ABC News retracts claim that Israeli ‘occupation forces’ dropped ‘harrowing’ leaflet in Gaza

The original article, published Thursday morning, initially focused on the leaflets and listed four reporters on the byline. Only one, Jordana Miller, regularly covers Israel’s war with Hamas. She has also repeatedly and openly pushed a bias against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Miller and another journalist were stripped from the byline after ABC News updated the story.



“[T]he world map will not change if all the people of Gaza vanish,” the pamphlets purportedly read, according to ABC News. They pushed Gazans to vacate “before the implementation of Trump’s forced plan—which will impose your forced displacement whether you like it or not.”...“No one will feel for you, and no one will ask about you. You are left alone to face your inevitable fate,” the leaflets purportedly added. “Neither US nor Europe cares about Gaza. The game is almost over, and only a little remains. Whoever wants to save themselves before it’s too late, we are here to stay until Judgment Day.”

ABC News retracted that claim and re-centered the article on IDF’s latest movements in Gaza. Israel resumed attacks on Tuesday after Hamas refused to release its remaining hostages: “Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article said that the IDF had dropped leaflets with disturbing messaging,” a disclaimer at the top of the updated version read. “ABC News has not been able to confirm the authenticity of these leaflets. The IDF denies dropping these leaflets.”

The original article, however, alleged that “occupation forces” had dropped the leaflets. That apparent reference to the IDF was also stripped from the updated version, without note.