On 17th October (local time), a rocket fell on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza. The local media working in Gaza immediately ran reports based on Hamas’ claims that it was an Israeli rocket, and around 500 people died in it.
However, as more information came to light, it was clear that the hospital’s parking lot took the hit, and the hospital building was intact. Furthermore, it was revealed that the rocket that fell on the hospital was not shot by Israel but by an Iran-backed terrorist organisation, Islamic Jihad, that operates from Gaza. The Israel-Hamas war has entered its 12th day.
Initially, media houses like Al Jazeera, the Iranian channel Press TV, and the likes of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair ran propaganda being pushed by Hamas, claiming it was an Israeli rocket.
In a post, Press TV wrote, “More than 500 were martyred in the bombing of the Baptist [Ahli Arab] Hospital in central Gaza.” In the video shared with the post on X (formerly Twitter), the ticker under the video reads, “Over 500 Palestinians murdered after Israeli Warplanes bombed Ahli Hospital in Gaza City”, which was later debunked as a false claim.
In several posts, Al Jazeera English claimed Israeli air strikes hit the hospital.
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair had a busy day sharing propaganda posts to accuse Israel of the bombing the hospital. In a post, he shared a statement by the ‘Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem’, which manages the hospital which has accused Israel of the air strike.
Replying to his post, in a surprising move, Wall Street Journal columnist Sadanand Dhume questioned the fact-checking capabilities of Alt News and Mohammed Zubair. He wrote, “Question: Now that Hamas’s claims about the Gaza hospital attack have been debunked, do you feel that as a fact-checking site, Alt News owes an explanation to readers for your attempts to discredit (accurate) Israeli denials that they were responsible?” He also tagged the website’s co-founder, Pratik Sinha, to get a quicker answer to his question. Sinha or Zubair have not replied to his query.
Question: Now that Hamas’s claims about the Gaza hospital attack have been debunked, do you feel that as a fact-checking site @AltNews owes an explanation to readers for your attempts to discredit (accurate) Israeli denials that they were responsible? Thanks. cc: @free_thinker pic.twitter.com/16QZFIQ0Lw
— Sadanand Dhume (@dhume) October 19, 2023
Interestingly, while most experts were analyzing the hospital explosion footage, comparing geolocations in maps, studying building damage, and trying to verify facts and claims made by Hamas, the famous ‘fact checker’ was strangely busy fact-checking an old video posted by a satirical handle. While the claims of Hamas that Israel bombed the hospital have now been debunked, Zubair has not tweeted anything about it.
Old video shared with a claim that Hamas failed launch of rocket and misfired a hospital in Gaza.
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) October 17, 2023
The video was shared in 2022 too. pic.twitter.com/T7Ext2uJ4I
How Alt News and its co-founder Md Zubair work to spread Islamist propaganda and whitewash Islamist crimes
Alt News and its cofounder Md Zubair are habitual offenders when it comes to whitewashing Islamist crimes and using tools like lies, misinformation and obfuscation to spread the Islamist narrative. AltNews keeps up the veneer of fact-checking to make their propaganda far more palatable to their already gullible readers, and that, they have the help of the entire ecosystem for their nefarious plans certainly helps move things along.
There have been numerous occasions on which AltNews has deliberately misled its audience on the actual facts of the matter. When AltNews is not busy lying, misleading its audience, whitewashing crimes and doxxing individuals, it also collaborates with foreign leftwing media to whitewash the crimes of Islamists. A detailed list of the instances of them lying, misleading, and propagating the Islamist narrative can be read here.
How global media believed a terror organisation Hamas and fell into its trap of lies
In a post, Reuters wrote, “An Israeli air strike killed hundreds of Palestinians at a Gaza City hospital crammed with patients and displaced people, health authorities in the besieged enclave said.”
