The New York Times has faced backlash and criticism for its coverage of an explosion at a Gaza hospital, with accusations that it "relied too heavily on claims by Hamas." The newspaper released an editor's note admitting that their initial accounts attributed the claim of Israeli responsibility to Palestinian officials without verifying the information. The Times acknowledged that their coverage gave readers an incorrect impression and did not make it clear that the claims could not be immediately verified.

The Israeli Defense Forces denied striking the hospital and stated that a "failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization" was responsible for the explosion. President Biden also stated that data from the Defense Department showed Israel was not to blame. FOX News' Pete Hegseth criticized the Times for relying solely on Hamas and not waiting to verify their claims. Co-host Harris Faulkner accused the Times of becoming part of Hamas' propaganda and questioned if they could ever separate themselves from that association.

The Times' editor's note also mentioned that their editors should have exercised more care with the initial presentation and been explicit about the information that could be verified. They stated that they are examining their procedures for breaking news events to determine if additional safeguards are needed.

The New York Times admitted that they relied too heavily on Hamas' claims and acknowledged that their reporting left readers with an incorrect impression. However, they have not refuted Hamas' claims that Israel was responsible for the explosion. The initial report from the Times claimed that 500 people were killed in the attack, citing Hamas officials. It included a picture of a wrecked building that was not the Al-Ahli Hospital.

Israeli officials vehemently denied responsibility for the explosion and provided evidence that the blast was caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad projectile. They released audio files of Hamas officials admitting the blast's cause and provided images showing no crater or structural damage that would typically be left by an IDF strike.

The Biden administration supported Israel's claims and stated that they were not responsible for the attack. Investigations by the Wall Street Journal, CNN, and the Associated Press also found evidence suggesting the missile came from the terrorist organization. The New York Times, however, stated that it is still unclear who fired the missile.

In their reporting, the Times highlighted discrepancies in Hamas' reporting and mentioned that the terrorist organization refused to allow reporters to view the site. Hamas officials released varying death tolls before settling on 471 victims. US officials believed the death toll was between 100 to 300 people, while a European official estimated it to be 50 or fewer.

The Times' reporters noted that Hamas officials declined their request to view evidence at the scene, claiming it had disintegrated beyond recognition. However, a munitions expert dismissed Hamas' claim, stating that remnants should be recoverable. The Times refused to definitively state that the attack was not caused by an Israeli airstrike.

The reporters also mentioned that Israeli officials turned down requests for military activity logs and did not provide details about the video on which they based their assessment. The Times suggested that the strike could have been caused by a different Israeli rocket or an interceptor fired by air defense or artillery. However, Israel claimed they did not fire interceptors into Gazan airspace and were not firing shells in that specific area at the time.

The Times concluded that without examining the munition, it would be impossible to definitively determine who fired it.