Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
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
Photo of Hamas terrorist whose arms were amputated by Israeli forces.
Fact
Photo actually shows a victim of Israeli bombing in Gaza.
Amid the crisis unfolding in the middle east, a youth of a man, both of whose hands are amputated, has gone viral on social media platforms. Several users alleged that the man seen in the photograph is Hamas terrorist ‘Mohammad Mahroof’, and that Israeli authorities “cut off both his hands, took out one kidney…” but “ left him alive so that other terrorists and all the Turk people of Gaza could learn a lesson from him!”
The photograph has gone viral on X, Facebook and Instagram with users identifying the youth as a “Hamas terrorist” whose arms were cut off by the Israeli forces.
Such posts can be seen here, here and here.
Newschechecker also received the claim on our WhatsApp tipline (+91- 9999499044) requesting to be fact checked.
Also Read: Is Land Under Waqf Board In India Larger Than The Size Of Pakistan? No, Viral Claim Is False
Fact Check/Verification
A Google Lens search on the viral image led us to a photo gallery by Palestine news & info agency, WAFA dated September 2, 2024. Carrying the same photo, it stated “Gaza – Occupation missiles cause young man Diaa Al-Adini to lose both arms by bombing a residential apartment in Al-Qastal Towers, east of Deir Al-Balah (translated from Arabic via Google).” It also featured multiple other photos of the same boy.
We then looked up keywords “Diaa Al-Adini,” and “Gaza” on Google which yielded a report by Reuters, dated August 28, 2024, carrying photos of the same teenager. The report stated that Palestinian teenager Diaa Al-Adini had both his arms amputated after being wounded in an Israeli strike on August 13.
“We used to swim, challenge each other, and sleep, me and my friend Mohammed al-Serei. We used to jump in the water and float on it,” Adini was quoted as saying in the report. Adding, “As for my arms, I can get other ones fitted but I cannot replace my aunt…God willing, I will continue my treatment in the American hospital, and get limbs.”
Another video report by Al Arabiya Palestine from August 2024 featured the same individual, and detailed, “The young boy, Diaa Al-Adini, was deprived of practising his favourite hobby, “swimming,” after the Israeli war took away his arms as a result of his injury from an Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip (translated from Arabic via Google).”
Website Getty Images also listed multiple such photographs of Diaa Al-Adini, the Palestine teenager whose arms had to be amputated after he suffered serious injuries in an Israeli attack. Such images can be seen here, here and here.
Also Read: AI-Manipulated Video Of Mt Kailash Goes Viral
Conclusion
Hence, a photograph of a victim of bombing in Gaza has been falsely shared to show a Hamas terrorist whose arms were amputated by Israeli forces.
Result: False
Sources
Report By WAFA, Dated September 2, 2024
Report By Reuters, Dated August 28, 2024
Facebook Post By Al Arabiya Palestine, Dated August 29, 2024
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
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.
