Identifying as a Jew
5 min read
President Herzog called the lie that Israel sent a missile to kill hundreds of Gaza civilians a modern-day blood libel.
On October 17, 2023, a rocket fired towards Israel by Islamic Jihad, a terror organization in Gaza, fell short soon after launching. Instead of reaching its intended target in Israel, it seems that the missile failed and hit the Al-Ahli Baptist hospital next to the rocket launcher in Gaza City.
(Stationing a long-range rocket launcher next to a hospital and using human shields during a war is part of the terrorists’ playbook.)
The devastation was immediate and severe. A Gaza civil defense chief has estimated that 300 people died in the blast. It’s the most deadly incident inside Gaza since Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 Israelis, injuring many, and taking 199 Israeli hostages to Gaza.
It is indeed a terrible tragedy. But Israel didn’t fire the missile; Islamic Jihad did.
Hamas immediately blamed Israel for deliberately targeting the hospital. The IDF said Israel does not target hospitals and is investigating the matter. After reviewing the footage and determining what had happened, Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, confirmed that the blast at Al-Ahli Hospital was caused by an Islamic Jihad rocket, not an Israeli airstrike. Following extra reviews of Israel’s operational and intelligence systems, he noted, “it is clear that the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) did not strike the hospital in Gaza.”
“I can confirm that following an analysis of the IDF operational systems indicates that a barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit…. (Israeli intelligence indicates Islamic Jihad) is responsible for the failed rocket launch which hit the hospital in Gaza,” Rear Adm. Hagari concluded.
Several independent videos of the area, including one by the media outlet Al-Jazeera, appear to show the Gaza-launched rocket failing to gain altitude, breaking into shrapnel, and falling and exploding prematurely. The IDF spokesman also presented actual audio recordings in which Islamic Jihad members say out loud that they are responsible for the explosion.
Israel’s military says that about 450 rockets have malfunctioned and landed inside Gaza.
Within minutes of the terrible explosion at Al-Ahli Hospital, much of the world’s press jumped to blame Israel, even before the facts were established. The New York Times posted a headline on its website declaring “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say.” (Hours later it amended its headline to read “Israelis and Palestinians Blame Each Other for Blast at Gaza Hospital That Killed Hundreds.”)
Even after Israeli officials denied they’d targeted the hospital, some news outlets persisted in falsely saying Israel had attacked the site. The British newspaper The Guardian disingenuously declared “Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari would not immediately confirm its forces bombed the hospital.” (Of course he didn’t “immediately confirm” that Israel bombed the hospital: he was too busy explaining to the press that it was Islamic Jihad’s missile - not Israel’s - which landed in the hospital.)
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog calls the rush to blame Israel - even in the face of all evidence - a modern day “blood libel”. “An Islamic Jihad missile has killed many Palestinians at a Gazan hospital - a place where lives should be saved,” Herzog tweeted. “Shame on the media who swallow the lies of Hamas and Islamic Jihad - broadcasting a 21st-century blood libel around the globe. Shame on the vile terrorists in Gaza who wilfully spill the blood of the innocent…”
The lie that Israel bombed Al-Ahli Hospital is stirring up hatred against Jews and Israel.
Large anti-Israel mobs have formed across the Muslim World. Jordan canceled President Joe Biden’s planned Wednesday meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas over the tragedy. King Abdullah blamed Israel, calling the bombing a massacre and a war crime.
With truth under attack, it’s crucial to stand up for truth, even when it’s hard to do so. While soldiers in Israel are fighting for their nation’s very survival, you are a foot soldier in the war on slander, lies, and media disinformation.
Here are four steps to take today.
IDF releases drone footage of the Gaza hospital from this morning, showing damage to parking lot where it says a misfiring Islamic Jihad rocket fell causing last night's mass casualties, but that lack of damage to hospital itself & no crater indicate it wasn't an IDF strike pic.twitter.com/V3wgGGgZ7o
— Jeremy Sharon (@jeremysharon) October 18, 2023
Hi, what do you make of this report that was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK, which seems to refute the Israeli claims? https://youtu.be/MVQALHmgo8U? I am not sure myself what to think or how to respond.
The video on channel 4 is based on an 'analysis' of a Ramallah based NGO Al Haq. That organization is clearly not objective and has been labeled as a terrorist organization by Israel.
They haven't had the basic human decency of condemning Hamas for their vicious attack and murder of 1000's of civilians. Their 'analysis' is meaningless and just propaganda.
Anyone with common sense should rely on the expert opinion of the governments of USA, Canada, France and others that after a thorough investigation by experts have determined that Israel was not involved with the hospital bombing.
Any blame for the hospital bombing should be directed at Hamas and Islamic Jihad who are killing their own civilians.
