In a recent attack, the oppressed Palestinian’s group Hamas launched a major attack on Israel, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives. The Hamas carried out the attack on Saturday, abducting numerous Israelis and holding them hostage in the Gaza Strip demanding freedom of innumerable Palestinians and withdrawal of decades old blockade by Israel. In response, Israeli forces initiated counterattacks on Gaza, causing over 120,000 Palestinian civilians to be displaced, according to UN reports.
Meanwhile, a deluge of videos is circulating on various social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram. Some observers note that the volume of false content surpasses that of previous conflicts. It is imperative to exercise caution, as many of the reports and videos shared online are misleading.
Misleading Video of Hamas Fighters Attacking Israel
Claim: A TikTok video alleges to showcase dozens of Hamas fighters paragliding into Israel, garnering over 2 million views.
Fact Check: False.
This video, though seemingly showing paragliders en route to Israel, actually depicts an Egyptian location. The prominent white building is an Egyptian military academy in Cairo, as discernible by the Egyptian flag and the academy’s coat of arms. The purported Palestinian paragliders are, in fact, parachutists, their chutes adorned with the Egyptian flag. While paragliders cover kilometers, parachutes are designed to slow descent. Although the original clip could not be located, it likely illustrates an Egyptian military exercise.
Meanwhile X has flagged several posts as misleading or false.
Another stated, “A pregnant woman in Southern Israel was found by Hamas terrorists. They dissected her body. Her stomach was cut open and they took the fetus out with the umbilical cord. And let the unborn child die slowly out of his mother’s womb. This is what inhuman savages Hamas do to people.”
X flagged the post and added a community note stating, “This is actually a report of the Sabra and Shatila massacre of Palestinian people by Israel in 1982. There’s no proof the same has been done by Hamas to an Israeli woman.”
Community notes aim to create a better informed world by empowering people on X to collaboratively add context to potentially misleading posts. Contributors can leave notes on any post and if enough contributors from different points of view rate that note as helpful, the note will be publicly shown on a post.
