Social media accounts posted a screenshot of an SMS message sent by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which read: “Dear citizens, for the safety and comfort of patients, to prevent the spread of infection, and to increase the efficiency of medical staff, the Ministry of Health urges you to adhere to patient visiting hours in government hospitals. Visiting hours are at the following link: https://op.ps/3Tsntvp Thank you for your cooperation”.
The accounts warned against opening the attached link, claiming that it “will lead to complete hacking of devices”.
Kashif verified the claim and found it to be misleading. Kashif contacted the Head of the Public Relations and Media Unit at the Ministry of Health, Anas Al-Deek, who confirmed that the message was issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and that the attached link is safe.
He added that the link takes citizens to one of the Ministry of Health’s posts on Facebook, which explains the visiting hours for patients in government hospitals.
Kashif’s team also visited the attached link, and was directed to the Ministry of Health’s post on Facebook.
| Sources of claim | Sources of verification |
| Al-I’tisam News Mohammad Mashreqi Mohammed Almasharqa Tulkarm News Nablus and its people – Monitoring Nablus Jenin Al-Amouri Hebron City and its people Free Jenin WhatsApp groups | Anas Al-Deek – Head of the Public Relations and Media Unit at the Ministry of Health, Palestinian Ministry of Health |