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The Israel-Hamas conflict, which began on October 7 and has claimed around 3,200 lives so far, saw X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Whatsapp and Facebook, among other social media websites, awash with large-scale disinformation campaigns, unsubstantiated rumours, falsehoods and videos shared out of context this past week, further inflaming tensions in the region and across the world.
Just hours after Palestinian militant group Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel from Gaza on Saturday, social media, primarily Elon Musk’s X, saw a deluge of fake videos, which included video game footage, photos from other war zones misrepresented as Gaza, along with other misleading information about the conflict.
Here are the top five fact-checks of the week by Newschecker, related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.Â
Viral Image Of Netanyahu Sending His Son To The Army Is From 2014
A photograph claiming to show Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sending his son to the army to fight the war against Hamas went viral on social media. Newschecker found that the image was not recent and was from 2014, when he was enlisted in the IDF in December that year.
These Videos Claiming To Show Hamas Shooting Down Israeli Helicopters Taken From Gaming Footage
Several social media users circulated a couple of videos purportedly showing Hamas fighters shooting down Israel’s helicopters in Gaza. Newschecker learnt that the clips were from a realism-based military simulation video game, Arma 3.
Israel Faking Deaths Of Civilians On Camera? No, Viral Video Is From Making Of Palestinian Film
Multiple social media users shared a video, claiming that Israel made a fake video of a child killed by Hamas, in an attempt to manipulate the media amid its conflict with the Palestinian militant organisation. Newschecker found that the footage was from the making of a Palestinian short film.
Video Claiming To Show White Phosphorus Use In Gaza Traced to Ukraine
A video claimed to show the Israel air force using the prohibited white phosphorus in Gaza went viral amid the conflict. Newschecker learnt that the footage showing the usage of incendiary munition was actually from Ukraine.
Video Of Hamas Paraglider Crashing Into High-Voltage Electric Power Line Is 3 Months Old
A 21-second video showing a paraglider crashing into a high-voltage electric wire and bursting into flames within moments went viral on social media with users claiming that it showed the fate of a Hamas militant who attempted to airdrop into Israel. Newschecker found that the video is actually from Korea and has been on the internet since June this year.
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