NYT Defends Piece Alleging Israeli Forces Purposely Shot Children
The New York Times on Tuesday defended a piece it published last week alleging that there were multiple cases of Israeli forces in Gaza shooting children in their head or chest. The article, filed as an opinion piece, was based on the testimony of 65 US-based health professionals who had worked i...
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Facts
- The New York Times on Tuesday defended a piece it published last week alleging that there were multiple cases of Israeli forces in Gaza shooting children in their head or chest. The article, filed as an opinion piece, was based on the testimony of 65 US-based health professionals who had worked in Gaza over the past year.[1][2]
- Critics said the accounts were inaccurate or fabricated, but the Times claimed to have 'rigorously edited this guest essay before publication' and worked to verify its claims. The outlet added that its editors had seen photos too graphic to publish corroborating the claims.[1][3]
- On Sunday, the op-ed's author, trauma surgeon Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, said that there was a misunderstanding regarding the CT scans included in the piece, stating they were 'typical of someone who has been shot in the head but is still alive.'[3][4]
- The original piece also detailed the psychological trauma on children caused by the war as well as the deaths of babies due to dehydration, malnourishment, and disease. Many of the health professionals spoke of a lack of medical equipment to effectively treat patients.[2]
- Israeli bombing and military operations have destroyed large swaths of Gaza's infrastructure, displaced virtually all of the population, and killed more than 41K Palestinians, according to the strip's health ministry. The number of active combatants killed is unclear.[5]
- The war in the enclave broke out on the same day as and in retaliation for the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which gunmen killed about 1.2K people and took some 250 hostages to Gaza.[6][7]
Sources: [1]The New York Times Company, [2]New York Times, [3]Mediaite, [4]Feroze Sidhwa on X, [5]Nature, [6]Al Jazeera and [7]Timesofisrael.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by The New York Times Company. The accusations against this rigorously scrutinized article are completely baseless. Everything that was included in the piece was verified multiple times, including by independent experts, and there are photos substantiating its claims that are simply too graphic to publish.
- Narrative B, as provided by HonestReporting and Reuters. The validity of these CT scans must be questioned for several reasons. The lack of skull fragments, exit wounds, or change in the shape of the bullets is evidence that the CT scans were fabricated. Additionally, even if the scans are legitimate, there is no evidence that Israeli forces fired the bullet, as Hamas is known to kill civilians.
