CNN analysis: Video suggests IDF might have rearranged weaponry at Al-Shifa prior to news crew visits

November 18, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

By Chris Lau, Andrew Raine, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Thom Poole, Christian Edwards, Adrienne Vogt and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 0510 GMT (1310 HKT) November 19, 2023
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1:12 p.m. ET, November 18, 2023

CNN analysis: Video suggests IDF might have rearranged weaponry at Al-Shifa prior to news crew visits

From CNN’s Katie Polglase and Gianluca Mezzofiore 

This image taken from a video released by the Israel Defense Forces on November 15 shows a cache of weapons the IDF says were found in a closet at the MRI center at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
This image taken from a video released by the Israel Defense Forces on November 15 shows a cache of weapons the IDF says were found in a closet at the MRI center at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Israel Defense Forces via AP

An Israel Defense Forces video on November 15 showing a tour of Hamas weaponry found at Al-Shifa hospital shows less weaponry at the scene than in later footage filmed by international news crews, indicating the weaponry may have been moved or placed there prior to news crews arriving.  

CNN compared footage published by the IDF online with footage taken by Fox News, which was granted access to the site in the hours afterwards. IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus leads the tour in the IDF video and a watch on his arm shows the time to be 13:18. 

Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst later visits the scene when it is dark. He says in his report it is “the middle of the night.” 

Yingst is shown a bag located behind an MRI machine inside the hospital with two AK-47 guns visible on top of it. However, the IDF video filmed earlier shows only one AK-47 gun. It is unclear where the second AK-47 gun came from and why it is not visible in the earlier IDF clip. 

In the intervening hours, the IDF also posted online a photo of the weaponry purportedly found at Al-Shifa hospital. The WhatsApp file name for this photo indicates it was taken at 17:35; this places it after the IDF tour of the MRI compound but almost certainly before the Fox News crew arrive. 

It is possible the weaponry was removed from the scene and replaced prior to the news crews arriving. However this does not explain why more guns are visible when the press arrive than in the original IDF video. 

The BBC was also granted access to the hospital the following day, November 16, and two AK-47 guns are still visible on top of the bag inside the MRI room. 

Israeli military responds: The IDF told CNN the discrepancy between the military’s own video and the BBC footage was “due to the fact that more weaponry and terrorist assets were discovered throughout the day.” 

“Suggestions that the IDF is manipulating the media are incorrect,” it added. “We are acting with full transparency whilst maintaining the safety of our troops and operational readiness.”

This post has been updated with the IDF's response to questions about the videos.

6:51 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023

The struggle for survival faced by disabled Palestinians in Gaza

From CNN's Rosa Rahimi and Sana Noor Haq

Since Israel’s complete siege on Gaza began, Hazem Saeed Al-Naizi, the director of an orphanage in Gaza City, had been gripped with fear, worried about when food, water and other basic necessities might run out for the dozens of children and young people in his care, most of whom are living with disabilities.

When a strike hit a mosque near the Mabarat Al-Rahma orphanage on October 27, blowing out windows, scattering the building with debris, igniting a fire and filling the air with smoke, Al-Naizi said he was confronted with the agonizing decision of whether to evacuate the children and young people.

“There was chaos in the place, children crying, and smoke and fire spread,” Al-Naizi told CNN, sharing videos of the aftermath. “We quickly moved the children to a safe place and extinguished the fire to get rid of the smoke that almost killed us all.”

On November 2, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) closed in on Gaza City, Al-Naizi said he had no choice but to move the 40 people out of the orphanage — eight of them infants — loading them, along with non-perishable food and batteries, into three large buses. It took about two hours to evacuate the group, according to Al-Naizi, as many of the children had to be carried. They only managed to travel about 1.2 miles, before they had to set up a temporary shelter.

“Many streets have become closed as a result of the backfilling of destroyed buildings, as well as the street being unsuitable for vehicles to move,” Al-Naizi said. “We were not able to escape to the south of Gaza City. It had become completely besieged.”

For Palestinians trying to escape the fighting, living with a disability can be its own effective death sentence. People who are deaf or blind are less likely to know about evacuation orders and cannot hear or see the strikes, disability advocates and aid organizations told CNN. Others with intellectual disabilities may be unable to communicate their whereabouts to relatives or rescue workers, while people with physical disabilities who rely on wheelchairs and other assistive devices are unable to navigate rubble, let alone walk miles south.

Read our full story here.

