At least 45 people killed, nearly 250 wounded, including children
GBU-39 bomb debris identified from strike site by weapons experts and visual evidence
Israeli military used US-made bombs in strike that killed dozens of Palestinians in Rafah camp
White House maintains no plans to change policy towards Israel despite international outrage and calls for accountability
The Israeli military's use of US-made bombs in a strike that killed dozens of Palestinians in a camp for displaced people near Rafah has sparked international outrage and raised questions about the Biden administration's policy towards Israel. According to weapons experts and visual evidence reviewed by The New York Times, munition debris from the strike were remnants of a GBU-39, a bomb designed and manufactured in the United States. The White House has no plans to change its policy towards Israel after the airstrike killed dozens of Palestinian civilians in Rafah. Despite global condemnation and calls for accountability, the Biden administration maintains that Israel's actions do not constitute a major ground operation that would trigger policy changes, including a halt to weapons shipments. The Israeli military has said that it used precise munitions in the attack and targeted a Hamas compound. However, Gaza's health ministry says the strike sparked a deadly fire that killed at least 45 people and wounded nearly 250 others, including children. Israel's ongoing war with Hamas has led to widespread condemnation from human rights groups and calls for an independent investigation into possible war crimes. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also urged for an immediate cessation of hostilities and respect for international humanitarian law. As the conflict continues, there are growing concerns about the impact on civilians and the potential long-term consequences of the violence.
Israeli forces enter Rafah, sparking a major fire that kills dozens of Palestinians in a crowded tent camp for displaced civilians.
The Biden administration believes Israel’s actions in Rafah do not constitute a ‘major ground operation’ that would trigger policy changes, including a halt to weapons shipments.
Accuracy
At least 45 people were killed and over 240 were wounded in the strike at Kuwaiti Al-Salam Camp 1.
Dozens of civilians were killed and scores were injured in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah over the weekend.
Israel used US-made bombs in a strike that killed dozens near Rafah.
Accuracy
Dozens of civilians were killed and scores were injured in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah over the weekend.
At least 45 people were killed and over 240 were wounded in the strike at Kuwaiti Al-Salam Camp 1.
Deception
(70%)
The article reports on the Israeli airstrike in Rafah that killed dozens of civilians and expresses sympathy from the Biden administration. The author quotes John Kirby, National Security Communications Adviser, who acknowledges the loss of innocent lives but also justifies Israel's right to go after Hamas terrorists. However, there are some instances where the article may be manipulating emotions by using phrases like 'heartbreaking,' 'horrific,' and 'endless horror show.' These phrases are not necessary for reporting the facts and can be seen as an attempt to elicit an emotional response from readers. Additionally, while the author does mention that Israel claims its munitions could not have caused such a large blaze, they do not question or challenge this claim. This selective reporting of information may give readers a biased view of the situation.
An endless horror show, except it’s real.
The horror and suffering must stop immediately.
Fallacies
(90%)
The author expresses sympathy for the loss of civilian lives in Rafah but does not directly accuse Israel of committing a fallacy. Instead, they report on the investigation being conducted by Israel and wait for its results before taking any action. The author also quotes statements from John Kirby and António Guterres without making any fallacious claims about their intentions or meanings. However, there is an instance of inflammatory rhetoric used in the article's title, which could be considered a fallacy if taken out of context. This use of inflammatory language does not significantly impact the overall score due to its limited scope and context.
Pressure builds on Biden after Israeli strike kills dozens of civilians in Rafah
Bias
(95%)
The author expresses sympathy for the loss of civilian lives in Rafah but does not directly criticize Israel for the strike. Instead, they wait for an Israeli investigation to play out before taking any action or making further statements. The author also reports that Hamas targets were eliminated in the strike and mentions that Hamas is responsible for attacks against Israeli people.
Israel, of course, has a right to go after Hamas. And we understand that this strike did kill two senior Hamas terrorists who are directly responsible for attacks against the Israeli people.
You've all seen the images, they're heartbreaking, they're horrific. There should be no innocent life lost here as a result of this conflict.
An AI-generated image with the text ‘All eyes on Rafah’ has been re-shared over 40 million times amid Israel’s attacks on Gaza’s Rafah.
