Is it propaganda? Public relations? Misinformation? Or just simply a perspective of the Israel-Hamas war being shown online? Videos of airstrikes, fire fights and bloody civilians seeking desperate help at Gaza’s hospitals can be seen on multiple social media platforms.
It’s been about two weeks since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched its ground incursion into Gaza. The aim of the incursion is to seek out Hamas terrorists and find and rescue over 200 hostages that Hamas kidnapped on Oct. 7.
The IDF has been posting videos and photos to X, showing the world what its soldiers are up against.
In a video posted to X on Monday, Nov. 13, an Israeli defense spokesperson shows a suspected Hamas tunnel under Gaza’s Rantisi Children’s Hospital.
“The electricity goes here, and it goes down directly to the tunnel,” said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari as he points to a suspected Hamas tunnel near the hospital. “Now you can see the tunnel. It’s more than 20 meters down.”
In the video, the IDF soldiers enter the hospital basement to show where they believe Hamas terrorists “hide, operate and hold Israeli hostages against their will.” The footage shows an alleged Hamas command center stocked with war gear, including guns and grenades.
“Look at what Hamas is holding inside the hospital,” Hagari said. “I want you to understand, this kind of gear is the gear for a major fight. These are explosives. These are vests with explosives. It’s a body vest for terrorists to explode on forces among hospitals, among patients. This is Hamas firing RPGs from hospitals. The world has to understand who Israel is fighting against.”
The IDF claims to have found evidence that Hamas held hostages in the basement of the hospital.
In the video, Hagari points out a motorcycle, riddled with bullet holes. The bike is believed to have been used in the Hamas terror attack, and it’s allegedly being stored in the hospital basement. Hagari then shows where Hamas may have held hostages.
“We find the chair, a woman’s clothes and a rope, a rope next to the legs. And look above this, look above it,” Hagari said, looking up at a World Health Organization box. “It’s a baby bottle. It’s a baby bottle in a basement above a World Health Organization sign. This is a suspicion for an area where hostages were being held.”
Hamas has repeatedly denied using civilian infrastructure for command centers. However, U.S. officials reject that claim and confirm that Hamas terrorists hide behind their Palestinian citizens – complicating matters for IDF soldiers who want to wipe out Hamas terrorists while minimizing civilian casualties.
“You can see, even from open-source reporting, that Hamas does use hospitals along with a lot of other civilian facilities for command and control,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN. “For storing weapons, for housing it’s fighters. And so, without getting into this specific hospital or that specific claim, this is Hamas’ track record.”
Even with the video evidence and the backing of U.S. intelligence confirming Hamas’ war strategy, some people are not convinced, and they’re responding to the IDF’s videos directly on X.
“This is the best comedy film I have seen all year,” one user wrote.
“He didn’t show the tunnel leading to the hospital,” another user wrote. “They think this tunnel justifies murdering 4,000 children and bombing all the hospitals in Gaza. He planted weapons [in the] child’s room to elude to this.”
Pro-Israel commenters say Israel is fighting a terror organization that does not follow the laws of war.
“It’s enraging to witness the blatant exploitation of civilian spaces by Hamas for their malicious activities,” a user wrote in Israel’s defense. “The use of hospitals and tunnels for such purposes is a clear violation of humanitarian principles.”
“Only the Jews have to prove every single thing with 50 pieces of evidence and it will still be denied at large,” another comment said in part.
Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, Israel’s defense minister said Monday that Hamas has lost control of the Gaza Strip. The IDF is now moving in to fully capture Gaza.