5:55 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023

Doctors say they were ordered to evacuate Al-Shifa hospital by the Israeli military, IDF disputes the claim

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Amir Tal in Jerusalem

Several doctors from Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital told Al Jazeera on Saturday morning they had left the medical facility after the Israeli military ordered them to evacuate. The Israeli military disputes issuing such an order.

Dr. Munir Al-Bursh said the order had come from a phone call to the hospital director, instructing him to evacuate the entire hospital, with those leaving told to wave white flags or white handkerchiefs.

This was a very humiliating scene,” he said in a live phone interview to the TV channel.

 The Israeli army has insisted it did not order people to leave. 

 At no point, did the IDF order the evacuation of patients or medical teams,” the statement said, adding, “medical personnel will remain in the hospital to support patients who are unable to evacuate.”

Dr. Bursh told Al Jazeera that 120 patients remained inside the hospital, along with five doctors to coordinate the remaining evacuations.

What’s happening at Al-Shifa: Israel launched a “targeted” operation against Hamas early Wednesday morning inside Gaza’s largest hospital, where thousands of displaced Palestinians had been sheltering alongside patients and medical staff.

Israel claims Hamas is using the hospital complex for military purposes and has built a command center under the facility – allegations repeatedly rejected by both Hamas and hospital officials. CNN has not verified the claims of either Israel or Hamas.

The intervening days have seen the hospital turn from civilian sanctuary to battlefield with heavy fighting taking place in and around the complex, amid an already rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Israel is facing mounting international pressure to prove its claims about Hamas’ infiltration of the hospital, in order to justify some of its military decisions, which could otherwise constitute a possible serious violation of international humanitarian law.

4:54 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023

What we know about Israel's raid of Gaza's main hospital

From CNN's Sophie Tanno and Hamdi Alkhshali

Tents and shelters used by displaced Palestinians stand at the yard of Al Shifa hospital during the Israeli ground operation around the hospital, in Gaza City, on November 12.
Tents and shelters used by displaced Palestinians stand at the yard of Al Shifa hospital during the Israeli ground operation around the hospital, in Gaza City, on November 12. Ahmed El Mokhallalati via Reuters

Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, has become a flashpoint in Israel’s war in the enclave, which began when Hamas militants crossed the border into Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people.

Palestinians and humanitarian agencies say the current fighting in and around Al-Shifa is proof of Israel’s wanton disregard for civilian life in Gaza, while Israel accuses Hamas of using the medical center as a shield for its operations.

Pressure is mounting on Israel to prove its claims of a large-scale Hamas command control center it has alleged there. The United Nations has called for access to the site for an independent investigation into the competing allegations, warning that hospitals should not be used as battlegrounds for any side.

“This is precisely where you need an independent international investigation, because we have different narratives,” said Volker Türkthe UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “You cannot use civilian, especially hospitals, for any military purposes. But you also cannot attack a hospital in the absence of clear evidence.”

Since launching its operation at Al-Shifa this week, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed it found a tunnel shaft and military equipment, but has yet to show proof of the large-scale command center.

While CNN is unable to verify either side's claims, we've been piecing together what we know about the raid on the hospital. Read more here.

2:30 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023

First plane carrying children from Gaza with urgent medical needs arrives in UAE

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser

Volunteers transport a wounded Palestinian child off the plane upon their arrival in Abu Dhabi on November 18, after being evacuated from Gaza as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the United Arab Emirates. 
Volunteers transport a wounded Palestinian child off the plane upon their arrival in Abu Dhabi on November 18, after being evacuated from Gaza as part of a humanitarian mission organized by the United Arab Emirates.  Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images

The first plane carrying 15 people from Gaza, including children and their families, arrived in the UAE Saturday, according to the country's state-run WAM news agency.

The flight is part of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's initiative to provide medical treatment in UAE hospitals for 1,000 children accompanied by their families from the Gaza Strip.

The plane left El Arish International Airport in Egypt and arrived in Abu Dhabi carrying children with urgent medical needs, including severe injuries, burns and cancer patients, according to WAM.

Some context: Worries over deteriorating conditions for children in Gaza continue to mount as a humanitarian crisis marked by the lack of clean water and fuel deepens. More than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began airstrikes on Gaza on October 7, the Hamas government press office said in a statement Friday. Among those killed, an estimated 5,000 were children.