The slogan ‘All eyes on Rafah’ was picked up from a statement by Richard ‘Rik’ Peeperkorn, WHO representative for Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The image shows an aerial view of a camp set out in orderly rows of tents, nestled between snowy peaks. In the middle, some lighter-coloured tents are arranged to spell out ‘All eyes on Rafah’. A clear blue sky with cotton-ball clouds is in the background.
Some speculate that people are sharing this AI image because it is more palatable than real photos of Gaza, which are graphic and show blood, dead bodies and violence.
Palestinian journalists have been risking their lives for months to document every single massacre and instead people are reposting an AI-generated ‘Cart’ that says ‘All eyes on rafah’ and tells us nothing about what is actually happening on the ground or gives us any action items.
Accuracy
Israel has killed at least 36,171 people in Gaza since October 7, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Israeli tanks enter central Rafah for the first time, amid global condemnation over the deaths in a crowded tent camp for displaced civilians and as U.S. aid deliveries to Gaza by sea are suspended.
Deception
(30%)
The article does not make any direct author opinions or emotional manipulation. However, it does engage in selective reporting by only mentioning the number of times the 'All eyes on Rafah' image has been reposted on Instagram and naming specific celebrities who have reposted it, while failing to mention that this image is a manipulated AI-generated image that does not accurately represent the situation in Rafah. The article also sensationalizes the virality of the image without providing any context as to why it has gained so much attention. Additionally, there is no disclosure of sources in the article.
An image with the text ‘All eyes on Rafah’ is on every other Instagram story, dominating social media discourse on Israel’s war on Gaza.
Some speculate that people are sharing this AI image because it is more palatable than real photos of Gaza, which are graphic and show blood, dead bodies and violence.
As of 11:30 GMT on Wednesday, it has been reposted on 40.4 million Instagram stories.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article provides a detailed explanation of the viral social trend surrounding the AI-generated image with the text ‘All eyes on Rafah’. While it does not directly provide context for the situation in Rafah, it effectively explains how and why this image has become so popular on social media. The article also includes information about what is happening in Rafah, as well as examples of influential people who have shared the image. However, there are no explicit logical fallacies present in the article.
An image with the text “All eyes on Rafah” is on every other Instagram story, dominating social media discourse on Israel’s war on Gaza.
Bias
(80%)
The article does not make any clear assertions or use language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable. However, the author does mention the number of times the 'All eyes on Rafah' image has been reposted and lists several celebrities who have reposted it. This could be seen as an example of monetary bias if it is implied that the popularity of the image is due to these celebrities sharing it, rather than a genuine expression of concern for the situation in Rafah. Without further context, it is difficult to determine if this is the case.
American supermodel Bella Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, Irish actress Nicola Coughlan from the Netflix show Bridgerton, American comedian and writer Hasan Minhaj as well as American actor Aaron Paul have all reposted the image.
The image has been reposted on 40.4 million Instagram stories.
White House has no plans to change its policy toward Israel after an airstrike killed dozens of Palestinian civilians in Rafah.
Israel said the target had been a Hamas compound and used ‘precise munitions’ in the attack.
Accuracy
At least 45 people killed and nearly 250 others wounded, including children.
Israeli tanks enter central Rafah for the first time, amid global condemnation over the deaths in a crowded tent camp for displaced civilians.
Deception
(10%)
The article does not clearly state that the author is making any assertions or presenting any opinions as fact. The author reports on statements made by the White House and Israeli officials without adding editorializing or emotional manipulation. However, there are examples of selective reporting which can be seen in the way they mention Israel's claim that it used
precise munitions
Fallacies
(95%)
No ad hominem fallacies found. Some exaggerations and potentially misleading statements, as well as an appeal to authority. The author quotes official statements without clearly distinguishing them from the author's own assertions.
. . . the Israelis are going to investigate it. We’ll see where it goes from there.
The attack hit Palestinians who were sheltering in tents, fleeing violence amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas who believed they were in a so-called safe zone not under evacuation orders.
Israel said later the target had been a Hamas compound and that it had used “precise munitions” in the attack.
