Israel debunks ‘Hamas libels‘ about mass grave spread by media for internet clicks, says Netanyahu spokesman

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JERUSALEM – The Office of the Prime Minister of Israel on Friday flatly rejected the disinformation campaign waged by the terrorist movement Hamas that the Jewish State was involved in any misconduct regarding a mass grave found at a battle site located on a hospital compound in Gaza.

“Hamas libels know no limits. It’s sad to see how many news organizations are still so quick to copy and paste Hamas’s lies for clickbait. The IDF will continue to target Hamas while avoiding civilian casualties with precision likely to have never been seen in the history of warfare,” Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman told Fox News Digital.

Middle East expert Tom Gross told Fox News Digital that “Hamas has a long track record of fabricating the truth that puts even Al-Qaeda or Isis to shame. And yet, the supposedly responsible media — in particular, CNN on this occasion — repeat Hamas lies almost unquestioningly.”

Gross added, “Even the BBC was not caught out on this occasion, but it seems CNN was all too eager to give credence to the latest Hamas blood libel against the Jewish state. When historians come to examine why there has been such a sharp increase in antisemitism in America this year, they may well examine the role of some media in encouraging it.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 7, 2024. (REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

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The Hamas-run Civil Defense agency in Gaza said on Tuesday that Palestinian health workers uncovered nearly 340 bodies of people allegedly killed and buried by Israeli forces at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

When asked about the Hamas officials who claimed that the presence of hundreds of bodies in mass graves at the hospital compound in Khan Younis, U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said on Wednesday, “The allegations are troubling, they are disturbing, we take them very seriously, and we’re continuing to press the Government of Israel for more information. It’s our understanding the IDF has spoken to some of this publicly; they have stated that in search of Israeli hostages, they have uncovered graves in the area where Palestinians had previously been buried.”

Israeli army spokesman Major Nadav Shoshani wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Misinformation is circulating regarding a mass grave that was discovered at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. The grave in question was dug — by Gazans — a few months ago.” 

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He continued: “This fact is corroborated by social media documentation uploaded by Gazans at the time of the burial, as seen in the video below. Any attempt to blame Israel for burying civilians in mass graves is categorically false and a mere example of a disinformation campaign aimed at delegitimizing Israel.”

Prominent American statisticians have argued that Hamas has fabricated death toll counts in the Gaza Strip to garner support among Western countries to end Israel’s campaign to root out the jihadi terrorist network. Hamas fails to distinguish between its terrorist combatants and civilians in its wars against Israel, military and statistical experts have long argued.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters about the mass grave, “We want answers,” adding,”We want to see this thoroughly and transparently investigated.” Hamas invaded Israel on October 7 and slaughtered 1,200 people, including over 30 Americans.

Hospitals are protected institutions during war under international law. However, the medical centers in the Gaza Strip have frequently been turned into de facto military installations by Hamas to wage war against Israel. Hospitals lose their protected rights when they are converted into military sites. Hamas uses medical compounds to hold hostages. 

Hamas currently has over 100 hostages, including Americans, in its captivity. The Hamas-held hostages are believed to be in Rafah, the main stronghold of Hamas battalions. 

Hamas terrorists and Gazans are seen in the above photo. (Getty Images)

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Omri Ceren, the national security advisor for U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), wrote on X about some of the mainstream reporting about the mass grave: “This is just something Hamas made up and CNN is amplifying it. I haven’t even seen a defense of it. It’s just CNN amplifying a thing that Hamas made up and then moving on.”

The Times of Israel reported, in response to the Hamas accusation that Israel is to blame for the mass grave, that the “evidence has suggested this is false, with the bodies having previously been buried at that same location by Palestinians amid the fighting between Israeli forces and terror operatives in the area.”

The UN’s controversial  human rights chief, Volker Türk, said he was “horrified” by reports of mass graves at the Gaza hospitals — Shifa medical compound in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital.

Smoke billows after the Israeli army launched an airstrike on Al Mughraqa area in the Gaza Strip, on April 14, 2024. (Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)

In January, Israel’s mission in Geneva, Switzerland, took Türk’s office to task for failing to call for the release of hostages in Gaza on the 100th day since the start of the war.

“Not one word demanding the release of the hostages held in Gaza. A call for a ceasefire, without demanding the release of our hostages and the disarming of Hamas, is a call for terrorism to win,” wrote Israeli diplomats on X.

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The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is located in Geneva.

Fox News Digital press queries to the IDF and the State Department were not immediately answered.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal.