A video has been circulating that purportedly shows Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers bombing and destroying the Palestinian Legislative Council Building in Gaza. The building is believed to be the headquarters of Hamas’ legislative body from where the terrorist organization rules over the Gaza strip.
The video immediately went viral, with many claiming it to be a major blow to the Hamas in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. However, the building shown in the video is a different building that was destroyed by the IDF and there is no concrete evidence if the actual Palestinian Legislative Council Building in Gaza was actually destroyed by the Israeli forces, making the claim false.
Real Building but False Claim
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On Wednesday, a video started circulating online that allegedly shows the IDF demolishing the Palestinian Legislative Council Building in Gaza. The main evidence supporting the claim that the IDF destroyed the Legislative Council Building is a video.
However, a significant issue arises as the destroyed structure in the video is located approximately four miles away from the actual legislative building.
Shortly after the video went viral, online sleuths used geolocation techniques to trace its origin to a site in Northeast Gaza, specifically identified as Juhar al-Dik.
This area had previously suffered significant damage inflicted by the IDF during the 2014 conflict between Israel and Gaza.
The Legislative Council Building in question is located in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City and does not bear any resemblance to the structure shown in the viral video.
The actual building’s appearance can be seen in a user-uploaded photo on Google Maps, captured from Aljondy Almajhool Park across the street from its entrance.
Actual vs Fake
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Photographs that gained widespread attention on November 11, 2023, seemingly captured from the aforementioned Aljondy Almajhool Park, show IDF soldiers posing in front of the Legislative Council Building in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.
On November 13, the Times of Israel reported that IDF soldiers had entered the Legislative Council Building and shared a photo from social media showing IDF soldiers in the main hall of the said building.
The video that went viral on November 15, claiming to show the destruction of the Legislative Council Building, was taken over four miles away and appears to have no connection to the actual government building.
The IDF announced on November 14 that they had captured several key buildings associated with Hamas’ power, as reported by the Times of Israel.
As of now, no media outlet has reported on the destruction of the Hamas’ Legislative Council Building. Also, there is no information if the building is intact. However, the building shown in the viral video definitely is not the Legislative Council Building, which makes the claim false and baseless.
