Latest news with #BBCVerify
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Chaos and gunfire after month of Gaza aid plan
A month after the start of a controversial US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution system in Gaza, BBC Verify analysis of dozens of videos shows repeated incidents of gunfire near people travelling to collect aid, as well as other moments of chaos and several of the videos analysed, gunfire can be heard and there are a number showing dead or injured to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, in the past month more than 500 people on their way to get aid have been killed and 4,000 injured - the vast majority blamed on Israeli fire by Gazan officials and medics as well as Verify has not found videos which allow a definitive assessment of who is responsible for the wave of killings, but the overall picture is one of confusion and constant statements over the past month, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have several times said they fired "warning shots" at individuals who they described as "suspects" or said posed a IDF has told BBC Verify that Hamas does "everything in its power to prevent the success of food distribution in Gaza, tries to disrupt aid, and directly harms the citizens of the Gaza Strip".On 18 May Israel announced it was partially easing its 11-week long blockade of aid into Gaza, which it had said was aimed at putting pressure on Hamas to release IDF built four aid distribution sites - three in the far south-west of Gaza and one in central Gaza by an Israel security zone known as the Netzarim Corridor - which began operations on 26 sites in IDF-controlled areas - known as SDS 1, 2, 3 and 4 - are operated by security contractors working for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), with the Israeli military securing the routes to them and the perimeters. On Thursday the US State Department announced $30m (£22m; 26m euros) in funding for the GHF - the first known direct contribution to the the start the UN condemned the plan, saying it would "militarise" aid, bypass the existing distribution network and force Gazans to make long journeys through dangerous territory to get days of the plan starting, dozens of Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on 1 and 3 June, sparking international condemnation. Since then there have been near-daily reports of killings of people travelling to collect aid. The IDF said that its "forces conduct systematic learning processes aimed at improving the operational response in the area and minimizing possible friction between the population and the IDF forces".Israeli government spokesman David Mencer called reports of people killed while getting aid "another untruth". "There have not been hundreds of people dying."The GHF denied there had been any "incident or fatalities at or near" any of its distribution Tuesday, the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah had had to activate its mass casualty procedures 20 times since 27 May, with the vast majority of patients suffering gunshot wounds and saying they had been on the way to an aid UN and its World Food Programme as well as other aid providers are continuing to try to distribute aid in Gaza, but they say they are reliant on the Israeli authorities to facilitate their UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the killing of Palestinians trying to access aid was a "likely war crime". International human rights lawyer Sara Elizabeth Dill told BBC Verify that if there had been any intentional targeting of civilians, it could constitute a serious violation of international law."Mass shootings during civilian relief access violate core rules against targeting civilians and using starvation against them, potentially rising to war crimes," she said. Chaos on the coast Three videos, the first of which was published on 9 June, showed hundreds of people, some holding what appear to be empty flour sacks, scrambling over mounds of rubble and hiding in ditches. Several bursts of automatic gunfire can be that day, the Hamas-run health ministry reported six people had been killed that morning while seeking aid and more than 99 injured. The next day, it reported 36 aid-related deaths and more than 208 injuries. It's not possible to verify whether any of these casualties were a result of the gunfire that could be heard in the were able to confirm the videos were filmed from about 4km (2.5 miles) north-west of SDS4, on the way to the site in central analysis of the gunfire from Steve Beck, a former FBI consultant who now runs Beck Audio Forensics, said one of the guns sounded like and fired at rates consistent with the FN Minimi machine gun and the M4 assault rifle. The second gun, Mr Beck said, fired at a rate that was "compatible" with the sound of an AK-47. We cannot establish whose weapons were firing but FN Minimis and M4s are commonly used by the IDF, while AK-47s are typically used by Hamas and other groups in footage published the next day, on 10 June, and filmed nearby, more crowds were seen running in panic as the sound of gunfire, followed by what sounds like an explosion, was heard in the distance. Injured and bloodied people, including children, were then seen being carried has maps showing "safe passages" to its sites and communicates opening times via WhatsApp and social media. Each passage has a "start point" and a ''stop point" with Palestinians warned that they must not cross the latter until instructed. The GHF has said these corridors are secured by the IDF and warned people that crossing these stop points, unless told to, may be at SDS4 there was no safe passage planned for people coming from the north. Deaths by the truck There have also been killings close to non-GHF related aid footage from 17 June showed at least 21 bodies and several injured people on a road in which several vehicles, including a heavily damaged flatbed truck, were told the BBC that IDF drones and a tank fired at the crowd as they were waiting to collect aid. An IDF statement acknowledged that it had identified a "gathering" of people "adjacent to an aid distribution truck that got stuck in the area of Khan Yunis, and in proximity to IDF troops operating in the area".It said: "The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd's approach." It expressed regret for "any harm to uninvolved individuals" and said the details of the incident were under review.A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence agency said at least 50 people were killed at the video shows a number of the dead around scorch marks on the ground, including one person with their legs blown Cancian, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, noted the lack of obvious impact crater but told us the extent of damage was likely the result of "a lot of direct fire". Bodies being moved Another video posted on 16 June, which we've verified, shows bodies pulled on a cart by a horse along al-Rashid street in northern Gaza, the main coastal road and often used by aid caption alongside the video claims that these Palestinians were killed while waiting for aid. The next day, several photos and videos we verified were posted on social media located nearby showing a body carried by several men on a wooden pallet along the same GHF claimed many of the alleged incidents were linked to convoys and distribution sites for other groups, including the UN. It said those aid supplies were "being looted by criminals and bad actors".A GHF spokesperson said it has overall been "pleased" with its first month of operations, with 46 million meals distributed to two million Gazans, but was aiming to scale up its IDF has said that among other changes it is installing fences and signs and opening additional routes."We have raised concern [with the IDF] about maintaining safe passage for aid seekers but unfortunately some have attempted to take dangerous short cuts or travel during restricted times," the GHF spokesperson said."Ultimately the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population."Additional reporting and verification by Paul Brown, Emma Pengelly, Lamees Altalebi, Richard Irvine-Brown, Benedict Garman, Alex Murray, Kumar Malhotra, and Thomas Spencer. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
BBC Verify Live: What's behind the welfare changes and how do disability assessments work?