12:00 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023

The Israeli military says it will advance anywhere Hamas is found. Here are the key things to know today

From CNN staff

Smoke and flares rise over Gaza City, as seen from southern Israel, on Friday.
Smoke and flares rise over Gaza City, as seen from southern Israel, on Friday. Leo Correa/AP

The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari has said Israeli troops will advance to anywhere Hamas is found, including the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

In recent days, there have been growing indications that a ground offensive into the southern part of the enclave could be imminent.

Israeli leaders have declared the northern part of Gaza, including Gaza City, is now under Israel’s control. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered little information about his post-military operation plan for Gaza. 

Meanwhile, more fuel was allowed into Gaza Friday as water and sewage systems are on the verge of collapsing, Israel's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said. Lack of fuel has also contributed to the dire situation in hospitals, where doctors said ICU patients have died and surgeries have stopped due to the lack of electricity.

Also, negotiating parties are grinding away to try to reach an agreement to release hostages in Gaza. It comes as at least two hostages were found dead in the enclave over the past two days, the Israeli military said.

Here are the key things to know:

  • The latest on Gaza's hospitals: Out of the 35 hospitals in Gaza, 26 have shut down due to damage from bombardment or a lack of fuel, according to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Health in Ramallah, citing medical sources from the Hamas-controlled enclave. Most of the intensive care unit patients at Al-Shifa hospital, who were on ventilators due to the lack of fuel and oxygen, have died, a doctor there told Al-Jazeera. The hospital, which is Gaza's largest, is grappling with a severe shortage of basic necessities — including no water and no electricity in the main buildings of the compound, Dr. Ahmad Mofeed Al-Mokhalalati said.
  • Fuel enters Gaza: Two fuel tankers entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing Friday, an Israeli government agency said. It comes shortly after Israel's war cabinet approved a measure to allow for regular deliveries to the besieged enclave, following weeks of pressure from US officials and other global leaders. According to a US State Department official, most of the fuel will be deposited into a depot in Rafah, where it will be used by UN relief agency trucks and for water and sewage system support, waste disposal, bakeries and hospitals in southern Gaza. A smaller portion will be used to power generators for cell phones and internet. Some members of the Israeli government have already criticized the decision. 
  • Drinking water dwindles: A UN human rights official has called on Israel to stop using water as a “weapon of war” in Gaza. Dehydration and waterborne diseases are now surging in the enclave, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, said. For days, humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), have emphasized the necessity of fuel to operate desalination stations and water pumps in Gaza. According to UNRWA, roughly 70% of people in Gaza are now drinking “salinized and contaminated” water. 

  • Bodies of hostages found: The Israeli military said Friday that it retrieved the body of a second Israeli hostage from a structure near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Before that, the IDF said Thursday it had recovered the body of Yehudit Waiss, a 65-year-old Israeli woman also found near the hospital. Meanwhile, a new video appearing to show an Israeli hostage held in Gaza has emerged online. It appeared on the Telegram channel of Hamas’ military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades.
  • Calls for action: The Israeli military's official estimate of hostages being held in Gaza is 237. Some of the families of those missing and kidnapped by Hamas marched from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on Friday, demanding that the government guarantee hostages are returned safely. Pope Francis plans to meet with families of Israeli hostages and Palestinians, the Vatican's press office said Friday. The Pope will speak to these groups separately, and the Vatican said the meetings are “of an exclusively humanitarian nature.”
  • The latest on hostage negotiations: Israel, Hamas and the US, with Qatar mediating, have been working to reach an agreement on a number of sticking points to release hostages. Hamas has demanded that Israel stop flying surveillance drones over Gaza as part of its request that Israel pause its military operations, according to two Israeli officials and third source familiar with the ongoing negotiations. The sources suggested Israel is unlikely to accept that request, since it would mean losing track of the movements of Hamas operatives, including any efforts to move the hostages within the Gaza Strip.
  • Calls for investigation: The countries of South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti submitted a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate whether crimes may have been committed in Palestinian territories, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said. A group of independent United Nations human rights experts also said Thursday that Israel's actions in Gaza "point to a genocide in the making." The Israeli foreign ministry rejected the allegation, saying in a statement it was Hamas that put Gazans "in harms way."

12:08 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023

Israel investigates sexual violence committed by Hamas during attacks of October 7

From CNN's Jake Tapper and Kirsten Appleton

Editor’s Note: This story contains graphic and disturbing accounts of sexual violence.

