IDF spokesman Brigadier-General Hidai Zilberman on Saturday night published a letter of apology he sent to Andrew Carey, President of the Foreign Press Association.
In the letter, Zilberman apologized for misleading foreign journalists regarding the IDF’s operations in Gaza earlier this week.
In a tweet, Zilberman wrote, “A short time ago, I sent a letter to the President of the Foreign Press Association in Israel, detailing the main points of the investigation which I conducted today on the issue of briefing foreign journalists on Thursday night.”
“The commander’s mistake was done innocently, and as a result of a misunderstanding of the operational situation on the ground, and not for any other reason.
“The IDF spokesman’s unit does not mix psychological warfare or fraud into its work, and is committed first and foremost to telling journalists and the public the truth – and that is what we will continue to do.”
לפני זמן קצר שלחתי מכתב ליושב ראש אגודת העיתונאים הזרים בישראל ובו עיקרי הפרטים מהתחקיר שקיימתי היום בנושא התדריך לכתבים הזרים ביום חמישי בלילה.
טעותו של הקצין נעשתה בתום לב וכתוצאה מאי הבנה של תמונת המצב המבצעית בשטח ולא משום סיבה אחרת >>> pic.twitter.com/G9czvmixkR
— הדי זילברמן – Hidai Zilberman (@IDFSpokesperson) May 15, 2021
On Thursday, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit tweeted on its English language account,”IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.”
This statement led international media outlets to report that Israeli forces had entered Gaza and perhaps even launched a ground operation.
However, as Kan 11 News’ military correspondent Roy Sharon later clarified, this is not the case. He explained that IDF ground forces were attacking Gaza but were doing so from an enclave that is located inside Israeli territory.
The IDF subsequently clarified to AFP that the army has not entered the Gaza Strip.
Source: Kobi Finkler – Arutz Sheva