Thread by @nickburbank710

In the IDF’s four minute statement on their bombing of Al-Tabeen school this week we have identified five false claims and three misleading items. Thread:

The @guardian reports that the Israeli military has bombed 21 schools since July. Each time, they have claimed that the school was being used as a Hamas HQ. theguardian.com/world/article/…

@guardian Hagari begins by claiming that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists abuse civilian populations to execute terror activities. This statement, whether true or false, does not justify the bombing of so-called “human shields.”

@guardian Israel does not dispute that all casualties beyond the alleged H*mas leaders identified are civilians. Per the @ICRC, civilians are “entitled to protection against direct attack.” This attack constitutes a violation of international law. casebook.icrc.org/case-study/icr…

@guardian @ICRC Israeli military spox Hagari then claims Gaza hospitals are infiltrated & weaponized by Ham*s, incl. “terrorist tunnel shafts”. Israel has repeatedly been unable to prove this claim, even when escorting journalists into these tunnels early in the war. cnn.com/2023/11/20/mid…

@guardian @ICRC Sometimes the Israeli military mistakes water wells at hospitals for “H*mas terrorist tunnels.”

https://x.com/QudsNen/status/1753701270601240882

@guardian @ICRC Similarly unsubstantiated claims in Hagari’s statement include Ham*s’ exploitation of school buildings, “intelligence” of militants operating out of Al-Tabeen school, and the presence of Ashraf Judah. A @EuromedHR report shows no such activity.

https://x.com/EuroMedHR/status/1822528353850519669

@guardian @ICRC @EuroMedHR Hagari’s third false claim is the list of “terrorists” released by the Israeli military. This list includes at least already deceased people already deceased, as well as people who actively oppose Hamas and elderly people unable to execute military roles.

https://x.com/muhammadshehad2/status/1822693198667661427?s=12&t=mOqK2fU9valcOVMPxuJRnw

Hagari claims that the “precision strike” targeted the alleged terrorists, some of whom were already deceased, in an area where “according to our intelligence, no women and children were present.” Based on video of the aftermath of the strike, this is patently false.

@guardian @ICRC @EuroMedHR A misleading statement follows, suggesting casualty numbers from Gaza are unverified & unreliable. Historically, there has been no evidence of fabrication or inflation of these numbers. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_Heal…

Notably, Hagari’s speech is nearly identical to Israeli govt talking points issued 9 months earlier by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs: “Israel’s strike was legitimate, we minimize harm to civilians in Gaza, we have to do this to return the hostages.” web.archive.org/web/2024081123…

The claim that strikes like this will facilitate an end to the war and the return of the hostages is also false. Since the beginning of the war, Israel has repeatedly refused peace deals which would bring home every hostage.

https://x.com/nickburbank710/status/1794387087992778938

@guardian @ICRC @EuroMedHR For more details on the veracity of the IDF’s claims see:

https://x.com/RamAbdu/status/1822621920442912770