On 18th October (local time), US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar asked netizens to be responsible for sharing news, apparently referring to various contradicting reports of the Israel-Hamas war. Her statement came after she was caught red-handed sharing fake news about the Gaza hospital attack. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, “It is a reminder that information is often unreliable and disputed in the fog of war (especially on Twitter where misinformation is rampant). We all have a responsibility to ensure the information we are sharing is from credible sources and to acknowledge as new reports come in.”
The post was in response to her earlier post, where she had accused the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of bombing a hospital in Gaza. In her post, she tagged the President of the United States, Joe Biden and asked him to push for an immediate ceasefire in the area. Ilhan Omar wrote, “Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes. The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific. @POTUS needs to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this slaughter.”
She was quoting a post by The Associated Press that contained the Gaza Health Ministry’s misleading statement that 500 people were killed in an explosion at a hospital. The ministry had accused Israel of the bombing.
Both Associated Press and Omar’s posts were fact-checked by the Community Notes users on X. The note read, “The US has collected “high confidence” intelligence showing that the explosion at a hospital compound in Gaza was caused by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, not an Israeli strike”, with a link to Wall Street Journal’s report. The tagged report of WSJ mentioned that the preliminary evidence surrounding a fatal explosion at a hospital compound in Gaza suggested that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PJI), the second largest terrorist organisation in Gaza, could be responsible.
It debunked the Palestinian claims that the explosion was an Israeli airstrike. Independent analysts who examined available images and videos of the incident found that the damage did not match typical Israeli weaponry, and the death toll seems inconsistent with the Palestinian Health Ministry’s claims. Now it has been generally accepted that it was a rocket fired from Gaza that malfunctioned and fell on the hospital instead of heading towards Israel. There are videos suggesting that the explosive rocket separated from the launcher very early inside the Gaza Strip, damaging the hospital.
The United States reportedly gathered intelligence suggesting that Palestinian Islamic Jihad had fired the failed rocket, which supported Israel’s allegations against the terror group. During his visit to Israel, President Biden said that he found Israel’s account more credible, based on information from the Defense Department.
Omar, who was caught sharing fake news, apparently tried to put the blame on the social media users for her mistake. She is known for her support of the Palestinian cause, and it appeared to have clouded her “judgment” to check the facts before jumping to accuse Israel of attacking a hospital in Gaza.
Rocket attack on hospital in Gaza
On 17th October, a rocket fell on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza. The local media working in Gaza ran reports based on Hamas’ claims that it was an Israeli rocket and around 500 people died in it. International mainstream media followed suit and blamed Israel for the rocket attack. However, as more information came to light, it was clear that the hospital’s parking lot took the hit, and the hospital building was mostly intact. Furthermore, it was revealed that the rocket that fell on the hospital was not shot by Israel but by PIJ.
Israel Hamas war
On 19th October, the Israel-Hamas war entered its 12th day. The war started on 7th October after hundreds of Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel through various means, overwhelming the Iron Dome with over 5,000 rockets in a matter of few minutes. They also abducted hostages and took them to Gaza. In a counterattack on Hamas by Israeli forces, more than 1,500 have been reportedly killed in the Israel-Hamas war. The death toll in Israel from the Hamas attack has now surpassed 1,300, with over 3,300 injured, primarily civilians. Israel launched a major offensive against Hamas in Gaza, restricting power and water supply and blocking essential goods from entering the region. Over 400,000 Gaza residents have been evacuated so far. Meanwhile, India has launched Operation Ajay to evacuate Indians from Israel.
