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Haaretz Accused Israeli Soldiers of a Horrific Blood Libel — But Twisted the Truth
English and Hebrew editions of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
On June 27, Haaretz published an exposé claiming that “IDF officers and soldiers told [the media outlet] they were ordered to fire at unarmed crowds near food distribution sites in Gaza, even when no threat was present.”
These are serious allegations indeed, and it didn’t take long before the story migrated into Western media, including Reuters, CNN, and NPR, among others.
Let’s examine the serious flaws in the reporting, as well as the agendas behind the story.
Massacre Libels
The past few weeks have seen plenty of Palestinian claims that the IDF is “massacring” unarmed Gazans while they wait for food being distributed by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
These claims have been found to be, at best, questionable, and at worst, outright lies.
HonestReporting board member Salo Aizenberg has addressed the various charges on X:
Gaza “aid massacres” are fake, a Hamas ploy to harm the GHF, amplified by willing media 1/
Hamas killed Gazans in many confirmed cases
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 23, 2025
Military expert Andrew Fox has written a comprehensive takedown of the most recent Haaretz story and makes the following point:
“The army has deliberately fired at Palestinians.”
A grim and damning line, if true. However, the story soon begins to collapse under the weight of its contradictions. A quoted soldier allegedly describes the IDF creating a “killing field,” complete with heavy machine guns, mortars, and grenade launchers. Yet this supposed “killing field” results in — wait for it — just one to five casualties per day. That’s not a massacre; well, not of Gazans. Perhaps of journalistic standards by Haaretz.
Fox rightly points out that if IDF soldiers were really that bloodthirsty and were employing heavy armaments to target Palestinians, the death toll would be significantly higher. Ultimately, the charges are meant to demonize the IDF by attributing evil intent to its soldiers.
It is also important to note that in many of these stories, the source of the casualty figures is Mahmoud Basel, the head of Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense organization, who has also been identified as a Hamas operative by the IDF.
Throughout this war, footage from Gaza has found its way onto social media courtesy of Palestinians armed with cellphones. While the GoPro footage of Hamas’ October 7 rampage was an all-too-accurate window on reality, much of the subsequent imagery coming out of Gaza has been highly questionable and has been used to create false narratives and blood libels.
The lack of footage of the so-called “massacres” taking place near aid distribution centers is therefore puzzling. If such bloodshed was taking place, how is it that it has not been documented, particularly given the narrative advantage this would give the Palestinian side were it to be true?
Deliberate Mistranslation
More lies from Haaretz: @YairElsner caught that the English version claims IDF soldiers were told to fire *at* Palestinians at Gaza aid sites.
Conversely, the original Hebrew version says they were told to fire *toward* masses congregating near the sites to “keep them away.” pic.twitter.com/ZhElul1Ym4
— Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) June 27, 2025
There’s a significant difference between the English version’s firing “at” Palestinians, which implies deliberately targeting them — as opposed to the original Hebrew firing “toward” crowds in an attempt to keep them from approaching.
It may be subtle, but this linguistic sleight of hand changes the entire framing of the story. One is effectively shooting to kill or injure, while the other amounts to warning shots.
Who is Deliberately Shooting at Palestinians?
Aizenberg highlights that Hamas is responsible for shooting at Palestinians. And when we say “at,” not “toward,” we mean it.
Critical confirmation that Hamas has killed many Gazans to pin blame on Israel and disrupt GHF: PA’s official newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported on June 19 that Hamas Al-Sahm “death squads” shoot civilians, citing locals, to maintain control of aid. 2/ https://t.co/dFtAjrqUjN
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 23, 2025
Haaretz, however, does not consider the possibility of Hamas firing at its own people, nor that terrorists could be present within the mass of Gazans.
Fox addresses this:
The author admits they don’t know who is shooting at civilians near these aid distribution centres. Still, rather than consider the possibility that, for example, Hamas might be involved, the article shifts with the loaded line:
“The IDF does not permit armed individuals in these humanitarian zones without its knowledge.”
Get it? If someone’s firing, and the IDF doesn’t permit any shooters other than themselves in the area, well… wink, wink. Conspiracy complete.
There’s no mention of the possibility that gunmen (Hamas, criminal gangs, or rogue actors) could infiltrate these chaotic areas without IDF permission, nor is there any curiosity about how IDF soldiers are getting wounded near those same food sites. Not exactly an idle question, especially in light of some of the video footage released in recent weeks showing Hamas opening fire on their own people.
