BBC forced to apologise after falsely reporting Israeli troops were ‘targeting medical teams’ in Gaza hospital raid

THE BBC has been forced to apologise after incorrectly telling viewers Israeli troops were "targeting medical teams" at a Gaza hospital.

Newsreader Monica Miller misquoted a report on Israeli special forces' ongoing raid at the besieged al Shifa medical complex.

An IDF statement said it was engaged in a "targeted operation" against Hamas and they had also taken medics and Arabic translators to help civilians.

But Miller got it the wrong way round in a bungled broadcast early today.

She told viewers: "We are hearing from Reuters that Israel says its forces are carrying out an operation against Hamas in Gaza's al Shifa hospital.

"And they are targeting people including medical teams as well as Arab speakers."

Miller then repeated the false claim once more, stating that Israel was "targeting Arab speakers as well as some of the medical staff there".

Reuters had actually quoted an IDF statement that medical teams were among their forces entering the hospital.

It said: "The IDF forces include medical teams and Arabic speakers, who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to civilians."

Israeli troops also delivered incubators and medical supplies to the hospital following claims newborns had died when generators ran out of fuel.

The BBC was forced to issue a correction after realising its mistake.

A different newsreader said later this morning: "Now an apology from the BBC.

"BBC News as it covered initial reports that Israeli forces had entered Gaza's main hospital, we said that medical teams and Arab speakers were being targeted.

"This was incorrect and misquoted a Reuters report. We should have said IDF forces included medical teams and Arabic speakers for this operation.

"We apologise for this error, which fell below our usual editorial standards.

"The correct version of events was broadcast minutes later."

The BBC's broadcasting blunder sparked fury at the Board of Deputies for Jewish People who demanded an immediate apology.

It said they were "appalled" by the mistake that showed "a staggering lack of care when reporting on a highly volatile situation".

And it added: “Incidents like this make a mockery of the BBC's oft-stated dedication to professionalism and impartiality."

It comes as thousands of patients, doctors and displaced Palestinians are feared to be caught in the crossfire after Israel stormed al Shifa hospital to hunt down Hamas terrorists.

Last night, Israel launched what they called a "precise and targeted" raid that was a "military necessity" to root out Hamas.

A witness told the BBC that they saw tanks and hundreds of commandos advance on the medical facility.

The IDF said the operation continued this morning as they engaged in gun battles against militants and found weapons inside the medical complex.

For days, Israeli troops have surrounded the hospital convinced that Hamas leaders are hiding in a bunker below and using patients as human shields.

In turn, the hospital has become a symbol of the widespread suffering of Palestinian civilians as patients, including newborns, have been dying from dwindling supplies and no electricity.

The World Health Organisation previously warned that the hospital was becoming a "cemetery" as dead bodies pile up inside and outside.

Now, as Israeli troops make the site their primary target in the mission to control northern Gaza - fears are increasingly growing for those trapped inside the war-ravaged complex.

The UN today heavily denounced Israel's raid inside al Shifa, stating: "Hospitals are not battlegrounds".

"I'm appalled by reports of military raids in Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza," Martin Griffiths, the UN's chief of humanitarian affairs said.

"The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns."

The hospital is at the heart of clashing narratives over who is to blame for the thousands of deaths and widespread destruction inside bomb-blitzed northern Gaza.

Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields, while Palestinians and rights groups say Israel has recklessly endangered civilians as it seeks to eradicate the terrorists.

The Corporation said today: "We apologise for this error, which fell below our usual editorial standards.

"The correct version of events was broadcast minutes later and we apologised for the mistake on air later in the morning."

Last month the BBC was forced to backtrack after a reporter speculated an explosion at al-Ahli hospital was caused by an Israeli air strike.

Claims a missile killed 500 sparked riots across the Middle East.

But international experts said the blast was caused by a rocket fired by Palestinian terrorists, and the real death toll was much lower.