The AP continues its work on behalf of Hamas today in the story by Wafaa Shurafa and Samy Magdy. I take it that Hamas wants to promote a “humanitarian crisis” in the southern Gaza, where the IDF has urged Gazans to evacuate. Today Shurafa and Magdy reiterate: “Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals as cover for its fighters, alleging that Hamas has set up its main command center in and beneath Shifa, without providing visual evidence. Both Hamas and Shifa Hospital staff deny the Israeli allegations.”

The story is full of the Hamas line retailed by “the Health Ministry” and “health officials.” When it comes to the word of Gaza health officials, there is no room for doubt.

The IDF has not yet entered Shifa Hospital. However, the AP caught the presentation of “visual evidence” from Rantisi children’s hospital by IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari (included in video at the top of the AP story with the warning that the AP could not independently verify it). This is what Shurafa and Magdy have to say about it:

On Monday, the military released footage of a children’s hospital that its forces entered over the weekend, showing weapons it said it found inside, as well as rooms in the basement where it believes the militants were holding hostages. The video showed what appeared to be a hastily installed toilet and ventilation system, as well as a motorcycle with a bullet hole in it, in the basement.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza rejected the allegations, saying the basement shown was part of the hospital and had been turned into a shelter for displaced people.

“The hospital was forcefully evacuated at gunpoint … Why didn’t they detain any of the alleged resistance or alleged hostages?” the statement said. It denied the facility was related to a tunnel that Israeli forces uncovered nearby.

He said, she said. You be the judge. I don’t see such metaphysical doubt raised about the veracity of “health officials” or the “Ministry of Health.”

The AP summarizes and links to the Shurafa/Magdy story in its Morning Wire newsletter along with the beautifully composed photo by Hatem Ali below.

Caption: “Palestinians line up for food during the ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on November 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)”

Ali is one of the photographers featured in the HonestReporting notekm on mainstream media coverage of the October 7 massacre. The HonestReporting note observes that Ali “positioned to get pictures of the horrific abductions of Israelis into Gaza.”

The Morning Wire wants you to know: “The Associated Press now accepts reader contributions to support our fact-based, nonpartisan journalism. To make a donation, visit apnews.com/donate.”