A video claiming to show a Palestinian nurse inside Al-Shifa Hospital has gone viral on social media, with Israeli accounts alleging that Hamas members attacked the hospital, looting fuel and medication. The nurse, appearing fearful and speaking in both English and Arabic, asserts that this led to setbacks in patient treatment and urges civilians to evacuate Al-Shifa Hospital.
Doctors in Al-Shifa Hospital Deny Any Knowledge of This Nurse
After the spread of the video, doubts about its authenticity arose when it was observed that the nurse spoke in a non-Arabic accent. The journalist Younis Tirawi reached out to the doctors working at Al-Shifa Hospital for clarification. In a post on the X platform, Tirawi explained, "I just spoke with several doctors and nurses from Al-Shifa Hospital, all stating in a statement: "We don't know this woman; she has never worked here before and we’ve never seen her at the hospital."
On the other hand, the nurse stated in the video that she was attempting to treat a five-year-old child's fractures but couldn’t do so due to a shortage of morphine. However, a nurse working in the intensive care unit and orthopedic surgery at Al-Shifa Hospital contradicting this, stating, "I have been working here for years, and I do not know this nurse," as reported by journalist Younis Tirawi.
On the Community Notes page, a feature on X allows users to provide corrections on potentially misleading posts, users added a note about the video suggesting that it might be fabricated. Observers pointed out that the nurse's dialect bore little resemblance to the accent of Gaza City residents. Some commentators even noted that her pronunciation of the letters "taa," "haa," and "ain" seems closer to Hebrew than Arabic.
Inconsistencies in Hospital Environment and Medical Equipment
Misbar reviewed a recent video showing Al-Shifa Medical Complex, revealing a stark contrast to the nurse's video. The hospital appeared highly crowded with patients and casualties, in contrast to the calm and uncrowded atmosphere portrayed in the nurse's video.
According to Dr. Muhammad Zaqout, the general director of hospitals in the Gaza Strip, the situation in Al-Shifa Medical Complex is catastrophic. He emphasized the impossibility of entering or leaving the hospital, stating that approximately 10,000 people are present within the complex. This raises doubts about the portrayal of the place being tranquil and empty, as seen in the nurse's video.
As for the observation of doctors' attire and equipment inside the hospital, it appears that the majority of doctors and nurses, particularly in the operating room, are wearing scrubs in green, blue, or dark navy blue, and medical staff rarely appears in white attire.
Additionally, the color of the stethoscopes typically used by medical staff is usually black, not red as shown in the video. Likewise, the gloves worn by doctors often appear white, not blue as depicted in the circulated video. Journalist Younis Tirawi, citing Dr. Jirjawi, a senior physician at Al-Shifa Hospital, highlighted that the nurse’s stethoscope in the video appears to be fake.
Analyzing the Voice of the Alleged Nurse at Al-Shifa Hospital
A thorough audio analysis of the video reveals the presence of multiple audio channels, showing moments of complete silence, an unusual occurrence in a crowded hospital like Al-Shifa Hospital. Moreover, the analysis detects repetitive patterns in bombing sounds with strikingly similar audio frequencies. This raises a compelling suspicion that the video has been manipulated, with the addition of bombing sounds as deliberate sound effects.
Tracking the Nurse’s Video Publishers Network
Additional indications supporting the likelihood fabrication emerge from Misbar's inability to trace the original video publisher. Despite the video has gone viral on social media, there are no further videos from the same persona or her original account, as the source remains unknown until the moment.
On another note, Misbar conducted an investigation, tracing all the video publishers and ultimately leading to one of the original publishers, an account on TikTok that was among the first to share the video. Notably, Misbar discovered that this account was newly created, coinciding with the commencement of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Although the account's owner identified himself as a Palestinian named Waseem, the Arabic language he was using appeared to be translated and sometimes contained linguistic errors. Waseem's channel primarily focused on criticizing Hamas, featuring other videos promoting the Israeli narrative from Israeli pages like Edy Cohen's. In addition, a significant number of his followers identified as Israelis, or self-identified as Arabs yet promoted similar propaganda content.
Reviewing the comments on Waseem's shared video of the nurse revealed unusual activity. Several accounts extensively and systematically shared the video among themselves, sharing it to well-known activists who had previously supported the Palestinian cause. This suggests an organized propaganda campaign, resembling the modus operandi of "electronic armies."
For instance, tracking an account named "No," which extensively shared the video, revealed its recent creation and a lack of any genuine content or images. Upon reviewing the followers of the "No" account, we discovered that the majority were Israeli figures. The account also followed pro-Palestinian figures, seemingly for tracking purposes and the dissemination of opposing Israeli propaganda.
The "No" account conspicuously engages in dialogues with other seemingly fake accounts within the comments, indirectly promoting the Israeli narrative. An account named "Nady" is observed participating in a discussion with the "No" account, and both accounts were recently created, exhibiting similar activity patterns.
Israeli Propaganda Targeting Gaza’s Medical Sector
The circulation of the video coincides with a broader Israeli campaign aiming to promote the narrative that Al-Shifa Hospital harbors Hamas headquarters. Fake pages were created under names like Gaza Hospitals Association and Gaza Ministry of Health, circulating misleading posts accusing Gaza hospitals of providing sanctuary for Hamas operatives. It is worth noting that a previous investigation by Misbar has refuted Israeli claims regarding the presence of Hamas headquarters within Al-Shifa Hospital.
Targeting Hospitals During the Ongoing Israeli Aggression in Gaza
These allegations persist amid the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, marked by the deliberate targeting of hospitals and medical personnel. Additionally, concerns arise from Israel's intentional disruption of essential services, including the deliberate cutting off water and electricity to healthcare facilities. According to Mustafa Sarsour, the sole journalist remaining at Al-Shifa Hospital, a significant number of patients, medical staff, paramedics and civil defense personnel are trapped inside the complex, hindered from evacuating due to the imminent fear of being targeted by bombings.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated that the occupation army is targeting the vicinity and gates of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that Israeli forces targeted people attempting to leave the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. Additionally, Israeli forces bombed the Al-Mahdi Maternity Hospital, resulting in the tragic deaths of two doctors. Al-Qudra confirmed that Israeli forces are targeting the surroundings and gates of the Al-Shifa Medical Complex with massive strikes.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health highlighted the catastrophic situation at Al-Shifa Hospital, announcing the deaths of 12 patients inside the medical complex due to power outages and a shortage of medical equipment, including two newborns. Those trapped inside the hospital are unable to move outside, even for burying the dead. The Ministry further emphasized the grim reality of approximately 100 decomposing bodies within the complex and medical teams are unable to bury them.
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