Israeli media are up in arms about Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital director Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya being released from Israeli prison on Monday, fighting over whether or not it was the right thing to do, highlighting reactions from ministers, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the Shin Bet (internal security service) and Israel Prison Service’s responses.
There wasn’t a question of why he was detained in the first place – it was clear to all that the IDF raided the hospital based on correct intelligence and the discovery that Hamas were operating inside and underneath Gaza’s largest hospital.
But when international media picked up on the story hours later, the focus shifted to the alleged torture prisoners claimed to have endured over the last several months while undergoing investigations in Israeli custody. In tandem, IDF proof that al-Shifa was a confirmed Hamas location was often ignored, creating the perception that the IDF raided a hospital and arrested doctors without cause.
While this CNN report starts with a heartwarming reunion of released detainees with their families in Gaza, reporter Nada Bashir quickly moves on to discuss the alleged torture they endured at the hands of Israeli security personnel and prison guards. Just before she brings in Abu Salmiya to the story, she questions the legitimacy of the detainees’ arrests: “Why they were detained in the first place, we may never know.”
We do know. These people were suspected of aiding and abetting Hamas terrorists and their activities in a civilian area – for instance, a hospital – and the IDF had every right to investigate. Did Bashir miss the memo? How could she not know?
Abu Salmiya is specifically responsible as the hospital’s director for allowing or turning a blind eye to Hamas operating inside and underneath the hospital, under his watch. Bashir chooses to brush over this minute detail, most likely to fit a narrative.
That’s obvious since during the entire report, she neglects to mention al-Shifa’s role in Israel’s war against Hamas, and instead presents a personal story of poor, beaten doctors who were detained for no reason by Israel.
The New York Times covered this similarly, claiming that Israel took Abu Salmiya into custody in November “as he took part in an effort to evacuate patients from the hospital, which at the time was under siege by the Israeli military.”
This is noteworthy since they conducted their own investigation into al-Shifa Hospital in February.
While @nytimes can’t understand why the director of al-Shifa Hosptial could possibly have been detained by Israel “as he took part in an effort to evacuate patients from the hospital,” here’s a reminder of what The Times itself reported in February: https://t.co/UvKmhEhJvq pic.twitter.com/yAtqI2JEkX
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 2, 2024
Indeed, Abu Salmiya was detained and investigated with cause, under suspicion of allowing Hamas to use the hospital as its headquarters. In December, he even had three hearings, according to the Jerusalem Post. What the Jerusalem Post report does say; however, is that “an indictment was never produced.”
The Guardian went so far as to say that the IDF “alleged” there was an “elaborate” Hamas command center and then completely understated IDF discoveries underneath al-Shifa, claiming that the IDF raided the hospital without supportive evidence of intelligence. This, in addition to highlighting the abuse of Abu Salmiya and other released prisoners allegedly experienced.
When Israel raided al-Shifa Hospital in November, the IDF uncovered a tunnel likely connecting to the larger tunnel network used by Hamas in Gaza City, and included underground bunkers, living quarters, and a room that appeared to be wired for computers & communications… pic.twitter.com/SwFyohexzQ
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 2, 2024
It’s also appalling that The Washington Post continues to attempt to dispel proof that Hamas was operating out of al-Shifa Hospital and to claim that any weapons found or video footage of hostages inside the hospital were merely circumstantial evidence.
Actually, as we noted at the time, @washingtonpost‘s “investigation” was “nothing more than a (un)sophisticated hit piece that omits important context” & the reporting was “neither groundbreaking nor conclusive. It’s simply a lazy attempt to vilify Israel and absolve Hamas.” 1/2 https://t.co/MGYUgVktKg pic.twitter.com/sXekreQkN0
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 2, 2024
HonestReporting debunked The Post’s investigation back in December.
Did the IDF raid al-Shifa and arrest the hospital director for no reason? Perhaps the better question here is: why would any respectable media outlet risk their credibility by choosing not to be transparent with their readers?
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