U.S. Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar on Wednesday accused Israel, without evidence, of a deadly strike on a Gaza Strip hospital that reportedly left hundreds of Palestinian civilians dead. However, online users and Israeli diplomats alike were having none of it.
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A few hours after the tragic explosion at the hospital Tuesday night, the IDF presented evidence linking the incident to a failed rocket launched by the Islamic Jihad terrorist group. During his historic visit to Israel on Wednesday amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, U.S. President Joe Biden accepted Israel's account of the events, citing "high confidence" intelligence as the basis for his stance.
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US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv
(Photo: Miriam Alster)
"Israel just bombed the Baptist Hospital killing 500 Palestinians (doctors, children, patients) just like that. @POTUS this is what happens when you refuse to facilitate a ceasefire & help de-escalate. Your war and destruction only approach has opened my eyes and many Palestinian Americans and Muslims Americans like me. We will remember where you stood," Tlaib, a daughter of Palestinian immigrants, posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Omar wrote, "Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes. The IDF reportedly blowing up one of the few places the injured and wounded can seek medical treatment and shelter during a war is horrific. @POTUS needs to push for an immediate ceasefire to end this slaughter."
The unsubstantiated claims by the two congresswomen elicited a strong response from Yinam Cohen, the Israeli Consul General to the Midwest, who accused the two of pushing Hamas propaganda and labeled their posts as "blood libel."
"Elected officials should demonstrate responsibility, restraint, and sound judgment rather than echoing Hamas fake propaganda," he responded. "All indications show it was a misfired Islamic Jihad missile that hit Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. It's time for @RepRashida and @Ilhan to retract their blood-libel tweets and offer apologies."
The two congresswomen have not retracted their statements, but the platform has attached community notes to both posts, providing context to their unfounded claims.
"The U.S. has collected 'high confidence' intelligence showing that the explosion at a hospital compound in Gaza was caused by the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, not an Israeli strike," read the user-generated comment on Omar's post.
Omar and Tlaib, members of a group of Democratic congresswomen of color known as "The Squad," have been vocal critics of Israel and its policies toward the Palestinians. Some critics view their comments as verging on antisemitism.