Palestinian site mocked for reporting TV doctor coming to aid Gazans
Hamas-linked organization says a ‘French doctor’ coming to treat wounded protesters, but attaches photo of Katherine Heigl from ‘Grey’s Anatomy’
Michael Bachner is a news editor at The Times of Israel
A Palestinian news outlet has become a social media joke after using a photo of Katherine Heigl from the television series “Grey’s Anatomy” in a post about a doctor coming to the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Information Center, a news website and advocacy organization linked to Gaza’s Hamas rulers, was ridiculed for publishing a Facebook post about a French doctor coming to treat Gazans wounded in clashes with Israeli forces, but attaching a photo of the American actress and producer.
Heigl played Dr. Izzie Stevens in the popular TV show between the years 2005 and 2010.
“A French Doctor arrives in the Gaza Strip to offer medical help to the wounded Palestinian protesters,” the Palestinian Information Center wrote in the post on its Facebook page, which has about half a million followers.
Blatant lies: the Palestinian Information Center, which has half a million followers on Facebook, has posted a photo of actress Katherine Heigl—who played Dr. Izzie Stevens in “Grey’s Anatomy”—identifying her as a “French doctor” who has traveled to Gaza “to offer medical help.” pic.twitter.com/l67VxUQjki
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) April 4, 2018
The post quickly became a social media joke as Twitter users shared the story.
Hamas update: We have terminated the contract of the French doctor working in Gaza after it was revealed she had coitus with a Jew. pic.twitter.com/OTbFRRc1Ke
— Greg Pollowitz (@GPollowitz) April 4, 2018
Following the 'French Doctor' arriving in Gaza, A Spanish female musician is shown trying to keep up the spirits of a vulnerable Palestinian family pic.twitter.com/qOSoYcr4CI
— David Collier (@mishtal) April 5, 2018
After an outcry from followers, some of whom called the organization “absolute morons” and others questioned whether the page had been hacked, the post was deleted and called a “horrible mistake” by the news outlet.
“We wholeheartedly apologize to our friends and followers for the news item which included the picture of actress Katherine Heigl that described her as a French doctor,” it said in a statemnent.
“The post has since been deleted as we are committed to truth and credible news.”
https://twitter.com/JeffRobertson00/status/981613694512660480
On Friday, over 30,000 Palestinians demonstrated along the Gaza border, in what Israel describes as a riot orchestrated by the Hamas terror group, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, and what Palestinians say was supposed to be a peaceful protest.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported over 1,400 injured in two days of riots.
There were discrepancies in Palestinian reports on the Gaza death toll from the protests. While Hamas claimed Monday that 18 had died, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority had the number at 16. Israel has no official death toll figures. Over 1,000 were reported injured.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said on Saturday that all those killed were engaged in violence. Manelis said on Friday evening that the army had faced “a violent, terrorist demonstration at six points” along the fence. He said the IDF used “pinpoint fire” wherever there were attempts to breach or damage the security fence. The IDF on Saturday named and detailed 10 of the dead as members of terror groups including Hamas. Islamic Jihad later claimed an eleventh.