Israeli police are using forensic evidence, video and witness testimony and interrogations of suspects to document cases of rape amid the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Women and girls caught in the rampage were brutalized sexually, as well as physically tortured and killed, witnesses to the aftermath say.

Police Superintendent Dudi Katz said officers have collected more than 1,000 statements and more than 60,000 video clips related to the attacks that include accounts from people who reported seeing women raped. He added that investigators do not have firsthand testimony, and it is not clear whether any rape victims survived.

About 1,200 Israelis were killed and more injured that day in villages and farms near Gaza when Hamas militants struck across the border in coordinated attacks, taking more than 240 hostages and precipitating the current war. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Police Commissioner Shabtai Yaakov said the investigation could potentially lead to prosecutions, but for now, documentation is the primary mission.

Cochav Elkayam-Levy, a human rights law expert at Hebrew University, has formed a civil commission with colleagues to document evidence of the atrocities, fearing that as the war devastates Gaza and the lives of thousands of Palestinians, the world seems willing to look over the violence against Israeli women and girls.

“We’ll never know everything that has happened to them,” Elkayam-Levy told CNN. “We know that most women who were raped and who were sexually assaulted were also murdered.”

She pointed to a United Nations statement just a week after the terror attacks that did not mention sexual violence.

“It’s much worse than just silence or an insult to us as Israeli women and to our children and to our people,” she said of the UN. “When they are failing to acknowledge us, to acknowledge what happened here, they are failing humanity.”

Read more about the harrowing accounts given to CNN.

11:58 p.m. ET, November 17, 2023

More than 360 people now believed to have been killed at October 7 music festival, Israeli media reports

From CNN's Andrew Carey in Tel Aviv

An October 10 aerial photo shows the site of the attack on the Nova music festival by Hamas militants in southern Israel.
An October 10 aerial photo shows the site of the attack on the Nova music festival by Hamas militants in southern Israel. Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli police believe at least 364 people were killed by Hamas gunmen at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on October 7, according to Israeli media.

Previously, officials had put the number killed at 270. 

Israel’s Channel 12 News said it had obtained a copy of the first police report into the attack and presented some of the report’s findings on its main news bulletin Friday evening. It did not show a copy of the report.

Seventeen of the dead were police officers, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported, citing the police report. The news outlet said 40 festival goers were kidnapped and taken into Gaza. 

The music festival was the location of the highest number of deaths on October 7 but police say interrogations of captured militants lead them to believe Hamas had no knowledge of the music festival when it launched its assault.

The report said the first alarm was received at 6:22 a.m., according to Channel 12 News, but it is clear first responders had no idea of the scale of what was unfolding. Initial word of the attack suggested just dozens of terrorists had crossed the perimeter fence from Gaza — the real number is believed to be well over a thousand.

The report said Israeli security forces finally had the festival site locked down at 3:30 p.m., more than nine hours after the shooting rampage began, according to the Israeli media outlet.

It is not clear if the updated number of people killed at the festival affects the total death toll, which officials have said is about 1,200 people killed.

2:13 a.m. ET, November 18, 2023

Bahrain says release of hostages is a "prerequisite to a pause in hostilities"

CNN's From Hamdi Alkhshali

Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa delivers the keynote address at the opening of the three day IISS Manama Dialogue security conference, in Manama, Bahrain, on November 17.
Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa delivers the keynote address at the opening of the three day IISS Manama Dialogue security conference, in Manama, Bahrain, on November 17. Mazen Mahdi/AFP/Getty Images

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain on Friday condemned both the October 7 attacks and Israel's subsequent retaliation. He emphasized the release of hostages as a requirement for breaking the cycle of violence.

During his remarks, the prince set up the conditions necessary for “breaking the cycle of violence, a feat that will only be made possible through the release of innocents and non-combatants.” He stressed that “the release of hostages is a prerequisite to a pause in hostilities.” 

He made the remarks during the 19th Manama Dialogue, the region's premier security and defense conference.

He went on to say that Bahrain opposes forced displacement, reoccupation or reduction of Gaza's territory. Simultaneously, he condemned “terrorism directed from Gaza against the Israeli public,” outlining these as non-negotiable red lines. 

“Let me be extremely clear on what matters to the Kingdom of Bahrain. There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, now or ever. There must be no reoccupation of Gaza. There must be no reduction in Gaza’s territory. And on the other side, there must be no terrorism directed from Gaza against the Israeli public. Those are the red lines.” 

The prince called for the full implementation of international law to ensure Gazans' access to humanitarian aid.