Takeaways from AP examination of how 2 debunked accounts of sexual violence on Oct. 7 originated

By TIA GOLDENBERG and JULIA FRANKEL
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — An AP examination of the handling of two debunked stories alleging that Hamas militants committed sexual assault during their Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel shows how information can be clouded and distorted in the chaos of the conflict. Some allege the accounts of sexual assault were purposely concocted. Others dispute that. The magnitude of the attack and the confusion that followed are partly the cause. The debunked accounts have encouraged skepticism and set off a highly charged debate about the scope of what occurred on Oct. 7, one still playing out on social media and in college campus protests.