I AM UNDERWHELMED
IDF Acknowledges Discrepancy Between Videos Showing Hamas Weapons Inside al-Shifa Hospital, Denies ‘Manipulating’ MediaA news report from the hospital showed two rifles behind an MRI machine. An earlier Israel Defense Forces video showed just one
Published 11/18/23
Aaron Feis
The Israel Defense Forces responded Saturday to a report that shows a discrepancy between two videos of the same weapons found inside the al-Shifa hospital, which the IDF has been saying for weeks is a Hamas stronghold.
Comparing an IDF video of the location with a later Fox News report from the same facility, CNN noted in a Saturday report that just one rifle was visible in the former, while two were visible in the latter.
In a statement to CNN, the IDF said that the discrepancy was due to the addition of “more weaponry and terrorist assets [that] were discovered throughout the day.”
An aerial view shows the compound of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 7, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images
“Suggestions that the IDF is manipulating the media are incorrect,” the statement continued. “We are acting with full transparency whilst maintaining the safety of our troops and operational readiness.”
Israeli troops took al-Shifa earlier this week after a military operation that drew international scrutiny. The IDF has asserted that al-Shifa served as a base of operations for the Hamas terrorists who launched a brutal attack on Israel on October 7, indiscriminately killing over 1,200 people and taking an estimated 240 more back to Gaza as hostages. Palestinian officials have denied this characterization, saying that the only people at the hospital were medical workers, patients and some 60,000 displaced civilians seeking shelter.
After Israeli troops pushed into the hospital complex on Wednesday, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus guided a video tour of its MRI building using “one shot, no editing” to present what he called evidence of Hamas’ prior presence there.
“Suggestions that the IDF is manipulating the media are incorrect,” the statement continued. “We are acting with full transparency whilst maintaining the safety of our troops and operational readiness.”
Israeli troops took al-Shifa earlier this week after a military operation that drew international scrutiny. The IDF has asserted that al-Shifa served as a base of operations for the Hamas terrorists who launched a brutal attack on Israel on October 7, indiscriminately killing over 1,200 people and taking an estimated 240 more back to Gaza as hostages. Palestinian officials have denied this characterization, saying that the only people at the hospital were medical workers, patients and some 60,000 displaced civilians seeking shelter.
After Israeli troops pushed into the hospital complex on Wednesday, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus guided a video tour of its MRI building using “one shot, no editing” to present what he called evidence of Hamas’ prior presence there.
About two minutes into the video, Conricus led the cameraperson to the rear of an MRI machine and gestured to a “grab bag” he said was intended for a Hamas combatant to “grab and go” at a moment’s notice.
Conricus partially opens the bag to clearly reveal part of one AK-47 rifle.
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus shows one AK-47 rifle behind an MRI machine at Gaza's al-Shifa hospital complex.Israel Defense Forces/X“There is an AK-47. There are cartridges, ammo. There are grenades in here. Of course uniforms,” he said. “All of this was hidden very conveniently, secretly, behind the MRI machine.”
Conricus’ video was shot during daylight hours and posted to X — formerly Twitter — on Wednesday. At one point in the video, his watch can be seen indicating it was 1:18 p.m.
Hours later, the IDF led Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst through the same facility.
In his report, posted to X early Thursday, Yingst described the walkthrough as being held “in the dark of night.”
Yingst and his cameraperson were led to the rear of what appeared to be the same MRI machine, where two rifles were now visible.
Two rifles are seen behind an MRI machine at the al-Shifa hospital complex in Gaza.Fox News/XWhen a BBC journalist was guided through the same room on Thursday, two guns were still visible in the same spot, according to CNN.
Israeli troops continued to operate at al-Shifa on Saturday, another IDF spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told the Times of Israel.
Hagari — who, according to a recent poll, is now seen by Israelis as significantly more trustworthy than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — told the outlet that the IDF had four goals at the hospital: gathering information on Hamas-held hostages, finding Hamas weapons and command rooms, locating Hamas operatives in the area, and to destroying the subterranean Hamas tunnels that the IDF says sit below al-Shifa.
Hagari said Saturday that the IDF would “publish material soon” on its efforts.
The ongoing war began on October 7 with Hamas terrorists’ brutal invasion of Israel, which saw approximately 1,200 people killed, over 200 more believed kidnapped and atrocities committed on unarmed civilians.
Since, Israel has responded with a tight blockade around Gaza, and a series of airstrikes and ground incursions. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, over 12,300 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them also civilians. The United Nations’ chief on human rights last week accused both Hamas and Israel of committing war crimes.
Video Shows Israeli Soldier Tossing Stun Grenade into West Bank Mosque During Call to Prayers
The 18-second video was shared by a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news outlet and quickly fueled anti-Israel sentiments online
Published 11/18/23
The short clip quickly spurred a new wave of anti-Israel sentiments online, as the original post amassed more than 2 million views within the first four hours after it was posted.
The video will likely only further escalate the tense and fraught relationship between Palestinians and Israeli setters in the West Bank, which has suffered its worst outbreaks of violence in years since the Israel-Hamas war began last month.
