Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar retracted a Tuesday statement regarding an alleged bombing of a hospital in the Gaza Strip by Israel after reports emerged indicating the story was misleading.
On Tuesday, Omar shared an article from the Associated Press that claimed nearly 500 people had been killed in an explosion reportedly caused by Israel.
“Bombing a hospital is among the gravest of war crimes,” the Minnesota Rep. wrote to X. “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.”
The Minnesota Rep.’s post received a community note from X which clarified that the explosion occurred in a car park and did not appear to have demolished surrounding buildings.
Omar backtracked her original comment on the alleged bombing on Wednesday after the story was revealed to have been misleading.
“Our office cited an AP report yesterday that the IDF had hit a Baptist hospital in Gaza,” Omar wrote. “Since then, the IDF denied responsibility and the US intelligence assessment is that this was not done by Israel.”
It is a reminder that information is often unreliable and disputed in the fog of war (especially on Twitter where misinformation is rampant). We all have a responsibility to ensure information we are sharing is from credible sources and to acknowledge as new reports come in.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) October 19, 2023
Omar reminded followers that “information is often unreliable and disputed in the fog of war.” The Minnesota representative also took aim at X and suggested “misinformation [was] rampant” on the platform.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure information we are sharing is from credible sources and to acknowledge as new reports come in,” she concluded.
Users criticized Omar and suggested she participated in sharing misinformation in her original post.
“Look in a mirror. You are the misinformation,” one user responded. “You promoted Hamas terrorist propaganda.”
Another user said her post “aged like a fine milk.”
“For a Party that blabbers so much about ‘misinformation’ you all sure spread a lot of it,” said another user.
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman released a statement Wednesday throwing support behind Israel and criticized fellow lawmakers who accused Israel of bombing the hospital in the Gaza Strip.
“It’s truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel for the hospital tragedy in Gaza,” Fetterman wrote. “Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?”
It’s truly disturbing that Members of Congress rushed to blame Israel for the hospital tragedy in Gaza.
Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) October 18, 2023
“I will always stand with Israel and look forward to supporting any military, intelligence, or humanitarian aid to get the job done,” he added.
