hamas’s narrative, while treating Israel’s meticulous documentation with undue skepticism. The double standard is glaring: Hamas’s accusations get instant airtime, while Israel’s proven clarifications are sidelined or doubted.

The truth stands firm

The GHF, which on the day in question distributed 900,000 meals, confirmed that no shooting occurred during its operations, with footage showing peaceful aid distribution—not the chaos Hamas invented. The IDF has in turn accused Hamas of orchestrating the violence to sabotage aid efforts and fuel its anti-Israel disinformation campaign.

#BREAKING According to drone footage from the Israeli Defense Ministry, gunmen (probably Hamas) opened fire on Palestinians who arrived at the aid distribution area in the early hours of the morning pic.twitter.com/P5XXdVBSSj

— Conflict Radar (@Conflict_Radar) June 1, 2025

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called out the mainstream media for its role in perpetuating the Gaza war and fanning the flames of global antisemitism, all in line with Hamas’s agenda.

“Without verification of any source other than Hamas and its collaborators, the New York Times, CNN, and Associated Press reported that a number of people seeking to receive humanitarian food boxes from the Gaza Humanitarian Fund were shot or killed by the Israeli Defense Forces,” Huckabee said in a statement. “These reports were FALSE. Drone video and first-hand accounts clearly showed that there were no injuries, no fatalities, no shooting, no chaos.”

The ambassador went on to demand that these media outlets “recant their fake news stories, apologize and pledge to practice actual reporting of fact instead of engaging in dangerous propaganda that assists the terror group Hamas as they continue to hold innocent hostages for over 600 days after butchering over 1,200 people on October 7th.”

Israel’s uphill battle for truth

As Gaza’s civilians suffer under Hamas’s oppressive rule, Israel fights not just for its security but for the right to have its voice heard. The mainstream media’s willingness to blindly publish Hamas’s lies—while questioning Israel’s every move—only emboldens the terrorists and obscures the truth. Israel remains steadfast, armed with facts, in a world too quick to embrace its enemies’ distortions.

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