Israel

Did Alexander Turbanov, an Israeli man who was held prisoner by Hamas, make a statement sympathizing with his captors upon his release? No, that's not true: This made-up quote went viral on Feb. 15, 2025 and resurfaced in Oct. 2025. The man in question is not named Turbanov, his name is Alexander Troufanov. The quote attributed to Troufanov was posted…

Did the chair of the Nobel committee that chose the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize say that Donald Trump was not chosen because they only "give the award to people of courage and integrity?" No, that's not true: A reporter asked Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes how the campaign by President Trump and his supporters to get the award for…

Does a video depict a true story of an IDF soldier who converted to Islam and became an activist for Palestine? No, that's not true: The video uses clips showing several different women to illustrate a made-up story. The woman dancing in the first scene wearing an Israeli Army uniform is eyebrow artist Karin Edri. The woman pictured leading the…

Does a video show a crowd on a beach in Gaza who came to greet the arriving Samud Flotilla? No, that's not true: The crowd in the video gathered on Sidi Bou Said beach near Tunis, which is 1,400 miles across the Mediterranean Sea from Gaza. The video was filmed Sept. 10, 2025, weeks before the flotilla approached Gaza. The…

Did the Nobel Peace Prize Committee permanently disqualify Donald Trump from ever receiving the prize and was this news announced via a press release? No, that's not true: A fake press release using the the logo of Associated Press and mentioning a defunct website named swisstimes.org originated on the X account of a parody website. There were no media announcements…

Is there evidence that Erika Kirk was a recruiter for Jeffrey Epstein or that she had her husband, Charlie Kirk, killed to shut him up about it? No, that's not true: The claim appears to be based on another false claim that Erika Kirk operated a charity in Romania that was used for trafficking orphaned children internationally. Lead Stories previously…

Is there any evidence that Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk's "Romanian Angels" or "Everyday Heroes like You" ministries were accused of "snatching children only to send them straight into sex and organ trafficking networks in the United Kingdom and Israel? No, that's not true: A review of Romanian court records and media reports by Lead Stories' Romanian staff found only…

Does a viral video show two military pilots arrested for refusing to fly armed planes to Israel? No, that's not true: A video with a false caption has gone viral more than two weeks after it was filmed. The chaotic scene was filmed on Sept. 3, 2025 when a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing was disrupted with shouts from…

Did Israel's Chief Rabbi, David Yosef, write a condolence letter to the family of Charlie Kirk on September 2, 2025 -- more than a week before Kirk was killed? No, that's not true: The letter was written on Sept. 12, 2025, but it was shared publicly online with a typing error -- it was dated September 2, 2025. In an…

Did Qatar "demand" returning the jet it gave to the Trump administration in the late spring of 2025? No, that's not true: As of September 12, 2025, Lead Stories found no credible reports corroborating the claim. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs made no such public demands. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on September…