Update: Date: 10:26 BST Title: Watch: What are the welfare reforms that are making Labour MPs so unhappy? Content: The UK government's planned cuts to welfare have provoked significant opposition within the Labour Party - with some 120 of its MPs signing an amendment calling for the proposals to be scrapped. Ahead of a key Parliamentary vote due next week, BBC Verify's policy and analysis correspondent Ben Chu has been looking into the detail of the proposed reforms and the debate about their impact. This video can not be played A look at the government's planned welfare cuts Update: Date: 10:06 BST Title: Good morning from BBC Verify Live Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Hello from me and the team. Today we're continuing to unpack and explain the UK government's plans to overhaul the way benefits work - as minister's attempt to see off a potential backbench rebellion over its proposals ahead of a Commons vote due next week. We're looking into personal independence payments - or Pips - which are paid to people with disabilities who need help with mobility and daily living. Some Labour MPs are unhappy with proposed changes to how people are assessed for the benefit, so we'll explain how the scoring system works. If there's something you think BBC Verify should investigate do get in touch with us via this link.
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Russian naval ship 'disguised' itself while passing through English Channel
BBC A Russian warship disguised itself using a fake ID signal while travelling through the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers, a BBC Verify investigation has found. The Boikiy - a corvette armed with guided missiles - broadcast the fake ID code as it passed through the Channel on Saturday. On tracking sites it wrongly appeared as ships which have previously used that ID. BBC Verify matched the ID to the Boikiy by using satellite imagery, tracking data and a video of it passing under a bridge in Denmark. It travelled alongside two vessels known to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" - a network of tankers whose ownership can be obscured and are used to transport sanctioned oil products. BBC Verify has approached the Russian embassy in London for comment. But experts told BBC Verify that recent Western moves against the shadow fleet may have prompted Moscow to use its military to protect the tankers. Last month, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew past a shadow fleet vessel and entered Estonian airspace after the country attempted to intercept the ship, which was suspected of carrying sanctioned oil. "The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, said. Attention was first drawn to the Boikiy on social media by independent open-source intelligence analyst Christian Panton on Bluesky. The ship is known to have left West Africa in June, where it was taking part in a diplomatic mission. Photos posted online showed the ship docked in Guinea's capital, Conakry. Russian Foreign Ministry The corvette left port without activating its Automatic Identification System (AIS). All ships are expected to broadcast the signal, though military vessels often sail without it. However, a vessel travelling under the generic identification number 400000000 - a code sometimes used by vessels who want to alert others to their presence for safety reasons without identifying themselves - was seen briefly near the Canary Islands. The location is consistent with the time it could have taken the Boikiy to travel the 200km from Conakry. Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify showed a 100m-long ship, matching the dimensions of the Boikiy and distinguishing it from other vessels which had used the ID. Frederik Van Lokeren - an analyst and ex-lieutenant in the Belgian navy - noted that the Boikiy's actions were unusual for a Russian naval vessel. "Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal," he said. "So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon." Russian warship tracked near British waters UK to announce fresh sanctions on Putin's 'shadow fleet' Germany says Russian 'shadow' ship stuck in Baltic Sea The Boikiy was later joined by two oil tankers which had made their way from India through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean - the Sierra and the Naxos. Both ships have been sanctioned by the UK. The three vessels all met at the mouth of the Channel on 20 June. Here, the Russian naval vessel appeared again in radar-based and optical satellite images, allowing us to confirm once again that it was a size and shape which matched the Boikiy. The Naxos had reached the entrance to the Channel several days earlier than the other ships, and waited for the warship before proceeding into the channel. A UK defence ministry source confirmed to BBC Verify that the Royal Navy shadowed the Boikiy as it passed through the Channel. Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify appeared to show a ship tailing the Boikiy as it transited through the waterway, but we cannot confirm that this is the Royal Navy ship. All three vessels proceeded towards the Baltic Sea, where the Boikiy - still travelling under the fake AIS marker - was recorded passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark. Webcam footage showed the vessel clearly for the first time as a naval vessel. Its unclear where the vessels are bound for, though all three have continued sailing through the Baltic and may be moving towards ports in mainland Russia or Kaliningrad - an exclave between Poland and Lithuania. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate? Russia suffering 'environmental catastrophe' after oil spill in Kerch Strait Russia's economy is down but not out Royal Navy and RAF shadow Russian ships in UK waters Royal Navy English Channel Russia
BBC News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
BBC Verify Live: Analysing new images of Iran nuclear sites, and latest data on speeding drivers
