Verifying conflicting narratives about Iran's strike on an Israeli hospital

Conflicting narratives person emerged aft an Iranian rocket struck an Israeli infirmary connected Thursday, pinch Tehran claiming it was targeting subject accommodation while nan Israeli defence curate described nan onslaught arsenic a "war crime."

Israel's Health Ministry said 71 group were wounded aft missiles struck nan Soroka hospital. A spokesperson for nan aesculapian installation said location had been nary superior casualties arsenic nan portion of nan infirmary that was deed straight had already been evacuated.

Tehran's apical diplomat has claimed that nan onslaught "eliminated" 2 Israeli subject targets.

"Our powerful Armed Forces accurately eliminated an Israeli Military Command, Control & Intelligence HQ and different captious target," Iranian overseas curate Abbas Araghchi said connected X, adding that nan blast "caused superficial harm to a mini section" of nan hospital.

Euronews' fact-checking team, Euroverify, has analysed videos from nan tract of nan onslaught and consulted subject experts to verify nan plausibility of these claims. 

Video footage that we've verified shows important demolition to buildings wrong nan infirmary complex, arsenic good arsenic aesculapian workers moving to evacuate from nan site.

Other photographic grounds analysed by our squad propose infirmary buildings were straight impacted by missiles.

We person besides geo-located a video that shows nan infinitesimal nan rocket deed a infirmary building to nan northbound of nan Soroka complex, adjacent David Ben Gurion street.

This grounds contradicts nan Iranian overseas minister's claims that harm to nan tract was "superficial” and caused by a "blast wave" from a adjacent strike.

Hospitals person typical protection nether nan Geneva Convention, but suffer that protection if utilized to perpetrate “acts harmful to nan enemy”, specified arsenic launching an onslaught aliases storing weapons.

Israel has consistently targeted hospitals successful its warfare successful Gaza, claiming they are being utilized by Hamas militants.

No grounds has yet emerged to propose nan Soroka infirmary tract was being utilized by nan Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

Dr. Ron Schleifer, an Israeli master connected accusation warfare, told Euroverify that nan IDF does not usage hospitals and different nationalist accommodation to "hide down nan civilian population."

"A infirmary is intelligibly not a morganatic target, astatine slightest successful nan eyes of nan West," Dr Schleifer said, adding that "Israel does not request to hide subject installations nether hospitals."

No grounds that targets different than infirmary were hit

Yet, Iran has not alleged nan infirmary itself was being utilized for warring purposes, but alternatively that its rocket was targeting 2 subject targets successful nan hospital's vicinity: a "command and intelligence (IDF C4i) headquarters" and an "army intelligence field successful nan Gav-Yam Technology Park."

IDF C4i is nan Israeli military's elite technological unit, and was described by nan IDF successful 2021 arsenic being "responsible for each nan contacts, computers and communications of IDF forces connected nan battlefield."

The nonstop tract of its office is classified accusation and cannot beryllium verified.

The 2nd tract targeted according to Iran was nan IDF exertion field astatine nan Gav-Yam Technology park. That field is located adjacent nan tract of nan strike, astir 1.5km to nan north-east.

No verified videos person emerged to propose nan IDF field was struck successful nan Thursday strike. In fact, verified videos only show effect connected nan infirmary analyzable itself.

This would propose that if Iran was aiming astatine subject targets, it missed. Two OSINT experts told Euroverify that their study of Iranian strikes connected Israel complete nan past days suggests that Iran lacks precision successful hitting its targets.

Early connected Friday morning, Israeli nationalist media Kan reported that a caller onslaught connected Beersheba "targeted a residential neighbourhood," pinch inital reports suggesting nan tract of nan Gav-Yam Negev parkland was impacted.

Fake videos and maps sow disorder connected societal media

In his post connected X, nan Iranian overseas curate shared a representation that purports to show 2 Israeli subject targets correct adjacent to nan Soroka hospital.

But nan representation is fake. The thoroughfare names and topography do not correspond to nan area, and awesome sites, including nan Gav-Yam Negev exertion park, are misspelt.

X users person besides misleadingly claimed that a video of an Iranian onslaught hitting nan Israeli superior of Tel Aviv connected Thursday shows an effect connected nan Gav-Yam Negev park.

We've verified that nan videos successful mobility show a onslaught connected nan Ramat Gan neighbourhood successful Tel Aviv, and not successful nan vicinity of nan Soroka infirmary arsenic nan personification claims.

Our journalists are continuing to verify footage emerging from nan affected area and will update this communicative pinch nan latest developments.