According to the United Nations, 186 Palestinians, including 51 children, have been killed by Israeli forces and another eight have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians, the UN reported.
Most of the fatalities since Oct. 7 happened during confrontations after Israeli search-and-arrest operations, though others happened in demonstrations expressing solidarity with Gaza and during alleged attacks on Israeli troops or settlers, the UN said.
On Thursday, three gunmen reportedly with ties to Hamas were killed after they opened fire at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank's Bethlehem, killing an Israeli security officer and wounding five others.
Earlier this month, the IDF said it opened an investigation into videos allegedly recorded by Israeli soldiers showing themselves abusing and mistreating Palestinian detainees in the West Bank.
The clips show men wearing handcuffs and blindfolds as soldiers kick or stomp on some of them.
Amid the rising reports of violence, President Joe Biden condemned "extremist settlers" last month for "pouring gasoline" on the conflict, which he's repeatedly said should be resolved through a negotiated "two-state solution."
The 18-second video was shared by a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news outlet and quickly fueled anti-Israel sentiments online
Published 11/18/23
Christopher Gavin
An Israeli soldier caught on video tossing a stun grenade into a West Bank mosque during a daily call to prayers has been suspended by the Israel Defense Forces, as footage shared by a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news outlet circulated online.
The suspension of the reservist over the incident, which took place approximately two weeks ago, was confirmed by the IDF to Israeli outlet Ynetnews on Saturday.
"This is a serious incident that goes against the values of the IDF," a statement issued to the outlet read. "Upon learning of the incident, the soldier was suspended from his post. He will be thoroughly investigated and [disciplined] accordingly."
The video footage was posted on social media by the Quds News Network, which reported the soldier asked a friend to film the clip as he threw the flash bang grenade.
The 18-second video was reportedly taken in the village of Budrus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank territory during what appears to be an early-morning call to prayers. Ynetnews reported Saturday that the incident took place approximately two weeks ago
In the clip, the soldier can be seen looking back towards the camera before he activates the stun grenade and jogs toward the door of the mosque.
The soldier is then seen tossing the grenade, which goes off as he casually walks back toward the person holding the camera.
Lights inside the mosque appeared to be on, but it was not immediately clear if anyone was inside.
After the grenade goes off, there seems to be no reaction, from the soldier or anyone else, as the area is quiet in the remaining few seconds of the clip. No apparent damage to the building can be seen.
An Israeli soldier caught on video tossing a stun grenade into a West Bank mosque during a daily call to prayers has been suspended by the Israel Defense Forces, as footage shared by a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news outlet circulated online.
The suspension of the reservist over the incident, which took place approximately two weeks ago, was confirmed by the IDF to Israeli outlet Ynetnews on Saturday.
"This is a serious incident that goes against the values of the IDF," a statement issued to the outlet read. "Upon learning of the incident, the soldier was suspended from his post. He will be thoroughly investigated and [disciplined] accordingly."
The video footage was posted on social media by the Quds News Network, which reported the soldier asked a friend to film the clip as he threw the flash bang grenade.
The 18-second video was reportedly taken in the village of Budrus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank territory during what appears to be an early-morning call to prayers. Ynetnews reported Saturday that the incident took place approximately two weeks ago
In the clip, the soldier can be seen looking back towards the camera before he activates the stun grenade and jogs toward the door of the mosque.
The soldier is then seen tossing the grenade, which goes off as he casually walks back toward the person holding the camera.
Lights inside the mosque appeared to be on, but it was not immediately clear if anyone was inside.
After the grenade goes off, there seems to be no reaction, from the soldier or anyone else, as the area is quiet in the remaining few seconds of the clip. No apparent damage to the building can be seen.
The short clip quickly spurred a new wave of anti-Israel sentiments online, as the original post amassed more than 2 million views within the first four hours after it was posted.
The video will likely only further escalate the tense and fraught relationship between Palestinians and Israeli setters in the West Bank, which has suffered its worst outbreaks of violence in years since the Israel-Hamas war began last month.
According to the United Nations, 186 Palestinians, including 51 children, have been killed by Israeli forces and another eight have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, four Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians, the UN reported.
Most of the fatalities since Oct. 7 happened during confrontations after Israeli search-and-arrest operations, though others happened in demonstrations expressing solidarity with Gaza and during alleged attacks on Israeli troops or settlers, the UN said.
On Thursday, three gunmen reportedly with ties to Hamas were killed after they opened fire at a checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank's Bethlehem, killing an Israeli security officer and wounding five others.
Earlier this month, the IDF said it opened an investigation into videos allegedly recorded by Israeli soldiers showing themselves abusing and mistreating Palestinian detainees in the West Bank.
The clips show men wearing handcuffs and blindfolds as soldiers kick or stomp on some of them.
Amid the rising reports of violence, President Joe Biden condemned "extremist settlers" last month for "pouring gasoline" on the conflict, which he's repeatedly said should be resolved through a negotiated "two-state solution."
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