BREAKING: An Israeli air strike killed hundreds of Palestinians at a Gaza City hospital crammed with patients and displaced people, health authorities in the besieged enclave said https://t.co/mEam2SDwFH pic.twitter.com/iIIowjPq5l
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 17, 2023
The Associate Press wrote, “BREAKING: The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 500 people killed in an explosion at a hospital that it says was caused by an Israeli airstrike.”
BREAKING: The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 500 people killed in an explosion at a hospital that it says was caused by an Israeli airstrike. https://t.co/QXPgbAvtQ6
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 17, 2023
The New York Times ran a similar report and said, “Breaking News: An Israeli airstrike hit a Gaza hospital on Tuesday, killing at least 200 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which said the number of casualties was expected to rise.”
Breaking News: An Israeli airstrike hit a Gaza hospital on Tuesday, killing at least 200 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, which said the number of casualties was expected to rise. https://t.co/f3iHo5n7Y0
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 17, 2023
The Washington Post published a video claiming they verified it and accused Israel of the strike. The media house wrote, “Video of what Palestinian authorities say was an Israeli strike on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza shows the moment an explosion hits the hospital grounds. The video, verified by The Washington Post, captures the first sounds of an explosion and then a blast.”
Video of what Palestinian authorities say was an Israeli strike on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza shows the moment an explosion hits the hospital grounds. The video, verified by The Washington Post, captures the first sounds of an explosion and then a blast. https://t.co/ApBJlxYIPF pic.twitter.com/8vtS4AwXMu
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 17, 2023
MSNBC ran statement of Palestinian Health Ministry and wrote, “The Palestinian Health Ministry says 200-300 at minimum were killed in an Israeli bombing of a Gaza hospital. Raf Sanchez reports on the scenes of “absolute devastation” and the response from the Israeli military saying in part they are “currently investigating” it.”
The Palestinian Health Ministry says 200-300 at minimum were killed in an Israeli bombing of a Gaza hospital. Raf Sanchez reports on the scenes of “absolute devastation” and the response from the Israeli military saying in part they are “currently investigating” it. pic.twitter.com/rqnzTBpf8d
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) October 17, 2023
CNN wrote, “Palestinian health ministry says 200 to 300 people may have been killed in Israeli strike on hospital in Gaza.”
Palestinian health ministry says 200 to 300 people may have been killed in Israeli strike on hospital in Gazahttps://t.co/4fq02ulbov
— CNN (@CNN) October 17, 2023
Hamas claims accusing Israel of strike on hospital debunked
On 17th October, a rocket fell on a hospital in Gaza, resulting in immediate worldwide outrage. Hamas claimed an Israeli rocket fell on the hospital, killing 500 Palestinians. However, Israel denied any involvement in the attack and said that it was a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) that resulted in civilian casualties.
Officials from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were quick to point out that this was not an Israeli airstrike but rather a misfired rocket from within Gaza. They revealed that Hamas was aware of the misfire, which occurred at around 6:59 PM local time on the same day as the attack on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza. Despite this knowledge, Hamas still launched a media campaign blaming Israel for the incident.
The IDF presented aerial photographs as evidence during a press briefing, showing that the damage was primarily concentrated outside the hospital, specifically in the parking lot. They also showcased pictures of the hospital’s scorched parking lot and explained that this damage was caused by the rocket’s impact and the large amount of rocket fuel present in the projectile when it fell short of its intended target.
IDF also highlighted the absence of any crater or structural damage to buildings, which are standard in case of airstrikes. IDF bombings in Gaza have been precision strikes targeted at Hamas infrastructure that demolish the buildings within a few seconds. Also, the parking lot in the hospital showed no signs of a crater, and even delicate structures like clay tile roofing and solar panels were intact.
Experts who analysed aerial footage and geolocation data before and after the incident agreed that it was highly likely that a misfired rocket from within Gaza had caused damage to the hospital parking lot. Independent experts emphasized that the blast appeared to originate from within Gaza, in close proximity to the hospital.
Our detailed report on the strike at the hospital can be seen here.
At this point, the claim of 500 dead persons is also disputed, as the parking lot fire does not suggest a large number of casualties.
