- IDF Claims Al-Shifa Used As 'Terror Store'; Hamas' Weapons 'Hidden Behind MRI Scanners Found'
- The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claimed that Hamas uses the MRI building at Al-Shifa Hospital as an operational headquarters.
- Israel Defence Forces IDF released a video showing weapons stored by Hamas militants inside the al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip.
- Israel has long said that Hamas uses hospitals as command centres and ammunition depots to conceal its military operations.
- Israel's 'video proof' came amid international criticism that the IDF has targeted medical facilities in its war with Hamas.
Both the Israeli military and Hamas have accused each other of waging a "propaganda war" against each other since the region plunged into chaos following the October 7 attacks. Morphed images, and decontextualized videos unrelated to the ongoing crisis have often been found circulating on social media with illegitimate claims.
While authentic footage and firsthand accounts of the destruction have been circulated extensively, there have also been occurrences of people disseminating misinformation and misrepresenting videos from unrelated incidents. For example, the IDF claimed yesterday that a Hamas-operated tunnel that leads to Gaza's Rantsi hospital. In a video quite similar to the one released today, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari enters the basement of the Ransi hospital, through the tunnel, where he finds "operational gears" of Hamas. Mr Hagari then points to a poster carrying Arabic inscriptions on a wall, claiming it to mention "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" - the name given to the October 7 Hamas attack - and a roster of Hamas operatives guarding Israeli hostages. However, multiple fact-checkers have refuted the claim and countered that the inscriptions are just days of the week written in Arabic script.(With inputs from agencies)