Former Labour leader accused of reviving dangerous antisemitic tropes as IDF forcefully denies claims.
Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is facing intense criticism after sharing allegations that the Israeli military harvested organs from the bodies of deceased Palestinian women in Gaza.
The controversy erupted after Corbyn reposted a video from the We Are The Peace social media account in which he described a message he claimed to have received from the director of Al Shifa hospital. According to Corbyn, the hospital director alleged that Israeli forces delivered dozens of boxes containing skulls and bodies with removed organs.
In the video, Corbyn said it was difficult to describe what he had been told before adding that such actions reflected what he claimed was happening to Palestinians. The Israeli military swiftly rejected the accusations.
Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, an international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, condemned the remarks as a “wild blood libel” and stated that Israeli forces had not been operating at Al Shifa hospital for months. He emphasized that the IDF operates under international law and that the return of bodies is coordinated through international channels, including the Red Cross.
Al Shifa Hospital has been a focal point of controversy throughout the Gaza war, with Israel asserting that Hamas used the facility as a command center. The hospital’s director, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, was previously detained by Israeli authorities amid those allegations but denied involvement with Hamas.
Corbyn’s history has intensified scrutiny over the latest episode. During his leadership of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020, he faced repeated accusations of tolerating antisemitism within party ranks. A report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission concluded that Labour under his leadership had committed unlawful acts related to harassment and discrimination against Jewish members.
Corbyn was later barred from standing as a Labour candidate and subsequently ran as an independent. His critics argue that repeating unverified claims involving organ harvesting evokes historically dangerous antisemitic myths. Supporters, however, maintain that he was relaying information he believed to be credible and seeking accountability.
The episode has once again placed Corbyn at the center of a volatile debate over Israel, Gaza, and the boundaries of political rhetoric in Britain’s public sphere.
