The Israel Defense Forces’ Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin on Tuesday accused Hamas of making “exaggerated” claims about deadly incidents over the past three days near US- and Israel-backed aid distribution sites in southern Gaza.

The IDF statement, which also featured a map of military positions in the Strip and new details on the deaths of three troops Monday, was echoed by a government spokesman.

“This week, it was claimed that the IDF fired on civilians at the aid distribution site. This is a totally false report, it echoes Hamas propaganda,” said Defrin at a press conference, referring to reports of 31 people killed near a site in Rafah early Sunday.

“This did not happen,” he said of the reports.

“Hamas disseminates false information, which is unfortunately taken by some international media without verification,” said Defrin, even as The Associated Press released a statement standing by its coverage of Sunday’s incident.

The IDF has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians about a kilometer (0.6 miles) from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation site before it opened for distribution on Sunday. However, it denied that any gunfire took place “within” the aid site during opening hours, and GHF said the aid distribution went on without incident.

On Tuesday morning, Hamas again reported dozens of people killed and injured at the aid site in Rafah, but GHF denied the reports. Asked about the reports Tuesday, Defrin reiterated the military’s response that troops had fired warning shots, but said troops “didn’t hit that many people as far as we understand [and] we will continue to investigate.”

“The numbers given by Hamas were the same. It reported 29 on Sunday and today — exaggerated. We are investigating,” he said.

“We fired warning shots toward a group of people who posed a threat to our forces, far from where they were supposed to be. Warning shots were fired, not to hit anyone,” said Defrin. “According to the claims, people were hit, so we are investigating, but it will take time.”

Defrin added that he was aware of criticism that the IDF takes too long to investigate the claims. “We will not report information or details that are not true,” he said. “Reliability is critical, even if it takes time.”

He said, “Hamas is losing control of the population” in Gaza because GHF prevented the terror group from controlling humanitarian aid in the Strip.

“Alongside the continuous military pressure against Hamas, its rule is cracking and is being undermined,” said Defrin. “Each day, tens of thousands of food packages are handed out, directly to residents.”

During the press conference, Defrin said three troops who were killed in action on Monday in northern Gaza’s Jabalia were hit by roadside bombs planted by gunmen who had set out from a tunnel hidden inside a partially demolished building.

“The terrorists set out from a tunnel shaft in a building and planted the explosive devices. This is an active tunnel that is used for terror,” he said.

“The entrance to the tunnel is located inside a destroyed building, close to a route. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that this building is a military target, like tens of thousands of other buildings in Gaza that are used for terror,” Defrin said.

“Nearly every other building is booby-trapped and contains a tunnel entrance. We are demolishing these homes, not for the sake of destruction. Every building that is destroyed poses an operational threat and could harm our forces,” he said.

The IDF has accused Hamas of embedding itself in civilian infrastructure, including schools, mosques and hospitals, throughout the war sparked on October 7, 2023, when the terror group invaded Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.

Speaking Tuesday, Defrin revealed for the first time a map showing troop deployment in the IDF’s renewed ground offensive in Gaza, which the military said last month would seek to seize 75 percent of the Strip.

According to the map, the Gaza Division is operating in the Rafah area, the 36th and 98th divisions are pushing into Khan Younis from the south and east, the 252nd is operating in Gaza City and the Netzarim Corridor area, and the 162nd is fighting Hamas in the Strip’s north.

In an online briefing for international media, a government spokesman reiterated the military’s response to Gaza casualties reported Tuesday, saying troops had “diligently” fired warning shots at suspects who approached them roughly half a kilometer (0.3 miles) away from the Rafah aid site.

“Let’s be clear: Israel is not preventing Gazans from accessing humanitarian aid, and the IDF did not fire at civilians in or near aid distribution zones,” said David Mencer. “The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid.”

Referring to the casualties reported on Sunday, Mencer said, “The IDF’s initial investigation confirms that serious accusations made on Sunday in so much of the media… were based on Hamas propaganda.”

He said the IDF had already “put out materials proving them to be false and baseless.”

In fact, the IDF has not issued any materials from the incident in Rafah to prove its account of what happened there. The IDF did release a video from an unrelated event later in the day, which the military explicitly said was from Khan Younis and not Rafah.

Mencer said it was “clear that Hamas is trying their hardest to keep its own people, Gazans, away from the GHF distribution sites.”

“We urge the media — do not amplify Hamas disinformation. Verify before reporting,” he said. “It’s a battle of the narrative, and too many global newsrooms have become foot soldiers for Hamas.”

The statement came after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Monday accused foreign outlets of fomenting antisemitism with their coverage, leading to an attack on pro-Israel protesters in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday, and the killing of two Israeli embassy workers in Washington last month.

Responding to Huckabee’s statement, The Associated Press said it stood by its reporting, which the news agency said included multiple eyewitness accounts, interviews with health and hospital officials and the Red Cross, as well as statements from the IDF and GHF.

“The Israeli military later released a video of what it said were masked men firing at civilians trying to collect aid, which the AP included in its coverage. That video was shot in daylight from the city of Khan Younis, miles from the incident in Rafah that witnesses described,” the AP statement said.

“The Rafah incident occurred in an Israeli military zone that international journalists have been barred from entering except on approved military embeds. AP and other news organizations have repeatedly called for international journalists to be allowed into Gaza to report on the war,” the statement added.

Huckabee had cited “drone video and first-hand accounts” as showing that the reports by AP and other major outlets had been false.

It was unclear what drone footage and first-hand accounts Huckabee was referring to. A US embassy spokesperson cited IDF drone footage when pressed by The Times of Israel, but the footage released by the military was not shot at the time or place of the Rafah incident.