Fact check | The misinformation battle running parallel to Israel-Hamas war 

In the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict, false claims and manipulated images have been shared widely on social media. The Hindu debunks some of them.

The October 17 airstrike on a hospital in Gaza has become the latest flashpoint in the Israel-Hamas war.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza blamed Israel for the attack, prompting widespread protests against Israel in the region. Israel, however, denied involvement in the attack and pinned the blame on the militant group, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Against this backdrop, a claim that the Israel Defense Forces has admitted responsibility for the attack has gone viral on social media. The post purports to show an Arabic statement from the IDF on Facebook, acknowledging responsibility for the attack. Its English translation reads: “Due to the lack of medical tools and the lack of medical staff, it was decided to bomb the Baptist Hospital in Gaza and grant them euthanasia.”

The Hindu could not find any such post on the IDF’s Arabic Facebook page or elsewhere.

When contacted, Meta said the account that shared the post was removed for being inauthentic.

As for the substance of the claim, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said, “That incident is the most famous so far. The whole world knows that it was a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket – one of 600 misfired since the war began. Fortunately, we have several videos from different angles proving that, and even a voice recording of two terrorists discussing between themselves that it was ‘locally made’ rocket.”

The IDF shared a recent briefing by its spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, detailing the findings of its own investigation into the incident, which had concluded that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad was responsible for the attack. It also shared an audio recording purporting to show Hamas militants discussing the attack and admitting that a misfired rocket launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad was to blame.