Video shows Israeli forces raising flags on roof of school, not Al Shifa Hospital | Fact check

The claim: Video shows IDF raising the Israeli flag over Al Shifa Hospital

A Nov. 15 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows three soldiers in camouflaged uniforms raising an Israeli flag and a white and purple flag on the roof of a building.

"(Israel) Raising their flag over Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza – after attacking a hospital full of premature babies, sick/injured children and civilians," reads on-screen text in the video.

The post garnered more than 1,000 likes in less than three weeks. Similar versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The video shows the soldiers raising the flag on the roof of a United Nations school, not the Al Shifa Hospital, according to a spokesperson for the school.

Video shows soldiers walking across school roof

Israeli forces entered Gaza City's Al Shifa Hospital on Nov. 15 in an operation targeting Hamas forces. The move came after U.S. intelligence and other sources reported Hamas was using the hospital as a military base. Hamas and the hospital deny the allegations.

But the Instagram video doesn't show Israeli soldiers raising the state flag on the hospital's roof.

Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, told USA TODAY in an email that the video was filmed at one of the agency's schools in northern Gaza.

The letters "UN" can be seen beneath the soldiers' feet as they walk across the rooftop.

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An Israeli journalist shared the video on X on Nov. 15 and said it showed members of Israel's Givati Brigade raising the flags atop a school in the Al-Shati refugee camp. The insignia on the purple and white flag shown in the video matches that of the brigade.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The Associated Press also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Juliette Touma, Dec. 1, Email exchange with USA TODAY
• Hallel Bitton Rosen, Nov. 15, X post
• Jewish Virtual Library, accessed Dec. 5, IDF Infantry Corps: Givati Infantry Brigade

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