Update: Date: 09:41 BST Title: New satellite images released of Iran's nuclear sites Content: This satellite image of the Isfahan facility taken on 24 June shows damage to the tunnel entrances, according to Maxar BBC Verify has received a new set of satellite images overnight showing Iran's nuclear sites at Isfahan, Fordo and Natanz. These were the sites targeted by the US military at the weekend using B-2 bombers and cruise missiles, and have also been targeted by Israeli air strikes. US President Donald Trump has insisted that the American attack left the facilities 'completely destroyed'. High resolution satellite images released by Maxar Technologies show damage to buildings both under and above ground and their access roads and tunnels. Our team has started analysing the images to understand the extent of damage and how the latest strikes affect the use of these sites. We're also sending them to experts outside the BBC for their take on what the images show. Update: Date: 09:23 BST Title: Welcome to Wednesday's BBC Verify Live Content: Rob CorpBBC Verify Live editor Good morning from the team in the London newsroom. We're currently working through new satellite imagery of Iran's nuclear sites following the weekend's US bombings and subsequent Israeli air attacks. We've sent the pictures to a number of experts to get their analysis of the damage. It's especially timely given a leaked intelligence report suggested the US operation may have only set Iran's nuclear programme back by months. Elsewhere we're waiting on new data showing the percentage of cars in England that break the speed limit. Last year's figures showed around four-fifths broke the limit in 20mph zones and nearly half on 30mph roads. And we're across the Nato summit in the Netherlands and the continuing debate about boosting the amount members spend on defence.
BBC News
5 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Russian naval ship ‘disguised' itself while passing through English Channel
A Russian warship disguised itself using a fake ID signal while travelling through the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers, a BBC Verify investigation has Boikiy - a corvette armed with guided missiles - broadcast the fake ID code as it passed through the Channel on tracking sites it wrongly appeared as ships which have previously used that ID. BBC Verify matched the ID to the Boikiy by using satellite imagery, tracking data and a video of it passing under a bridge in travelled alongside two vessels known to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" - a network of tankers whose ownership can be obscured and are used to transport sanctioned oil products. The Russian embassy in London did not respond to a BBC Verify request for comment. But experts told BBC Verify that recent Western moves against the shadow fleet may have prompted Moscow to use its military to protect the month, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew past a shadow fleet vessel and entered Estonian airspace after the country attempted to intercept the ship, which was suspected of carrying sanctioned oil."The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, was first drawn to the Boikiy on social media by independent open-source intelligence analyst Christian Panton on ship is known to have left West Africa in June, where it was taking part in a diplomatic mission. Photos posted online showed the ship docked in Guinea's capital, Conakry. The corvette left port without activating its Automatic Identification System (AIS). All ships are expected to broadcast the signal, though military vessels often sail without a vessel travelling under the generic identification number 400000000 - a code sometimes used by vessels who want to alert others to their presence for safety reasons without identifying themselves - was seen briefly near the Canary location is consistent with the time it could have taken the Boikiy to travel the 200km from Conakry. Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify showed a 100m-long ship, matching the dimensions of the Boikiy and distinguishing it from other vessels which had used the Van Lokeren - an analyst and ex-lieutenant in the Belgian navy - noted that the Boikiy's actions were unusual for a Russian naval vessel."Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal," he said. "So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon."Russian warship tracked near British watersUK to announce fresh sanctions on Putin's 'shadow fleet' Boikiy was later joined by two oil tankers which had made their way from India through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean - the Sierra and the Naxos. Both ships have been sanctioned by the UK. The three vessels all met at the mouth of the Channel on 20 June. Here, the Russian naval vessel appeared again in radar-based and optical satellite images, allowing us to confirm once again that it was a size and shape which matched the Naxos had reached the entrance to the Channel several days earlier than the other ships, and waited for the warship before proceeding into the channel.A UK defence ministry source confirmed to BBC Verify that the Royal Navy shadowed the ships as they passed through the images reviewed by BBC Verify appeared to show a ship tailing the Boikiy as it transited through the waterway, but we cannot confirm that this is the Royal Navy ship. All three vessels proceeded towards the Baltic Sea, where the Boikiy - still travelling under the fake AIS marker - was recorded passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in footage showed the vessel clearly for the first time as a naval vessel. Its unclear where the vessels are bound for, though all three have continued sailing through the Baltic and may be moving towards ports in mainland Russia or Kaliningrad - an exclave between Poland and Lithuania. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?