In a glaring discrepancy, Haaretz’s subheader also refers to IDF soldiers being “ordered to fire at unarmed crowds near food distribution sites in Gaza, even when no threat was present,” giving the impression that there are no terrorists or potential assailants in the vicinity. Later, however, we learn that “there were also fatalities and injuries among IDF soldiers in these incidents.”
So, if IDF soldiers were being killed and injured, who does Haaretz think is shooting at them?
And if terrorists are firing at the IDF, is it not possible that innocent Palestinians are being caught in the crossfire as well as being deliberately targeted by Hamas for daring to take food aid from an Israeli-backed organization?
And are all those Palestinians in the crowd unarmed? Only in the past few weeks, the IDF killed two Hamas terrorists disguised as women. No wonder IDF soldiers are nervous about their own security under these trying circumstances.
Double Standards
It would be naive to suggest that every soldier in the IDF or any other comparable army behaves in an exemplary fashion. Only last September, The New Yorker published a database of what it said is the “largest known collection of investigations of possible war crimes committed [by the US military] in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11—nearly eight hundred incidents in all.”
Some of the alleged crimes are shocking. All of this is not to claim that the IDF is necessarily more moral than the American military, although there is certainly a good case to be made. The point is that nobody would condemn the entirety of the US Army as an immoral entity that brings shame to its country because of the behavior of a minority of its troops.
And, like the US Army, it’s a sign of a military that respects the laws of war and humanitarian law that the IDF has already launched investigations into the allegations made in the Haaretz story.
As Fox says:
Could some soldiers accidentally miss and hit someone? Yes. That is tragic and warrants investigation. However, the article itself acknowledges that the IDF is already examining those incidents. To jump from that to “deliberate killing fields” is not responsible reporting. It is narrative laundering.
The IDF is not perfect. It is also not meant to be a police force or responsible for crowd control. When Fox refers to “chaotic areas” around the food distribution sites, he is highlighting the need for IDF soldiers to maintain some semblance of order on the ground, both for their own safety and for that of the Palestinians seeking food for themselves and their families.
Israeli soldiers are effectively being asked to carry out crowd control duties in the middle of a war zone — something that they have not been trained to do. There may be plenty of criticism of this to go around, but it further adds to the likelihood that any deaths of Palestinians are a result of mistakes and not deliberate targeting.
But Haaretz is Israeli. Why Wouldn’t It be Accurate?
This is not the first time that an irresponsible and agenda-driven Haaretz story has created international headlines and resulted in opprobrium against Israel.
In 2014, we highlighted the agenda of Haaretz owner Amos Schocken, who openly admitted that his newspaper is anything but objective. Unable to exercise any meaningful influence on domestic politics, Haaretz uses its English-language website and print newspaper to encourage external pressure on Israel.
— Aizenberg (@Aizenberg55) June 28, 2025
While Haaretz is a product of Israel’s vibrant democracy and press freedom, it also plays a major role in the demonization of Israel.
Its “killing field” story, sadly, confirms this.
The author is the Managing Editor of HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Haaretz Accused Israeli Soldiers of a Horrific Blood Libel — But Twisted the Truth first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says
A satellite image of Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility. Photo: File.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was “probably closer to two years.” Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment.
“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department [of Defense] assess that,” Parnell told a news briefing.
U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.
The evolving U.S. intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran’s program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday’s briefing.
Such conclusions often take the U.S. intelligence community weeks or more to determine.
“All of the intelligence that we’ve seen [has] led us to believe that Iran’s — those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated,” Parnell said.
Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program have been.
Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it.
But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes.
A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran’s nuclear program was severely damaged.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage.
“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.
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Switzerland Moves to Close Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Geneva Office Over Legal Irregularities
Palestinians carry aid supplies received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
Switzerland has moved to shut down the Geneva office of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed aid group, citing legal irregularities in its establishment.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May, implementing a new aid delivery model aimed at preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas, as Israel continues its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group.
The initiative has drawn criticism from the UN and international organizations, some of which have claimed that Jerusalem is causing starvation in the war-torn enclave.
Israel has vehemently denied such accusations, noting that, until its recently imposed blockade, it had provided significant humanitarian aid in the enclave throughout the war.
