Israel says Hamas sought to destroy Gaza tower defenses.

Key sentence:

• The Israeli air force destroyed the high rise last month. 
• The airstrike occurred during Israel’s 11-day war with Gaza’s ruling Hamas armed group.
• According to Erdan, the bombing was not intended to hit journalists.

Hamas militants attempted to sabotage Israel’s Iron Dome rocket defense system from a Gaza building housing The Associated Press and other news organizations, according to Israel’sIsrael’s ambassador to the United States. 

The Israeli air force destroyed the high rise last month. According to the Associated Press, there is no evidence to back up the allegations.

A statement issued by Ambassador Gilad Erdan:

Ambassador Gilad Erdan made his remark a day after meeting with Associated Press president and CEO Gary Pruitt and vice president for foreign news Ian Phillips at the AP’s New York headquarters.

On May 15, about an hour after ordering all occupants to evacuate, the Israeli air force struck the 12-story al-Jalaa tower. 

The structure was destroyed, but no one was hurt. The structure housed offices for the Associated Press, the Al Jazeera satellite channel, and hundreds of families.

The airstrike occurred during Israel’s 11-day war with Gaza’s ruling Hamas armed group.

In a statement on Twitter, Erdan stated:

Erdan claimed he told AP executives that Hamas exploited the structure to sabotage the Iron Dome, which intercepted hundreds of incoming missiles fired by the militant group during the war, in a statement on Twitter.

According to Erdan, the bombing was not intended to hit journalists.

“The Associated Press is one of the world’s most prominent news organisations, and Israel has no reason to believe its employees were aware that a secret Hamas unit was exploiting the premises in this manner,” he said.

Further, Erdan added:

“I underlined that Israel values press freedom and works to safeguard the safety of journalists wherever they report,” she said. He continued to say that Israel is eager to help the Associated Press reestablish its offices and operations in Gaza.

The AP said in a statement that the meeting with Erdan “was a positive and helpful chat.” The Associated Press expressed gratitude for his vows to assist in rebuilding an AP bureau in Gaza.

As AP stated in a statement:

The Associated Press reiterated its demand for evidence to substantiate Israel’s claim that terrorists from Hamas were present in the building.

The Associated Press said that “Israeli authorities claim that the building housing our bureau was demolished because of a Hamas presence that presented an immediate threat.” 

“We haven’t received any proof to back up these assertions.” The Associated Press continues to ask for the complete release of any Israeli evidence so that the facts can be made public.”

The AP urged Israel to share any evidence:

The Associated Press has repeatedly pushed Israel to reveal whatever information it has that backs up its assertions of Hamas activity in the structure. It has also called for a further investigation into the events.