Jeremy Corbyn Relays Gaza Hospital Accusations Against Tsahal, Israeli Army Denies Claims

Jeremy Corbyn is at the center of a controversy after he relayed accusations about the Israeli army at Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, according to i24NEWS.

“British police have arrested a man after two Jewish people were stabbed in north London, following a series of arson attacks targeting Jewish sites in the area”

Al Jazeera

In a video shared on the Instagram account of We Are The Peace, Corbyn says he received a message from the director of Shifa about “the remise par Tsahal de dizaines de caisses contenant des crânes et des corps de femmes palestiniennes dont des organes auraient été prélevés.”

Al Jazeera

i24NEWS reports that Corbyn said, “C’est difficile à décrire”, before adding, “Voilà ce qui arrive au peuple palestinien.”

The outlet says Corbyn claimed the information was transmitted to him “jeudi ou vendredi dernier” by the hospital director.

i24NEWS also reports that the Israeli army quickly denied the allegations, with lieutenant-colonel Nadav Shoshani saying it was “une diffamation délirante” and calling on Corbyn to verify his sources before broadcasting such claims.

Shoshani is quoted by i24NEWS saying Israeli soldiers “ne se trouvaient plus à proximité de l’hôpital Shifa depuis plusieurs mois” and that Corbyn’s remarks were “totalement faux.”

The same i24NEWS account ties the dispute to earlier controversies around Shifa since the war began after “les attaques terroristes du Hamas du 7 octobre,” and it says Israel accused the hospital of serving as a Hamas command center.

While the Gaza war fuels political and legal disputes in Britain, Al Jazeera reports a separate escalation of violence in London that is explicitly framed through the lens of antisemitism and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Al Jazeera says British police arrested a man after “two Jewish people were stabbed in north London,” with the attack taking place on Wednesday in the London area of Golders Green.

BBC

The outlet reports that police arrested the 45-year-old suspect after stopping him with a taser gun, and it says the two victims were “both in a stable condition in hospital.”

Al Jazeera quotes the Shomrim Jewish neighbourhood watch saying the suspect was seen “running with a knife “attempting to stab Jewish members of the public”.”

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley is quoted by Al Jazeera saying the suspect, whom police are questioning on suspicion of attempted murder, had “a history of serious violence and mental health issues.”

The same Al Jazeera account says the pro-Iranian group Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (HAYI) claimed responsibility on social media for the Wednesday stabbings, and it notes police had previously said they were assessing such online claims without confirming authenticity.

Rowley is also quoted by Al Jazeera saying, “We know that some individuals are being encouraged, persuaded or paid to commit acts of violence on behalf of foreign organisations and hostile states,” linking the incident to wider geopolitical dynamics.

Al Jazeera adds that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbing as “deeply concerning,” telling lawmakers that “we all need to … be absolutely clear in our determination to deal with any of these offences, the like of which we have seen too much recently.”

The Gaza war also reverberates through Britain’s domestic politics and detention system, as L’Humanité describes a hunger strike by Palestine Action members held under anti-terrorism law.

“L’ancien chef du Parti travailliste britannique Jeremy Corbynest au cœur d’une vive controverse après avoir relayé des accusations non étayées visant l’armée israélienne”

i24NEWS

L’Humanité says that in the United Kingdom, 24 people have been detained for a year after an action at a site belonging to the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems in Filton, near Bristol, and it adds that some have been on hunger strike for 52 days.

The outlet reports that two of the detainees were hospitalized on Friday, December 19, and Saturday, December 20, due to the conditions of their detention.

It says Kamran Ahmed, 28, detained at Pentonville Prison in London, was hospitalized on Saturday, December 20, and that he was on his 42nd day of hunger strike, citing his sister Shahmina Alam.

L’Humanité also says Kamran Ahmed’s last recorded weight was 60 kg, down from 74 kg at entry to prison, and it describes his hospitalization as the third time.

