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What Really Happened at Gaza’s Al-Baqa Cafe?

Israeli soldiers operate at the opening to a tunnel at Al Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, Nov. 22, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
On June 30, the IDF carried out a targeted strike in Gaza City.
As is now routine, Palestinians on the ground quickly supplied a detailed death toll — more than 30 killed and dozens more injured, along with other vivid embellishments. Media outlets around the world eagerly picked up the story. Once again, tales of an alleged Israeli assault on innocent civilians made headlines before a single detail could be verified.
Here’s a sample of how the media reported the incident:
The New York Times cited Al-Shifa Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya, reporting that “more than 30 people had been killed” at the seaside cafe. The article later quoted a Hamas statement claiming Israel had “targeted innocent civilians gathered at a rest stop on the Gaza City beach.” No scrutiny of either source was offered.
The Guardian went a step further, suggesting the strike may have been a war crime. It cited unnamed “experts” who claimed the IDF used a 500lb bomb, supposedly based on “fragments” found at the scene.
ABC News’ (Australia) framing implied journalists were the intended targets, describing the cafe as a spot “frequented by journalists, media workers, activists and students.” The reported death toll, again, came from Gaza’s “civil defense agency,” i.e. Hamas.
NPR blurred the lines between separate incidents, running the headline: “74 killed in Gaza as Israeli forces strike a cafe and fire on people seeking food.”
CNN quoted “hospital officials” who claimed “dozens” were killed, while also noting that the cafe was popular with journalists and “remote workers” in Gaza.
We’re not going to dissect every example of hearsay, exaggeration, or recycled talking points in these articles. What matters is that they were all based on sources under Hamas control, and they all omitted critical details.
So let’s try and piece this puzzle together.
- The IDF confirmed it had targeted the Al-Baqa cafe, a venue located on Gaza City’s seafront promenade. According to the Israeli military, the strike was aimed at Hamas operatives in northern Gaza. The IDF is currently awaiting confirmation that a senior Hamas figure was among those eliminated.
- As with all operations where civilians could be harmed, the IDF would have conducted a legal and ethical assessment prior to the strike. The munition used was a precision-guided bomb, a standard bomb equipped with a JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) kit, which converts “dumb” bombs into highly accurate ones. As former Israeli diplomat and Jerusalem Center fellow Lenny Ben-David noted, this directly contradicts The Guardian’s suggestion that use of a 500lb bomb may constitute a war crime. On the contrary, precision strikes are exactly what international law demands.
- The source of the death toll was not even the Hamas-run health ministry, but Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya. He is the hospital director previously detained by Israel after the IDF exposed and documented a Hamas command center beneath Al-Shifa Hospital. Abu Salmiya has since alleged he was tortured while in custody, including claims of daily beatings and dog attacks. He has offered no evidence for any of these allegations, many of which border on the farcical.
- Several media outlets also emphasized that Al-Baqa was popular with journalists. Many cited Gazan journalist Bayan Abu Sultan, who was reportedly injured in the strike. Multiple outlets published images of her appearing bloodied. Yet video footage taken shortly afterward shows Bayan, in the same clothes, laughing and smiling. The footage raises serious questions about both the timeline of the alleged injuries and the media’s failure to verify dramatic visuals before publication.
- NPR added another layer, tying the strike to the broader humanitarian crisis in northern Gaza and describing scenes of desperation and starvation. That narrative, too, deserves scrutiny. Al-Baqa, located in the very region said to be facing famine, was not only operating on June 30 but also serving food and drinks to patrons. Photos and videos from the area reveal other similarly active cafes and shops, casting further doubt on the picture painted by the press.
So what are we left with?
A cafe said to be in a starving war zone, but bustling with customers. A journalist supposedly injured in a deadly blast, laughing minutes later. A death toll provided by a Hamas-linked hospital chief with a history of unverifiable claims. And media headlines that include all of the above.
The full truth may be complex, but it certainly isn’t the one presented by much of the international press. Whether or not civilians were tragically caught in the strike, the media’s rush to blame Israel, echo Hamas narratives, and ignore inconvenient facts has once again undermined honest journalism.
We’ll let readers draw their own conclusions. But when the scene of a so-called humanitarian disaster is a lively beachfront cafe, and “injured victims” are smiling on camera shortly afterward, it’s clear some elements of the story just don’t add up.
The author is a contributor to 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 What Really Happened at Gaza’s Al-Baqa Cafe? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
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Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen

The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
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Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”