Israeli social media accounts recently shared a video claiming that it shows a Palestinian woman injured by a Hamas sniper in the Gaza Strip, in order to prevent residents from fleeing south and use them as human shields. The claim circulated in Arabic, English, and Hebrew.
While doing research, Misbar found that the video was first published by the Middle East Eye account on X, on January 8, at 4:33 p.m. It documents, according to the website’s account, the targeting of a Palestinian woman by the Israeli occupation forces on a street in downtown Gaza, while she was trying to flee from the north of the Strip to its south on November 12, using what was known at the time as “the safe corridor."
As for the Israeli claim accompanying the video, it is noteworthy that it was first published by the “Mossad Commentary” account on the X platform a few hours after Middle East Eye released it.
Journalists Testimonies Deny Claims That Hamas Sniper Targeted Palestinian Displaced Woman
Misbar contacted the source of the video, Middle East Eye correspondent, Mohammad Al-Hajjar, who confirmed that he obtained the footage from the husband of the daughter of the woman who was shot. However, he was unable to reach the owner of the original video. Al-Hajjar said that he had been following the incident for more than a month, and the woman who appears in the video later died despite attempts to revive her.
Journalist Omar Abu Al-Nada from Gaza City, whose workplace is very close to the incident site (less than 200 meters away), affirmed, “On November 12, the Israeli sniper was stationed at a point opposite the targeting site, and several civilians were injured, not just the woman subject to this claim.” Abu Al-Nada also highlighted the challenges of moving and documenting events in the region at that time, emphasizing that journalists themselves were shot more than once.
Middle East Eye Documents Israelis Sniping Mrs. Hala Abd Al-Ati
A Middle East Eye report, published on Thursday, January 10, contained details and testimonies from the family of Mrs. Hala Abd Al-Ati, who was killed by a bullet fired by an Israeli sniper while trying to flee with her grandson, Taym (5 years old), and that the bullet was fired from a location where the Israeli occupation army was stationed.
Her daughter Sara Khariss, added that, a day prior to the incident, Israeli tanks surrounded the residential area where they lived, and snipers were deployed, forcing them to flee in an attempt to survive.
One of Mrs. Hala Abd Al-Ati's relatives, in statements to Al Jazeera, witnessed the moment an Israeli sniper targeted fleeing people. She added that residents were attempting to flee because their residential area was surrounded by tanks, and that the Israeli soldier ordered civilians to pass on the left side, while Mrs. Abd Al-Ati tried to turn towards those with her, intending to move with them on the same road. At that moment, the Israeli sniper immediately targeted her.
Misbar Investigated Israeli Claims Regarding the “Safe Corridor” to the South of the Gaza Strip
Misbar previously investigated similar allegations, made by Israeli and pro-Israel accounts, about Hamas targeting civilians and obstructing “safe displacement.”
These accounts previously shared a video on the X platform claiming it shows the moment Hamas members directly shot displaced people while they were moving from the north of the Gaza Strip to its south, through the “safe corridor” designated by the occupation forces.
While reviewing the video, Misbar found that it was cut from its original context, and did not document the moment when Hamas members opened fire directly on the displaced during their move from the north of the Gaza Strip to its south. It turned out that the Palestinian photojournalist, Motaz Azaiza, was the one who published the footage on his X account on November 19, noting that it shows the moment Israeli occupation forces opened fire on people fleeing through the “safe corridor” on Salah Al-Din street, through which Israel called on residents in the north of the Gaza Strip to move to the south of the Strip.
Misbar also revealed that the photo published by Israeli accounts, depicting a soldier helping the elderly Palestinian man Bashir Hajji, was intended for propaganda, aiming to portray scenes of helping Palestinians before executing them.
The picture showed Bashir Hajji (74 years old), a resident of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City. He was trying to flee to the south of the Gaza Strip through Salah Al-Din street, before he was field-executed by the occupation soldiers.
Misbar found the testimony given by the son of the elderly man Bashir Hajji to Al Arabi TV on November 9, in which he provided details about his father’s killing by an Israeli sniper in Gaza.
Misbar continues to cover the most prominent rumors and misleading news regarding Israeli allegations related to the ongoing aggression on Gaza, and you can read daily updates of fact-checks articles via the link.
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