An Al Jazeera report that suggested Israeli officials had opened non-existent dams in southern Israel and flooded the Gaza Strip was retracted Wednesday after the Qatar-based news agency was contacted by the Washington Examiner’s media desk.
“In relation to your query, we had conducted an internal investigation and re-examined our story and sources,” an Al Jazeera spokesman told the Examiner.
“Al Jazeera [prides] itself on high editorial standards, factual reporting and honest journalism. An earlier version of this page hosted an article which stated that Israel had, without warning, opened a number of dams, which had resulted in a part of Gaza being flooded,” the spokesman said.
Al Jazeera had reported in an article originally titled “Gazans Flee Floods Caused By Israel’s Dams Opening” that Israel had opened dams leading into Gaza, thereby contributing to the devastating floods that have already forced hundreds of residents to evacuate.
But there are no dams in southern Israel, contrary to initial reports from groups including Al Jazeera and the Daily Mail. The entirety of the story was false, the origins of the claim reportedly coming from Palestinian officials.
The flooding in Gaza has been caused by torrential rains, a lack of irrigation and damaged infrastructure from last summer’s war.
Shortly after the Examiner spoke with an Al Jazeera spokesperson, the news group retracted the entire article from its website.
All that remains of the report is an editor’s note that reads: “An earlier version of this page hosted an article which stated that Israel had, without warning, opened a number of dams, which had resulted in a part of Gaza being flooded. This was false.”
“In southern Israel, there are no dams of the type which can be opened. We apologise for this error. … We are committed to accountability and transparency. We encourage our audience and others to identify and report our mistakes,” the note said.
Prior to deleting the article, Al Jazeera editors had amended the headline so that it read: “Israel denies causing Gaza floods by opening dams.”
The following quotes from Brigadier Gerneral Said al Saudi, chief of the civil defense agency in Gaza, were also removed from the story before it was retracted entirely: “Israel opened water dams, without warning, last night, causing serious damage to Gazan villages near the border” and, “We are appealing to human rights organizations and international rights organizations to intervene to prevent further such action.”
This is not the first time that Israel has been blamed for flooding in Gaza. This exact same scenario played out in 2013 when several newsrooms reported incorrectly that Israel had opened its dams and flooded the region controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The flooding nearly three years ago was actually caused by heavy rainfalls that caused reservoirs all over the country to overflow.
