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
10-year-old Palestinian girl breaks down while talking to the media following an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
Fact
Viral video dates back to 2021 and shows Gaza resident Nadine Abdel-Taif
Several social media users are circulating a video, purportedly showing a 10-year-old Palestinian girl tearfully narrating her predicament to the media, while standing amid a pile of rubble following an Israeli air strike in Gaza. Israel’s ongoing conflict with Palestinian militant group Hamas has entered a seventh day, claiming at least 2,300 lives.
“What do you expect me to do? Fix it? I’m only 10. I can’t even deal with this anymore,” says the girl, adding, “I just want to be a doctor or anything to help my people. But I can’t. I’m just a kid. I don’t even know what to do. I get scared, but not really that much. I’d do anything for my people. But I don’t know what to do.”
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here.
Also Read: Video Of Celebrations Post Football Match In Algiers Shared As Israel’s Retaliation To Hamas Attack
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “10-year-old Palestine girl breakdown”, which led us to a slightly longer version of the viral video on Youtube, dated May 15, 2021 and uploaded by London-based news website Middle East Eye, stating, “A 10-year-old Palestinian girl breaks down while talking to MEE after Israeli air strikes destroyed her neighbour’s house, killing 8 children and 2 women.”
The initial part of the video, which shows the date (15 May 2021) and the girl’s name (Nadine Abdel-Taif), describing her as a 10-year-old Gaza resident, has been cropped out of the viral clip.
A relevant keyword search led us to multiple news reports from May 2021, seen here, here and here, about the interview, confirming that the viral video is not from the October 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict.
“The video is originally captured by a news organization called ‘Middle East Eye’. [Nadine] Abdel-Taif is standing with a few children overlooking the destruction caused by the Israeli missiles in Gaza,” read a Times Now report, dated May 16, 2021.
Conclusion
A 2021 video of a 10-year-old Palestinian girl breaking down falsely linked to 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Youtube video, Middle East Eye, May 15, 2021
Times Now report, May 16, 2021
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates
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.
