Israel Matzav

'We knew there were journalists but we didn't target them'

IDF Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich hit back at accusations that the IDF targeted journalists when it hit an office building in which they worked earlier on Sunday.

IDF Spokeswoman Avital Leibovich on Sunday briefed foreign press about an IAF air strike that injured six journalists in the Gaza Strip early Sunday morning, saying "we obviously know there are journalists in the building, so we did not attack any other floor," according to an audio recording of the briefing.

The IDF said it was targeting a "transmission antenna used by Hamas to carry out terror activity." Britain's Sky News and Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV were damaged in the attack. Journalists from Al-Aqsa TV and Iran's PressTV were injured.

Leibovich added that her advice to journalists in Hamas-administered Gaza, is to "stay away from any Hamas positions, Hamas sites, or Hamas posts for their own safety."

If the IDF had targeted journalists, there wouldn't be any journalists left to write about it.

Labels: foreign media, Hamas, human shields

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:42 PM