Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., tripled down on the Hamas narrative that Israel was behind last week's explosion at a Gaza hospital, something that had already been debunked by both Israeli and U.S. intelligence.
"Media outlets and third-party analysts have raised doubts about claims and evidence offered by both Israel and the Gaza Ministry of Health, and I agree with the United Nations that an independent investigation is necessary," Tlaib told Haaretz on Monday. "I cannot uncritically accept Israel’s denials of responsibility as fact, especially in light of confirmation from the World Health Organization that Israel has bombed numerous medical facilities in Gaza and reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society of ongoing threats from the Israeli military to evacuate hospital."
She continued, "Both the Israeli and United States governments have long, documented histories of misleading the public about wars and war crimes - like last year’s Israeli military assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh and the false claims of weapons of mass destruction that led our country into the Iraq War - and cannot clear themselves of responsibility without an independent international investigation. This debate should not distract us from the urgent need for a ceasefire to save innocent civilian lives."
Last week, Tlaib quickly condemned Israel after it was first reported that an Israeli airstrike killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians at a Gaza hospital.
"Israel just bombed the Baptist killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that," Tlaib wrote on X. "@POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate. Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood."
Initial reports were solely reliant on a statement from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry. However, evidence emerged that the origin of the explosion was from a misfired rocket within Gaza aimed at Israel from Hamas ally Islamic Jihad.
It was also revealed that the explosion mostly occurred in the parking lot of the hospital and that the death toll is estimated to be a small fraction of what Hamas first alleged.
Tlaib's post, which was never deleted from X, was slapped with Community Notes that read, "AP’s analysis shows that the rocket that broke up in the air was fired from within Palestinian territory, and that the hospital explosion was most likely caused when part of that rocket crashed to the ground."
The "Squad" lawmaker continued pushing the Hamas narrative at a pro-Palestinian protest outside Capitol Hill last week despite it having already been debunked by both the Biden administration and the IDF.
"People think it's ok to bomb a hospital with children," Tlaib told the crowd Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Tlaib's colleague Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who similarly rushed to condemn Israel following the explosion, walked back her comments but stopped short of offering an apology.
On Monday, The New York Times published an editor's note admitting it relied "too heavily" on Hamas' claims after the paper was widely-panned for pushing the false narrative.
"Early versions of the coverage — and the prominence it received in a headline, news alert and social media channels — relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified. The report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was," the Times acknowledged. "Given the sensitive nature of the news during a widening conflict, and the prominent promotion it received, Times editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation, and been more explicit about what information could be verified. Newsroom leaders continue to examine procedures around the biggest breaking news events — including for the use of the largest headlines in the digital report — to determine what additional safeguards may be warranted."
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