Someone said he heard that not only did it land in their territory, but that it had already passed the hospital and turned around, somehow, and landed there. I haven't been able to find a source to this. Can anyone confirm it?! TY
I saw the video released: the missile did not turn around, it started up but then fell back into the parking lot of the hospital and exploded. But it must have been launched very close to the hospital for that to happen.
So the NY Slimes (as one talk show host calls it) made statements without confirmation?! (Actually, not surprising!:)
And the other new outlet says that "Israel did not immediately confirm it was their missile -- implying that they later did confirm?!?!
Alas. Even in the face of terror, they can still act like this.
Our rabbis say that, "Greater is the one who answers 'amen' [may that come true], more than the one who makes the blessing. And I guess we can say the same thing for the one who answers 'amen' to an evil terrorist's curse. May they be cursed (or, hopefully repent real quickly before they get the same as the Chamas -- which by the way, means heinous evil and damage in Hebrew. [But means 'strength' in their language - but it is certainly the Hand of Heaven.]).
Apparently there were also Palestinians who witnessed the truth also verbalizing
this horrific Hamas debacle? Possibly their deity himself had a hand in this
totally. unacceptable multi faceted massacre ? And now their false tongues
have sunk to sensing their irresponsible stupidity , so offering prisoner exchanges ?
The facts at this time are clear , Hamas gangs and Iran have not been sufficiently
bloodied to deter further atrocities , therefore Israeli forces have a lot more fighting
until as has been said once and for all, be sure that younger generations will not consider regrouping for further (newly designated gang names) to start a future
war ever again against Israel or any democratic.
country rather than be living future fears for more lost lives and
When King David mentions evil enemies in his psalms, he refers to them by the epithets they earned from their nefarious actions: liars, deceitful, etc. How refreshingly frank & non-PC!
It's one thing when Jordan & Egypt fall for Hamas' lies, but quite another when the "civilized" world automatically accepts it without checking the facts.
Hi Dr Yvette,
Israel has ordered civilians in North of Gaza to flee to the south. However these civilians are still in danger even though they are obeying Israel's orders , refer link from the BBC portal below:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67133803.amp
Does the IDF have any explanation for this?
How can I know that the English mainstream news from Israel is not biased in the same manner as Al Jazeera? CNN and BBC provides a more balance, even though it is slanted to Israel, in my view.
Ms. Savage,
What exactly do you want Israel to do? Let their population get raped, tortured and slaughtered? There is no more humane army than IDF. If you think CNN and BBC present a balanced reporting, you simply need to be educated. There are hundreds perhaps thousand instances were these outlets have proven to provided deceitful and deliberately antisemitic reporting.
The Guardian and BBC are the Al' jazeera of the UK, unfortunately European press follows their lead. Some American channels are very obviously pro Hamas=Jihad. It does not matter how many terrorist attacks and heads jihad has cut, including journalist's heads. These journalists sweetly support the claim that miserable young Muslims are justified their acts of barbarity. That is called humanity? The western brain is in the dark ages again.
Hi Chana,
The CNN and BBC publishes articles by journalists in Gaza who are witnessing the suffering of the people there.
This is about the plight of the civilians in Gaza, not HAMAS. There is difference between the two.
Likewise, these portals also publish stories of innocent Israelis whose family members are abducted , killed etc.
This is whar I mean by balanced view, where readers can read both sides of the story in order to be educated and make informed decision.
I am sorry to say this Sharon but the BBC USED to be a Broadcaster of some merit but a broadcaster who maintains that Hamas (and others are militants) rather than terrorists cannot be considered unbiased when they are happy to call the IDF terrorists when they merely respond to terrorism. There is a reason why IDF stands for Israel DEFENSE Forces & that is because they defend Israel not attack other elements without cause. You should also read reports where the Israeli forces have ended a mission because they have seen apparent civilians in front of them. What did you think of Hamas DELIBERATELY targeting civilians on this occasion & when they have attacked hotels where wedding ceremonies have been taking place or religious celebrations such as the Seder service?
Hi Chana, not all western brains are in the dark ages, I promise you. There are many people praying for Israel and donating money to aid in supporting your soldiers and people during this horrific war against barbarism. Our hearts are breaking for you and there are those who also spend so much time refuting the lies and misinformation that so many platforms are spreading. I just want you to know that some of us are with you so please don’t lose hope or faith because of some loud mouth ignorant people. Remember HaShem is still in control and ultimately He will win. May ha Messiach come quickly. Blessings and love from Australia.
Ms Michel,
Please educate me then, does IDF have an explanation as how they did with the bombing of the hospital in Gaza? Please share the link to their video if possible.
Thank you.
