Türkiye finds new evidence of Israeli manipulation in Gaza hospital bombing

A fresh report from Türkiye's Center for Countering Disinformation offers further insights into a recent video shared by Israel's official state account on social media, regarding the bombing of Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, showing that the Israeli narrative of the attack is false and misleading.

The report, released on Thursday, said the footage shared on the official Israeli state social media account with the headline "We have evidence for those still questioning what happened to the hospital in Gaza", contains manipulation.

The Centre's experts meticulously analysed the video and discovered that it had undergone editing with manipulative intentions before being shared with the public. These alterations have raised serious questions about the video's authenticity and the narrative it aims to convey.

“It was determined that the footage was edited before being shared, cropped and reversed in a way that it could be manipulated,” it said.

Upon a detailed analysis of the unedited footage, the Center has reached the conclusion that the missiles launched from Gaza were aimed at Israel, and the hospital that suffered the devastating strike was not situated in the path of those missiles.

In a detailed analysis of the available footage, several significant revelations have come to light:

1. Traces of rockets: The video footage of the bombing reveals distinct traces left by the Hamas rockets in the dark. These traces play a pivotal role in identifying the launch area and direction of the missiles, adding crucial context to the situation.

In the image shared from the official Israeli state account, the location indicated as the rocket launch area is determined to be on the other side of the location of the hospital, hinting that the hospital was in the direction of the rocket's path.

Upon examination of the unedited footage, it was concluded that the missiles launched from Gaza were aimed towards Israel, and the hospital that was struck was not in the path of those missiles, the Centre’s report says.

It also reveals that the explosions near the hospital’s location followed a flash in the upper left corner. Notably, this suspicious flash has been intentionally omitted from the images shared by Israeli accounts.

2. Deliberate use of low-resolution and old footage: Despite the availability of high-resolution images, it has been detected that low-resolution footage was used by Israeli accounts in an apparent attempt to evade detection of manipulation, the report reveals.

Images shared by accounts promoting Israeli propaganda with the claim that "Hamas missile hit the hospital" have been determined to date back to 2022, it also says.

3. Type of missiles: The Centre's investigation also raised important questions regarding the munition used in the hospital strike. When the images related to the explosion are examined, “it is seen that the munition capable of causing extensive damage is not the type that Hamas has ever used,” the report stated.

4. Discrepancies in the official Israeli account: In the aftermath of the bloody assault, widely regarded as a war crime, Israel has presented various interpretations of the events.

Right after the hospital was bombed, Hananya Naftali, the former digital media spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, made a post, declaring, "The Israeli Air Force has struck a hospital in Gaza," a post he later deleted.

In a recent statement by the Israeli Army, hospitals were alleged to be used as shelters, and a threat was made, stating, "Evacuate the hospitals immediately."

Following the attack, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, revealed that the Israeli Army had issued evacuation warnings to the Al Ahli Hospital on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The hospital bombing followed on Tuesday.

During a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, US President Biden stated that the devastating hospital explosion was likely not a result of Israeli airstrikes, saying that "it appears as though it was done by the other team."

The deadly hospital attack

At least 500 people were killed and hundreds injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza late Tuesday, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said.

Israel has denied responsibility for the attack.

The conflict began on October 7 when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas initiated Operation Al Aqsa Flood - a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.

Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in Gaza.

Gaza's government says that children made up 1,524 of the 3,785 people killed since Israel launched the relentless barrage on blockaded Gaza.