The outlet reports that Amu Gib, 30, imprisoned at Bronzefield Prison (Surrey), was hospitalized on Friday and had not eaten for fifty days, while it says Amy Gardiner-Gibson had not eaten for forty-eight days and is exhausted.

L’Humanité quotes lawyers representing these Palestine Action members as saying they risk dying without intervention from David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, who “has so far refused to meet with them.”

The same account frames the underlying action: in August 2024, six British militants entered a research, development and production center owned by Elbit Systems in Filton near Bristol and dismantled equipment including several quadcopter drones commonly used by the Israeli army to kill civilians in the Palestinian territories.

Le Monde diplomatique places Palestine Action’s activities in a longer arc of protest and targeted disruption, describing the network’s founding and its focus on arms suppliers to Israel.

The outlet says that in July 2020, two British citizens founded the Palestine Action network: Huda Ammori and Richard Barnard.

Le Monde diplomatique

It describes Ammori as having a paternal family forcibly displaced during the Six-Day War in 1967, and it says Barnard was a former member of the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion.

Le Monde diplomatique argues that since 2018 and the crackdown on the Palestinian Great March of Return by Israeli snipers armed with precision rifles sold by London, protests in the United Kingdom have followed one after another without tangible progress.

It says the organization “engages in targeted operations against arms suppliers to Israel” and specifically targets Elbit Systems, described as producing surveillance and combat drones tested on Palestinians before being sold worldwide.

The outlet says a voice-over of To Kill a War Machine (Hannan Majid and Richard York, 2025) argues, “Rather than asking a politician to close arms factories, we could close them ourselves.”

Le Monde diplomatique says Palestine Action develops by forming local, autonomous groups and that they begin by targeting—with some success—several Elbit sites in the country as well as the APPH factory in Runcorn, which makes landing gear for its drones.

The outlet also describes a May 2021 action in Leicester where the organization occupies UAV Tactical Systems’ factory, a subsidiary of Elbit, and it says protesters stayed on the roof for six days with support of regional residents who set up a solidarity camp outside the plant and block the road when police attempt to evict the activists.

Le Monde diplomatique says activists are arrested, some released for lack of evidence, and others prosecuted for vandalism or theft, while it also says the movement is banned in the United Kingdom.

The BBC describes how the Gaza war has drawn British citizens into a maritime confrontation, with parents urging the UK government to condemn Israel’s actions after their son was detained.

“In July 2020, two British citizens founded the Palestine Action network”

Le Monde diplomatique

The BBC says Ben Trowell, 36, of Bristol was among about 180 activists on 22 boats intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in international waters near Crete.

Al Jazeera

The incident occurred in the early hours, with the BBC reporting that Liz and Dave Trowell watched the incident unfold live via social media at about 02:00 local time (00:00 BST).

The BBC reports that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said efforts to deliver aid by sea highlighted the “dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

The BBC also reports that the organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) denounced the action as “piracy,” saying those on board had been seized unlawfully more than 965km (600 miles) from Gaza, which is under an Israeli naval blockade.

Israel dismissed the flotilla as a “PR stunt” and insisted its actions complied with international law, while the BBC says it is being reported that Israeli forces claim the activists have been taken to Greece and that 26 boats from the original flotilla continue towards Gaza.

Liz Trowell told the BBC she found out “by chance” after watching the live social media feed, and she said Ben remained “incredibly calm” when their boat was intercepted.

The BBC includes Ben Trowell’s recorded video message, in which he said: “Tell my government to end complicity with Israel and to bring me home. Stop the genocide.”

The BBC also quotes the Israeli foreign ministry saying that “due to the large numbers of vessels participating in the flotilla and the risk of escalation, and the need to prevent the breach of a lawful blockade, an early action was required,” and it quotes an FCDO spokesperson saying: “We’re closely engaging with Israeli authorities with the expectation that the situation will be resolved safely and in line with international law.”