The Al Jazeera news agency has deleted an internet story that accused members of Israel’s army of committing rape against Palestinian women who were patients in Gaza’s Shifa Hospital. The story was reportedly displayed for more than 24 hours.
The original feature included allegations by a Gazan woman, Jamila al-Hessi, who claimed to have witnessed members of the IDF “raping women then killing them and burning entire families alive.” The statement went viral on social media and created significant anger towards the Jewish state.
The accuser also told the Qatar-based newscaster that she had not been given any humanitarian assistance for six days.
A former managing director for the organization, Yasser Abu Hilalah, later posted on X that al-Hessi "exaggerated the details to provoke an emotional response," as the woman never actually witnessed such events.
Rape and other mistreatment of non-combatants is strictly prohibited by IDF codes of conduct. Violators of these rules are subject to investigation by appropriate judicial authorities.
Although Al Jazeera’s English programming can be more reserved, the Arabic language division has long been accused of promoting antisemitic and anti-Israel content.
There have been no reports of the programmer issuing an official retraction.
