Gaza, MINA – The Israeli occupation military has released a video it claims shows a Hamas tunnel underneath the European Hospital in southern Gaza, where senior Hamas figures were reportedly killed. However, Palestinian officials and independent analysts say the footage is fabricated and misleading.
The video, published on Sunday, displays what appears to be a narrow underground pipe-like structure. Israel alleges this is a tunnel used by senior Hamas members, including Mohammed al-Sinwar and Yassin Shaabanah, who were allegedly killed at the site. However, the footage has raised more questions than answers, as reported by Quds News.
The Gaza Government Media Office issued a detailed statement rejecting Israel’s narrative.
“The tube shown is too narrow for a person to pass through. It lacks stairs, structural features, and does not resemble a tunnel by any engineering or military standards,” the statement said.
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Rami Abdu of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor also questioned the footage’s authenticity. He noted that the location is near the hospital’s emergency department, an area typically crowded with patients and medical staff.
“It’s impossible to construct such a structure in the hospital without anyone noticing,” he said, suggesting the structure was likely part of a rainwater drainage system.
“What we’re seeing is most likely a water pipe or sewage channel,” he added.
The video’s timing and editing have also raised suspicions, as it abruptly cuts to another scene at the 15-second mark. Foreign journalists reportedly requested the Israeli military to release the unedited footage, but the request was denied.
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Even Israeli military correspondents, including from Haaretz, have cast doubt on the claim. One reporter confirmed that “the hole allegedly leading to the tunnel where al-Sinwar was killed is not located at the hospital.”
This is not the first time Israel has claimed to discover tunnels under Gaza hospitals. Similar accusations have been made about al-Shifa, Nasser, and Hamad hospitals. In each case, the Israeli military failed to present clear evidence. At al-Shifa, an old water well was presented as a tunnel entrance; at Hamad, a water control room was misidentified as a tunnel, and no evidence was found at Nasser.
According to Palestinian officials, this recurring pattern suggests a broader Israeli campaign to justify strikes on Gaza’s already devastated healthcare system.
Recently, Israel admitted to using more than 40-ton bunker-busting bombs at the European Hospital. However, the bodies shown in the video appear intact, without burns or blast injuries.
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The Gaza Ministry of Health says it continues to struggle to keep the hospital operational amid severe fuel shortages and relentless bombings. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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