Record of the Press · 2012–Present
Released to the public · 31 OCT 2026File TBL-0054
RETRACTED

Gaza hospital blast blamed on Israeli strike with ~500 dead

17 OCT 2023 · The New York Times, BBC, Others relaying Gaza Health Ministry figures
Screenshot of the page as published at nytimes.com (via Wayback Machine)
EXHIBIT A — Page capture from nytimes.com (via Wayback Machine). Click to open the source.

■ The claim

On Oct. 17, 2023, prominent headlines attributed an explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City to an Israeli airstrike and reported hundreds dead, relying on statements from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

■ What actually happened

U.S., French and other Western intelligence services assessed that a misfired rocket launched from within Gaza was the likely cause, and the U.S. estimated the death toll was probably at the low end of 100 to 300. On Oct. 23, 2023, The New York Times published an editors' note saying its early coverage relied too heavily on Hamas claims and left readers with an incorrect impression; the BBC also acknowledged it was wrong to speculate. Human Rights Watch later found the evidence pointed to a misfired rocket and an Israeli airstrike highly unlikely, while noting the munition could not be conclusively identified.

■ The proof

The New York Times editors' note of Oct. 23, 2023; the declassified U.S. intelligence assessment; and Human Rights Watch's Nov. 26, 2023 findings.

■ Original reporting

■ Corrections, findings & records

■ Wayback Machine copies

Stories sometimes get edited after publication. These links open the Internet Archive's earliest snapshot of each original.

Who it helped: DemocratsBlaming Israel fit the anti-Israel narrative on the left.

■ Grade

RETRACTED: The outlet itself retracted, corrected, or settled. How we grade →