Claim: A video on social media claims it shows the strike on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
Fact: The claim is false because the video is not related to the recent attack on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. The video is from the August 2022 escalation between Hamas and Israel.
On 7 October 2023 the Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, launched a “surprise attack” on Israel via sea, land, and air. In response, the Israeli government formally declared war on Hamas on 8 October 2023.
At least 1,400 fatalities have been reported in Israel, while health officials reported that more than 5,000 people have been killed in Gaza, Palestine, according to a report by UN News. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the UNRWA, reported that over one million people, almost half the total population of Gaza, have been displaced.
Fact or Fiction?
On 18 October 2023, X (formerly Twitter) verified account Voice of Europe posted a video (archived) with the caption, “Breaking. A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip is on its way back.”
The video was shared in the context of the blast at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, on 17 October 2023. At the time of the explosion, the hospital was serving victims of the airstrikes and acting as a refuge for sheltering families. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that an Israeli airstrike was responsible for the attack which killed at least 470 people and injured many others. On the other hand, Israeli authorities denied involvement soon after, saying a misfired Palestinian rocket was to blame. The blast caused global outrage and condemnation with delegates at the UN Third Committee describing it as a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law”. Human rights authorities and media organisations are still investigating the attack.
To verify the footage, Soch Fact Check conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes from the video. The results showed a news article published by The Australian Jewish News on 7 August 2022, which reads, “A rocket launched by Palestinian terror operatives Saturday misfired and hit a Palestinian home in the Strip’s north, killing several people including children, Israeli military officials said.” The article features a screengrab from the same video.
Screenshot from The Australian Jewish 2022 news article
The same video was also posted here by an Israeli journalist on 7 August 2022.
A clearer view of the location in the clip can be seen in this video uploaded by Al-Jazeera Arabic on YouTube on 8 August 2022. A comparison of the keyframes between the falsely shared video (left) and Al-Jazeera’s footage (right) can be seen below:
Comparison between viral video (left) and Al-Jazeera’s clip (right)
The video also shows the Municipal administration’s office in Gaza which is approximately 400 metres away from the hospital.
Soch Fact Check could not ascertain the denial and doubts over the attack on Al-Ahil Hospital in Gaza independently, as both Israel and Hamas blame each other. However, it can confirm that the video shared by the Voice of Europe predates the ongoing Israel-Hamas escalation.
Virality
The video, which is not related to the recent hospital bombing, was widely shared on X (formerly Twitter) by pro-Israel and Indian users. It received 6.3 million views here on a tweet by X user The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome. More X posts can be seen here, here, here, and here.
On Facebook, the video was posted here and here, it was also posted by pro-Israel users on YouTube which can seen here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The video showing the strike on a hospital in Gaza does not represent the recent attack on the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital. The video is actually from August 2022 and depicts a misfired rocket by Hamas, a claim denied by Hamas at the time.
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com