The Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications, Centre for Combating Disinformation, has refuted claims made by some social media accounts regarding the bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza.

The disputed claim suggested that "documents from Al Jazeera's live broadcast show that rockets were fired at Israel by Palestinian fighters, and one of the rockets failed and landed on a hospital." The Turkish Presidency asserts that this claim is false, as the news article cited as the basis for the allegation was unrelated to the claims.

The israeli bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza prompted former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's digital media officer, Hananya Naftali, to post an announcement on social media claiming that "the Israeli Air Force has hit a hospital in Gaza." The Turkish Presidency revealed that Naftali deleted this post shortly after, suspecting an attempt to manipulate global public opinion by sharing posts alleging that the missile which struck the hospital was fired from Gaza.

Furthermore, an account purporting to be a journalist working for Al Jazeera claimed that "the missile that struck the hospital was fired from Gaza." This account, identified as a fake profile under the name "Farida Khan," was found to have no connection with Al Jazeera and was used for manipulative purposes.

Additionally, the Israeli state account shared a video blaming Hamas for the hospital bombing on a certain platform. However, a significant timing discrepancy was identified, as the video was recorded at 19:59 while the hospital was struck at approximately 19:27. Once this error was realized, the video was removed from the post.

Claims suggesting that "the missile that hit the hospital was fired from Gaza" were also contested. The Turkish Presidency noted that the alleged images containing the logo of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had been in circulation since July 8, 2022, and cautioned against lending credence to unfounded claims.

This refutation by the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications underscores the importance of verifying information and refraining from spreading false or misleading narratives, particularly during times of conflict and crisis. (ILKHA)