Israeli officials have also said much of the aid that flows into Gaza is stolen by Hamas, which uses it for terrorist operations and sells the rest at high prices to Gazan civilians.
With a subsidiary registered in Geneva, the GHF — headquartered in Delaware — reports having delivered over 56 million meals to Palestinians in just one month.
According to a regulatory announcement published Wednesday in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) may order the dissolution of the GHF if no creditors come forward within the legal 30-day period.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Swiss decision to shut down its Geneva office.
“The GHF confirmed to the ESA that it had never carried out activities in Switzerland … and that it intends to dissolve the Geneva-registered branch,” the ESA said in a statement.
Last week, Geneva authorities gave the GHF a 30-day deadline to address legal shortcomings or risk facing enforcement measures.
Under local laws and regulations, the foundation failed to meet several requirements: it did not appoint a board member authorized to sign documents domiciled in Switzerland, did not have the minimum three board members, lacked a Swiss bank account and valid address, and operated without an auditing body.
The GHF operates independently from UN-backed mechanisms, which Hamas has sought to reinstate, arguing that these vehicles are more neutral.
Israeli and American officials have rejected those calls, saying Hamas previously exploited UN-run systems to siphon aid for its war effort.
The UN has denied those allegations while expressing concerns that the GHF’s approach forces civilians to risk their safety by traveling long distances across active conflict zones to reach food distribution points.
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Key US Lawmaker Warns Ireland of Potential Economic Consequences for ‘Antisemitic Path’ Against Israel
US Sen. James Risch (R-ID) speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Washington, DC, May 21, 2024. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-ID) issued a sharp warning Tuesday, accusing Ireland of embracing antisemitism and threatening potential economic consequences if the Irish government proceeds with new legislation targeting Israeli trade.
“Ireland, while often a valuable U.S. partner, is on a hateful, antisemitic path that will only lead to self-inflicted economic suffering,” Risch wrote in a post on X. “If this legislation is implemented, America will have to seriously reconsider its deep and ongoing economic ties. We will always stand up to blatant antisemitism.”
Marking a striking escalation in rhetoric from a senior US lawmaker, Risch’s comments came amid growing tensions between Ireland and Israel, which have intensified dramatically since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Those attacks, in which roughly 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage, prompted a months-long Israeli military campaign in Gaza that has drawn widespread international scrutiny. Ireland has positioned itself as one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s response, accusing the Israeli government of disproportionate use of force and calling for immediate humanitarian relief and accountability for the elevated number of Palestinian civilian casualties.
Dublin’s stance has included tangible policy shifts. In May 2024, Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state, becoming one of the first European Union members to do so following the outbreak of the war in Gaza. The move was condemned by Israeli officials, who recalled their ambassador to Ireland and accused the Irish government of legitimizing terrorism. Since then, Irish lawmakers have proposed further measures, including legislation aimed at restricting imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, policies viewed in Israel and among many American lawmakers as aligning with the controversial Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
While Irish leaders have defended their approach as grounded in international law and human rights, critics in Washington, including Risch, have portrayed it as part of a broader pattern of hostility toward Israel. Some US lawmakers have begun raising the possibility of reevaluating trade and diplomatic ties with Ireland in response.
Risch’s warning is one of the clearest indications yet that Ireland’s policies toward Israel could carry economic consequences. The United States is one of Ireland’s largest trading partners, and American companies such as Apple, Google, Meta and Pfizer maintain substantial operations in the country, drawn by Ireland’s favorable tax regime and access to the EU market.
Though the Trump administration has not echoed Risch’s warning, the remarks reflect growing unease in Washington about the trajectory of Ireland’s foreign policy. The State Department has maintained a careful balancing act, expressing strong support for Israel’s security while calling for increased humanitarian access in Gaza. Officials have stopped short of condemning Ireland’s actions directly but have expressed concern about efforts they see as isolating Israel on the international stage.
Ireland’s stance is emblematic of a growing international divide over the war. While the US continues to provide military and diplomatic backing to Israel, many European countries have called for an immediate ceasefire and investigations into alleged war crimes.
Irish public opinion has long leaned pro-Palestinian, and Irish lawmakers have repeatedly voiced concern over the scale of destruction in Gaza and the dire humanitarian situation.
Irish officials have not yet responded to The Algemeiner’s request for comment.
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