Israeli official rolls back army chief comments on AP Gaza
Source: Associated Press
Israeli official rolls back army chief comments on AP Gaza
By JOSEF FEDERMAN
June 1, 2021
JERUSALEM (AP) Israels defense minister on Monday distanced himself from comments made by his military chief after Israel bombed a Gaza Strip high-rise housing an Associated Press office and other news outlets, saying the remarks were not meant to be taken literally.
In an article published on the website of Channel 12 news over the weekend, the military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, was quoted as saying that the building was destroyed justly and he did not have a gram of regret.
The article claimed that the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza used various floors of the Jalaa Tower for significant electronic warfare meant to disrupt Israeli air force GPS communications.
The article then said Kohavi had told a foreign source that AP journalists drank coffee each morning in a cafeteria in the buildings entrance with Hamas electronics experts, whether they knew it or not.
The AP called the comments patently false, noting that there was not even a cafeteria in the building.
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https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-israel-palestinian-conflict-army-1c7a168d5f4b18bd1ae2fce4d1906a0d
FILE - In this Saturday, May 15, 2021, file photo, an air bomb hits the building housing various international media, including The Associated Press, in Gaza City. Israels defense minister has distanced himself from comments made by his military chief after Israel bombed the Gaza Strip high-rise housing an Associated Press office and other news outlets. (Mahmud Hams /Pool Photo via AP, File)