The IDF did NOT bomb the hospital. It's carpark was hit by a rocket fired from somewhere nearby by Islamic Jihad which failed to gain height and landed there. Not sure how this managed to supposedly kill everyone in the hospital as is being reported since the hospital was not even damaged. Don't believe me? Then listen to recordings of the terrorists themselves admitting it was one of their own bombs!
Yes: there’s a war on. No matter how careful Israel is, some civilians will get hurt. Also it is Hamas’s responsibility, as the elected government of Gaza, to protect its citizens - not anyone else’s. But Hamas is more interested in making PR points than protecting its people, as always.
Haaretz, Israel's most prestigious English language newspaper, is actually an extremely left wing medium, which for many hours spread the false news that it was an Israeli missile.
And what if Israel had bombed the hospital, then what? "Innocent civilians". Let's say if there was a Hammas command bunker under the hospital, then what? The Arabs are notorious for using children and civilians as human shields. Today there are no "innocent civilians" in Gaza. Their children are indoctrinated from infancy to murder Jews. And if there are, Hammas is not allowing them to leave.
None of us have the right to justify the atrocities committed against innocent Israelis in broad daylight. Likewise none of us have the right to justify the atrocities committed against the innocent civilians of Gaza.
There were many people at the hospital who were seeking refuge from the Israeli airstrikes.Do you think that they are want to be human shields for terrorists as well?
You justify these atrocities because you do not want to open your eyes to the reality of the human catastrophe unfolding even as we speak.
Who is responsible, the one who threw the first punch or the fellow who punched back? With reasoning like yours, no one would ever be able to defend himself and the aggressors would win automatically.
Dvirah,
This article is from the Jerusalem Post:
"Where is the line in an existential war between decimating the enemy and unduly harming innocent people under their control?"
https://m.jpost.com/opinion/article-769381
HAMAS is a purely evil terrorist organization and those terrorist does not deserve to live, but is it justified to impose extreme hardship to 2.2 million residents of Gaza ? 5,000 Palestinians have been killed in the past 2 weeks and 14,000 injured. The numbers are set to grow.
Dvirah,
I will share another article from the Jerusalem Post:
"The short answer is that to pacify a warrior society it first needs to be destroyed or understand that if it does not change it will be destroyed."
https://m.jpost.com/opinion/article-768989
This article has the opposite view from the one I posted earlier. The author argues for destruction of society that supports violence and destruction based on historical examples.
However the views of this author is not in line with the Torah. Hashem destroyed wicked nations . However your father Abraham pleaded with Hashem not to destroy Sodom if there are at least 10 righteous peoplein it, which is accepted by Hashem.
Likewise we cannot assume there are no righteous people in a society are ruled by terrorists.
Sharon, when an election WAS held in Gaza after Israel's TOTAL withdrawal in 2006 (which was supposed to lead to peace from there) who do you think voted for Hamas?
JacquiB,
Did the people of Gaza unanimously vote for HAMAS? What if there are minority groups of people that did not vote for HAMAS? What about the Arab Christian population of Gaza, did they vote for HAMAS? What if they voted under duress? What if they had no choice?
Speak for yourself about who doesnt want to open your eyes to the reality of the human catastrophe etc.
The majority of the Israelis living in the kibbutzim bordering Gaza voted against the right wing government and refused to face the reality that there is unfortunately no partner for peace. Many of the survivors have come out since the horrific attacks on their communities and said just what you wrote, "we were blind. no, we werent blind, we refused to open our eyes to the truth." If you believe the Arabs in Gaza, try going there. But if you want to survive, first try speaking to the Israeli left wing kibbutznikim who survived the October 7th attack.
BTW, there's an ancient expression in Hebrew כשמו כן הוא As is his name, so is he. I guess that goes for you.
Savta G,
Please clarify what are you trying to say from your statement below:
"BTW, there's an ancient expression in Hebrew כשמו כן הוא As is his name, so is he. I guess that goes for you."
Thank you.
any compassionate human cringes at the thought of a missile striking a hospital-regardless of the source of fire. However, what disturbs me about this discussion is that there no condemnation of the ongoing deliberate targeting of Jews in Israel by Hamas, Hizbullah, PLO and their partners and proxies which has been ongoing for decades..=.
Had the world condemned that targeting, the Hamas would not be so freely aggressive. It is precisely because the world generally has supported terror against Israel that such organizations feel free to do - and publish - their heinous acts. Baruch HaShem that there are still decent people in there world who recognize evil when they see it.
Any recommendations on mainstream English-language news from Israel?
Try jpost.com, ynetnews.com, and timesofisrael.com.
Dear Dr. Miller,
Thank you for providing these resources. As always, I greatly appreciate what you write. May we have peace soon!
Also https://www.israelnationalnews.com a.k.a. Aruzt Sheva (Channel 7)
Thank you, I really needed to hear this information.