This is the top of the Morning Wire disseminated by the Associated Press today: “In the news today: Israel raids a Gaza hospital that has become a symbol of the suffering of Palestinian civilians…” The brief summary links to this story by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy and holds out the tin cup: “The Associated Press now accepts reader contributions to support our fact-based, nonpartisan journalism. To make a donation, visit apnews.com/donate.” Shamelessness has its uses.
The AP declares the Shifa Hospital “a symbol of the suffering of Palestinian civilians.” That is of course precisely how Hamas wants it to be viewed. More realistically, it has become a symbol of the Hamas way of war, but you can be sure that is not how the AP renders it:
Mohammed Zaqout, the director of hospitals in Gaza, said Israeli tanks were inside the medical compound and that soldiers had entered buildings, including the emergency and surgery departments, which house intensive care units. It was not clear if he was speaking from inside the compound.
“The occupation forces stormed the buildings,” he said angrily over the phone. He said the patients, including children, are terrified. “They are screaming. It’s a very terrifying situation … we can do nothing for the patients but pray.”
The Israeli military said it was carrying out a “precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital.” It said the soldiers were accompanied by medical teams and had brought medical supplies and baby food as well as incubators and other equipment.
Who ya gonna believe? The AP remains gripped by metaphysical doubt about the uses of the hospital:
Israel says Hamas has a massive command center inside and beneath Shifa, but has not provided visual evidence, while Hamas and the hospital staff have repeatedly denied the allegations.
Hours before the raid, the United States said its own intelligence indicated militants have used Shifa and other hospitals — and tunnels beneath them — to support military operations and hold hostages.
The Daily Mail’s Geoff Earle expands on the findings of American intelligence in “White House says Hamas and Islamic Jihad DID hide under hospitals in Gaza, backing up Israeli claims.” David Hazony provides a useful reminder from the archives of the Washington Post.
Oh and here's a @washingtonpost piece from 2014 that describes the Shifa hospital as "a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders" https://t.co/1O7OCZ11hk
— David Hazony (@davidhazony) November 15, 2023
Today’s AP story is accompanied by the products of AP staff photographers working inside the Gaza Strip. The work of the AP photographers seems to constitute a key component of the Hamas way of war. Is this photo for real? Query whether the wailing without tears is fakery for the AP’s Fatima Shbair.
“Caption: Palestinians mourn their relatives killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, in the hospital in Khan Younis, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)”
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