Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nephew, captain Yair, killed by sniper during conflict with Hamas.
The archived version of the tweet can be seen here.
Fact
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Yair Netanhyahu killed sniper”, which did not throw up any reports from major media outlets, barring a Turkish publication, quoting Russia-based Sputnik, which stated that “Captain Yair Edou Netanyahu was killed in Gaza during active fighting against Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades”.
The person in the inset photo provided in the media report (left), purportedly identified as Yair, does not seem to be the same individual in the corresponding inset in the viral video (right), raising our doubts.
A reverse image search of the media report’s inset photo led us to another news report, published on November 2, 2023, identifying the soldier as Yair Nifousy, 20, of the Paratrooper’s 101st Battalion, from Adi, but did not state he was the prime minister’s nephew. A similar report can be seen here.
Newschecker then ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the clip, which led us to a Youtube video, dated December 1, 2021, stating that footage from January 2021 shows the moment an IDF officer’s helmet saved his life after taking a single round from an al-Quds Brigade militant on the Gaza Strip.
We came across this media report, dated February 2, 2019, sharing a longer version of the viral video, stating that the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad released footage showing an Israeli officer being shot in the head by a Palestinian sniper during violent clashes on the Gaza border.
A relevant keyword search led us to multiple media reports from February 2019, seen here and here, sharing the video and stating that a Palestinian sniper in the Gaza Strip shot an Israeli officer in the helmet, causing him light injuries, which confirms that the viral video predates the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict.
“The injured officer was taken to Beerhsheba’s Soroka Medical Center for treatment. A cut on his head was bandaged, and he was released hours later, the hospital said,” read a Times Of Israel report, dated February 3, 2019. None of the reports had named the soldier.
Newschecker could not independently ascertain if Netanyahu had a nephew named Yair and whether he had been killed in the ongoing conflict, but could confirm the viral video is of an unnamed soldier and predates the 2023 conflict by at least four years.
Also Read: 2013 Video From Egypt Falsely Shared As Footage Of Israel’s Raid On Gaza Hospital
Result: False
Source
The Times of Israel report, February 3, 2019
New Arab report, February 4, 2019
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
