CCTV footage of hospital explosion is from Syria in 2016, not Gaza

10 November 2023
What was claimed

A compilation of CCTV footage shows Israel bombing a hospital in Gaza.

Our verdict

This is not true. The clips in the compilation show scenes in hospitals in Aleppo, Syria, in 2016.

A video compilation being shared online claims to show Israel bombing a hospital in Gaza. But the video actually shows events in Syria. 

The video compilation [WARNING: graphic images], which has been shared on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, shows CCTV footage of an explosion in what appears to be different areas of a hospital. 

The video has been shared with the claim it shows Israel attacking a hospital in Gaza during the recent conflict. Multiple posts have the caption: “Israel was CAUGHT on camera BOMBING the Al-Sadaqa HOSPITAL.”

The Al Sadaqa Hospital, which is also known as the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, is located in Gaza City and has reportedly closed due to a lack of fuel. It was also reported that medical officials said this hospital, along with others nearby, were  damaged by Israeli airstrikes.

However, the video does not show an explosion at this hospital, or any other hospital in Gaza. It shows scenes from Aleppo, Syria, in 2016. 

Almost all the CCTV footage appearing in the compilation on social media can be seen in a longer video montage posted on YouTube in 2016 by the Aleppo Media Center (AMC). It has the caption: “Moments documenting the crime: ‘The aerial bombardment that targeted Omar bin Abdulaziz Hospital’ in mid-July” (translated using Google). The AMC also shared another video [WARNING: graphic content] showing the aftermath of the incident . 

The video was also shared by the Syrian Network for Human Rights in 2016, who reported that the hospital was located in an area of east Aleppo “under the control of armed opposition factions” and was bombed by “government warplanes”. It was recorded elsewhere as an attack by “Syrian or Russian Forces” and, in November 2016, all medical facilities in the rebel-held east Aleppo had reportedly been destroyed. 

The final one-second clip appearing at the end of the compilation on social media does not appear in the longer YouTube video. However, the same scene can be seen in another video shared by Channel 4 in May 2016 showing scenes from a different healthcare facility, Al Quds hospital, that was also attacked amidst the government-led offensive on east Aleppo. 

This is not the first time Full Fact has seen content from Syria being shared with claims it shows recent events in Gaza, as well as videos from Bahrain, Sudan, Algeria and Ukraine. You can find more of our work countering misinformation relating to the Israel-Gaza conflict here and in our guide to fact checking misleading videos

Image courtesy of Vyacheslav Argenberg

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