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Al-Shifa Hospital’s Terror Links Ignored as Its Director Released From Israeli Prison
November 2023: An Israeli soldier helps to provide incubators to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Photo: Screenshot
Many are up in arms about the director of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya , being released from Israeli prison on Monday.
There wasn’t a question of why he was detained in the first place. Instead, it was clear to all that the IDF raided the hospital based on correct intelligence, and because Hamas weas operating inside and underneath Gaza’s largest hospital.
But when international media outlets picked up on the story of the release, the focus shifted to the alleged torture prisoners claimed to have endured over the last several months. In tandem, IDF proof that Al-Shifa Hospital 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 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. 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 Hamas’ war against Israel, and instead presents a personal story of poor, allegedly-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 Post report does say, however, is that “an indictment was never produced.” [emphasis added]
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 Washington 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?
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Al-Shifa Hospital’s Terror Links Ignored as Its Director Released From Israeli Prison first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Washington Warns UK, France Against Recognizing Palestinian Statehood
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves Downing Street, following the results of the election, in London, Britain, July 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville
i24 News – The United States has warned the UK and France not to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference scheduled for June 17 in New York, the Middle East Eye reported Tuesday.
France and Saudi Arabia will co-host this conference on the two-state solution, with Paris reportedly preparing to unilaterally recognize Palestine. France is also pressuring London to follow this path, according to sources from the British Foreign Office.
French media reports indicate that French authorities believe they have the agreement of the British government. Meanwhile, Arab states are encouraging this move, measuring the success of the conference by the recognitions obtained.
This initiative deeply divides Western allies. If France and the UK were to carry out this recognition, they would become the first G7 nations to take this step, causing a “political earthquake” according to observers, given their historical ties with Israel. The Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer threatened last week to annex parts of the West Bank if this recognition took place, according to a report in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Lammy publicly opposes unilateral recognition, stating that London would only recognize a Palestinian state when we know that it is going to happen and that it is in view.
However, pressure is mounting within the Labour Party. MP Uma Kumaran, member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the government was elected on a platform that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, believes that there is no legitimate reason for the United States to interfere in a sovereign decision of recognition, while highlighting the unpredictability of US President Donald Trump on this issue.
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Police, Shin Bet Thwart Suspected Iranian Attempt Perpetrate Terror Attack
A small number of Jewish worshipers pray during the priestly blessing, a traditional prayer which usually attracts thousands of worshipers at the Western Wall on the holiday of Passover during 2020, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Jerusalem’s Old City, April 12, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Ronen Zvulun.
i24 News – The Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police thwarted another Iranian attempt to recruit Israelis, according to a statement on Tuesday, arresting a resident of East Jerusalem for allegedly carrying out missions for the Islamic Republic.
Iranian agents recruited the suspect, who in turn recruited members of his family. He is a resident of the Isawiya neighborhood in his 30s, and is accused of maintaining contact with a hostile foreign entity to harm the state by carrying out a terrorist attack against Jews.
The suspect had already begun perpetrating acts of sabotage and espionage, including collecting intelligence about areas in Jerusalem, including the Western Wall and Mahane Yehuda Market. He also hung signs, burned Israeli army uniforms, and more in exchange for payment totaling thousands of shekels.
He was also charged with planning a terror attack in central Israel, including setting fire to a forest, and was told to transfer weapons to terrorist elements in the West Bank.
The suspect’s sought the help of family members, including his mother. A search at his home revealed sums of cash, a spray can used in some of his activities, airsoft guns, suspected illegal drugs, and more.
His indictment is expected to be filed by the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office.
The statement said that the case is yet another example of Iranian efforts to recruit Israelis. “We will continue to coordinate efforts to thwart terrorism and terrorist elements, including those operating outside Israel, while attempting to mobilize local elements in order to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,” the Shin Bet and Police said.
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Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt holds a chart showing the development of antisemitic crime, during a press conference on Figures for Politically Motivated Crime in the Country, in Berlin, Germany, May 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
Cybercrime in Germany rose to a record level last year, driven by hacker attacks from pro-Russian and anti-Israeli groups, the BKA Federal Crime Office reported on Tuesday as the government said it would boost countermeasures to combat it.
“Cybercrime is an increasing threat to our security,” said Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “It is getting more aggressive but our counter-strategies are also becoming more professional,” he said.
Some 131,391 cases of cybercrime took place in Germany last year and a further 201,877 cases were committed from abroad or an unknown location, a BKA report said.
The actors behind the hacker attacks on German targets were primarily either pro-Russian or anti-Israeli, said the BKA, adding targets were mostly public and federal institutions.
Ransomware, when criminals copy and encrypt data, is one of the main threats, said the BKA, with 950 companies and institutes reporting cases in 2024.
German digital association Bitkom said damage caused by cyberattacks here totaled 178.6 billion euros ($203.87 billion) last year, some 30.4 billion euros more than in the previous year.
Dobrindt said the government planned to extend the legal capabilities authorities could use to combat cybercrime and set higher security standards for companies.
The post Pro-Russian, Anti-Israeli Hackers Pose Biggest Cybercrime Threats in Germany first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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