Trolls Exploit Al-Shifa Maternity Department Videos to Avoid Israeli Accountability

Pro-Israel social media users are exploiting videos of the recently rehabilitated maternity department at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Medical Complex to insinuate that Israel did not target the hospital. Trolls circulate selective clips as Gaza begins its recovery from two years of widespread destruction caused by the Israeli military campaign.

Recent Rehabilitation of Al-Shifa Hospital’s Maternity Department

Israel invaded Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital multiple times during the Gaza war, burning and destroying large buildings of the complex. It also carried out repeated airstrikes on the hospital compound, damaging several buildings and killing civilians who were sheltering inside.

Following the announced ceasefire in October, Al-Shifa Hospital, one of Gaza’s largest medical complexes, rehabilitated its maternity department. According to local sources, this unit was among the least damaged areas of the hospital, as much of the surrounding infrastructure, including the main buildings and courtyard, had been destroyed or burned during the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip.

In recent days, local journalists and media outlets released footage showing the maternity department after the latest rehabilitation efforts.

Israeli Propagandists Exploit Scenes to Deflect Israel's Responsibility

Israeli propagandists circulated the newly released footage alongside other clips to insinuate that the scenes were hard to believe. This disinformation effort attempts to shift blame onto Gaza’s residents and accuse them of fabricating evidence of destruction.

“Gazawood,” an Israeli apologist account on X, shared the video with insinuations meant to cast doubt on its authenticity, writing to followers, “Across Arabic social media, these clips are going viral—some celebrate them as ‘proof Israel failed to defeat the Gazan people,’ while others are questioning how any of this is even possible.”

In another post, the same account amplified skepticism by sharing additional footage from the renovated hospital and claiming, “Believe it or not, this is Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza—yesterday.”

Another user shared the same footage with the caption, “Silly me! The BBC told me that Israel completely destroyed the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza... because Hamas said so... and I believed them.”

In addition, Gazawood shared another video allegedly showing the renovation of the emergency department at Al-Shifa Medical Hospital. The footage’s caption reads, “Photos from Gaza’s sparkling, 'endlessly bombed' Al-Shifa Hospital continue to shock the world.”

More than a thousand users reshared the footage, alleging it proves Israel never bombed Al-Shifa Hospital and insisting the hospital “wasn’t touched.” Another user amplified this narrative by reposting the video with the caption, “So the destruction of Gaza—does that mean genocide and famine are just a bad science fiction movie?”

Ironically, the Gazawood propagandist responded to comments, deflecting attention from Israeli military actions by accusing users of “denial” and a “refusal to take responsibility.”

Source Refutes Israeli Claims Denying Damage to Al-Shifa Maternity Department

Misbar’s team reached out to a civil engineer who worked on the rehabilitation of Al-Shifa Hospital’s maternity department.

Abedalla Okasha clarified that renovation work on the unit continued for nearly a year after Israel invaded the hospital and destroyed much of the medical complex. He said that while the maternity department was not directly bombed, it sustained severe damage to its internal finishes, despite its concrete structure remaining intact.

Israeli trolls misused his videos of the rehabilitation process to deny Israel’s attacks on the hospital. “I post videos to document the renovation work we are doing, and every clip I post shows only the maternity department inside Al-Shifa,” he told Misbar.

Okasha also released another video online showing the maternity department before and after rehabilitation. The footage documents exterior damage, including burn marks and bullet holes scattered across the building’s facade after the Israeli invasions of the hospital.

He also dismissed the claim about the shared video showing the recent reopening of Al-Shifa’s emergency department, saying the footage is either outdated or from a different hospital.

Other reliable media outlets, such as Al Jazeera and Al Araby TV, released scenes showing the reopening of the emergency department inside Al-Shifa Hospital at the beginning of September 2024, after Israel severely destroyed the original infrastructure.

The scenes do not show the same building that the Israeli propagandists claimed to be the emergency department recently.

Israeli Military Committed War Crimes at Al-Shifa Hospital

During Israel’s 2023 war on Gaza, Al-Shifa Medical Complex became a refuge for nearly 50,000 displaced civilians despite evacuation orders.

By mid-November, Israeli forces encircled the hospital and cut off all supplies, trapping around 600 patients inside, including premature infants and people dependent on dialysis, according to Human Rights Watch.

From November 11 to 17, at least 40 patients died as power outages crippled critical care. Israeli forces stormed the hospital on November 15, interrogating staff and patients, forcing evacuations, and leaving behind severely wounded people, premature babies, and comatose patients. The organization reported that dozens of bodies were seen scattered across the compound.

In March 2024, the Israeli military carried out a second major assault on Al-Shifa. Witnesses reported heavy shelling, sudden raids, and mass evacuations under fire. Patients and medical teams witnessed shootings, denial of food and water, deaths linked to repeated electricity cuts, and soldiers using healthcare workers as human shields.

Israeli forces continued firing tear gas, smoke grenades, and shells inside the hospital compound.

When the Israeli military withdrew, journalists and humanitarian workers documented widespread destruction and bodies scattered around the facility.

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