WASHINGTON (TND) — A senior European intelligence source says a maximum of 50 people died in this week's hospital bombing in Gaza, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza wasbombed Tuesday in an attack originally blamed on Israeli forces. The country’s military denied the claims, citing misinformation tactics used by Hamas to sway public sentiment in the war.

The White House later confirmedIsrael's claims, announcing Wednesday that Israel was "not responsible" for the bombing. President Joe Biden pinned the attack on Hamas the same day.

The newly reported death count is one-tenth of the original number reported by major news organizations and politicians worldwide.

Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)lambasted BBC News on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, for running Palestinian claims that the allegedly Israeli-launched strike killed more than 500. Others soon joined in by posting memes and sarcastic comments questioning the publication’s integrity.

READ MORE | Intel shows Israel 'not responsible' for Gaza hospital blast, White House confirms

The Wall Street Journal ran a headline claiming “more than 500” perished in the attack, citing Palestinian officials. Both PBS and Fox News reported at least 500 deaths. The Associated Press first reported “hundreds” of deaths.

NBC News disinformation reporter Ben Collins reportedly helped circulate the reports. Collins asserted that those who questioned the information represented a moral failing, Yahoo News reported.

Other outlets ran figures that were closer to the actual number. The New York Times cited Gaza health officials when reporting 471 individuals died. CNN reported the attack killed between 200 and 300.

Members of the ultra-progressive U.S. congressional group “The Squad” used the reports of 500 deaths to petition Biden to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., both pushed such claims.

“@POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate,” Tlaib wrote on X. “Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood.”

READ MORE | 'Squad' members falsely claim Israel was responsible for Gaza hospital rocket attack

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., decried the statements made by "The Squad" this week, saying “it’s truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel for the hospital tragedy in Gaza.”

The incident is an example of how pervasive misinformation has become with respect to the Israel-Hamas war. In the days following the invasion of Israel, claims of the Church of Saint Porphyrius in Gaza City being destroyed by Israeli airstrikes circulated on social media. The church publicly refuted the rumors, writing on social media that it was still standing.

"When looking at messages that you see information in war zones, often times that information is not simply just reporting, that information comes with an agenda," David Broniatowski, an associate professor at George Washington University, said in an interview with The National Desk Wednesday. “It facilitates those quick responses and oftentimes there is a trade-off between speed and accuracy.”