TEL AVIV – After first squarely blaming Israel for a strike on the Gaza Strip’s main hospital Monday, NBC News now has altered the headline and content of an online article to temper Israel’s alleged involvement without informing readers it made any changes to the piece.
Earlier Monday, the opening sentence of the NBC News story read: “Israeli strikes hit within yards of Gaza’s main hospital as well as at a refugee camp on Monday, leaving at least 30 dead and wounded.”
The lead sentence stated as fact that Israel was behind the strikes.
However, after the Israel Defense Forces announced the hospital and Palestinian refugee camp were both struck by failed rocket attacks launched by Gaza terrorists aiming at Israeli neighborhoods near Gaza, NBC quietly changed its article.
The lead sentence now reads: “Missiles or rockets struck within yards of Gaza's main hospital and a nearby refugee camp Monday, leaving at least 30 dead and wounded.”
The second sentence, not present in the original piece, now states: “The Israeli military denied reports its forces were responsible for the strikes, saying they were the result of rockets misfired by Palestinian militants.”
NBC also altered the headline.
Originally, the headline read, "Israel strikes refugee camp, near Gaza hospital."
The headline was quietly changed to "Strikes Near Gaza's Shifa Hospital, Refugee Camp Kill or Hurt 30."
As of this writing, the NBC News piece does not contain any statement informing readers of changes or updates made to the article.
The original version of the NBC News piece blaming Israel for the strike is still available through a Google cache search.
What do YOU think? Has anti-Semitism around world ever been higher? Sound off in today's WND poll.