FACT CHECK: Post Claims Three US Troops Injured By Mortar Fire In Gaza
A post shared on X claims that three U.S. troops were injured by mortar fire in Gaza.
🚨🚨🚨Update: US Military under attack in Gaza!! 3 US troops hit by mortar fire and injured in US Gaza base. One is hospitalized in Israel in critical condition!!🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/XR8p0BWryw
— US Civil Defense News (@CaptCoronado) May 24, 2024
Verdict: Misleading
The U.S. troops were not injured in combat, according to media reports.
Fact Check:
Social media users are claiming that three U.S. troops were injured by a mortar strike off the Gaza humanitarian pier. One user wrote, “Update: US Military under attack in Gaza!! 3 US troops hit by mortar fire and injured in US Gaza base. One is hospitalized in Israel in critical condition!!”
This claim is misleading. It is true that three U.S. troops were injured on the pier, according to Reuters. However, they were not injured by mortar fire and, instead, the injuries were non-combat, the outlet reported.
One of the troops was in critical condition as of May 24, according to Military.com. The other two troops have since returned to duty, the outlet reported.
Check Your Fact could not find any reporting that the pier was struck by mortar fire. There was an incident in April 2024 when the staging area for the pier was struck by mortar fire, but that was before any U.S. troops were there.
A Department of Defense spokesperson told Check Your Fact that the claim was false. (RELATED: Was The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Struck By Houthi Rebels?)
“The pier has not been under attack at any point since its placement and there were three service members that sustained non-combat-related injuries aboard nearby U.S. vessels. Two returned to duty and one remains in critical condition,” the spokesperson said.
A storm and heavy winds beached four vessels and forced the towing of the pier back to Israel, though officials hope to get the structure back in operation soon, according to CNN.
Misbar also debunked this claim.