Well, retracts is too strong a word, at least so far. Instead they have memory-holed the story, removing it from their website without having to admit that they were wrong. 

Anybody familiar with the war in Gaza had a right to suspect that the story was fabricated, not because sexual assaults don't happen in war, but because the story had the stench of propaganda all over it. 

Al Jazeera forced to retract fabricated story of IDF troops assaulting Palestinian women.

The story accused, without evidence, Israeli troops of s**ually assaulting multiple Palestinian women in Shifa Hospital.

The Qatari owned media outlet has deleted an article and all… pic.twitter.com/TVciy0vkzv

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) March 25, 2024

After more than 24 hours of letting the story run freely, Qatari mouthpiece Al Jazeera deleted the page featuring their former story, which accused Israeli soldiers of allegedly perpetrating rape against women during the IDF’s latest excursion against Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who barricaded themselves inside the former hospital-cum-terror headquarters at Shifa Hospital.

Though the Qatari mouthpiece hasn’t officially referred to the retraction, all content related to the allegation has reportedly been deleted.

Al Jazeera columnist and former director Yasser Abuhilalah also tweeted, admitting that “It was revealed through Hamas investigations that the story of the rape of women in Al-Shifa Hospital was fabricated… The woman who spoke about rape justified her exaggeration and incorrect talk by saying that the goal was to arouse the nation’s fervor and brotherhood,” adding critically that “As if more than thirty thousand martyrs, ninety thousand wounded, about a million displaced people, and comprehensive destruction were not enough!”

Yeah, well, no doubt things are bad in Gaza, but the chances that a "Health Ministry" run by Hamas is telling the truth about those casualty numbers are about as high as the rape story being true. 

Even a formal retraction from Al Jazeera would only be a minor victory because the story served its purpose. Hamas apologists have had their prejudices reinforced, and the story will not die. 

This is the way of propaganda. The sheer accumulation of accusations leads to "smoke," and where there is smoke, there is fire. And since so few people in the MSM and in our political class are willing to stand up and defend Israel the sense sets in that they are committing atrocities. 

Hamas could end this war today. Surrender and release the hostage, and the war could be over. 

Yet all the focus is on Israel as if the Jews defending themselves against the worst sort of terrorists is immoral. 

I, too, am horrified at the cost of this war. I want it to end. I want Gaza to be rebuilt. I want the children of Gaza to be safe and get a good education. 

That can never happen as long as Hamas and its supporters are in charge or even free to roam the earth. 

America went to the ends of the earth to root out al Qaeda, and Americans cheered. Americans destroyed Germany to eliminate the Nazis. Neither was a clean process. Both were necessary. As is eliminating Hamas. 

Hamas sympathizers are today's Nazi sympathizers, and deserve as much respect.