International

Does a video show a Gaza man giving "an Oscar-worthy performance for the camera" with fake injuries? No, that's not true: According to translated audio, the footage shows a group of people saying that the man's wounds are not as serious as they could be, in an apparent effort to reassure a relative or friend. Viral posts spreading the claim…

Does a video show British police officers expressing support for a pro-Palestinian rally in London during the 2023 Hamas-Israel war? No, that's not true: London's Metropolitan Police told Lead Stories that the men in the footage were not their officers. The video captured people wearing bright yellow jackets with the insignia of Peace Officers UK, a group of COVID-19 deniers…

Does an image shared on social media document a 2023 attack on a French Jewish woman in her home during this year's escalation of Israeli-Palestinian tensions in the Middle East? No, that's not true: The photo predates the 2023 Hamas-Israel war. It was taken in 2017 in Michigan. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known…

Did the Australian TV network 9News report that the Australian Securities Exchange and Reserve Bank of Australia had announced a new financial platform that could enable investors to earn 30,000 Australian dollars each month? No, that's not true: A video on Facebook that made this claim did not include a genuine 9News newscast, nor is there any record that the…

Does a video of workers applying makeup and appearing to help a young girl on a stretcher show Palestinians staging fake injuries in the midst of the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict? No, that's not true: The video depicts behind-the-scenes footage of a Lebanese short film called "The Reality," according to the film's director. He posted a fact check as well as…

Does a video show Israel bombing a Palestinian water tank, injuring civilians? No, that's not true: The video was not taken in Palestinian territory and does not show a water tank being attacked. Rather, it shows the bombing of a fuel tank in Sudan during the 2023 conflict there. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on…

Did the FBI warn about coordinated attacks on more than two dozen American cities by Hamas in the aftermath of the militant group's attack on Israel in October 2023? No, that's not true: The FBI said it hasn't "issued such a warning" and lacks "credible intelligence about coordinated attacks" in the United States by Hamas. Additionally, the FBI director said…

Do two separate images show professional soccer player Lionel Messi holding up a Palestinian flag and an Israeli flag, seemingly in support of both? No, that's not true: Both the images are altered to show Messi with the respective flags. The original images have nothing to do with either Palestine and Israel and were taken as part of a sports…

Does a photo show American soldiers praying in 2023 "before being deployed to defend Israel"? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, U.S. soldiers were not deployed to Israel. This photo was posted on social media in 2017, six years before the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict began. The 2017 post described it as "soldiers praying together after a Chapel…

Does a video on social media show a British law enforcement officer engulfed in flames during a rally related to the 2023 Hamas-Israel war? No, that's not true: The footage predates the conflict and the incident occurred far from the Middle East. It was recorded in Mexico in 2020. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly…

Does a video shared to X in November 2023 show a "Hamas supporter" burning "the flags of France" in Paris? No, that's not true: Using visual clues shown in the video and a staff translator, Lead Stories determined that the footage was filmed in Tangier, Morocco -- not Paris. The clues led us to the intersection where the protest took…

Did a video on social media capture "the lead advisor to the World Economic Forum" advocating for making "useless people" addicted to drugs and video games? No, that's not true: The recording showed a pre-pandemic discussion about the societal dangers stemming from rapid technological development and growing health care inequalities. One of the two participants, Yuval Harari, is not "the…

Does a video on social media show Israel "blowing up people in hospitals" in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023? No, that's not true: The video shows scenes that can be traced to Omar bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Aleppo, Syria. The facility was hit by an airstrike more than seven years earlier on July 15, 2016.…

Did Mel Gibson make a statement on Facebook about "the end" of Israel, saying, "soon the end and they know it, that's why they want to destroy everything in the way"? No, that's not true: Gibson's agent confirmed to Lead Stories that the actor and director did not make the post. Gibson's agent also confirmed that the actor does not…

Did the United Arab Emirates (UAE) send eight planes to Israel, carrying military aid and equipment in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel? No, that's not true: There's no proof to support that assertion. Additionally, the UAE has condemned Israeli ground operations in Gaza and also denied reports of the U.S. military using an Emirati…

Does a viral video from Gaza prove another case of white phosphorus use by the Israel Defense Forces during the Hamas-Israel war in the fall of 2023? No, that's not true: The specific shots of what was claimed to be white phosphorus projectiles hitting a United Nations school near Al Shati, also known as the Beach Camp, in Gaza, do…

Did London officials take down a United Kingdom flag before a march in support of Palestinians to "maintain peace"? No, that's not true: According to an X post from the local police, the flag was taken down to be cleaned. A Google News search of thousands of credible information sources using related key words did not supply evidence that the…

Does a video posted on social media show a genuine British police officer questioning a driver, who is waiting for a friend at a train station, to exclude him as a suspect in a crime "that may or may not be currently in progress"? No, that's not true: This is a skit staged for social media. The man playing the…

Does the cover of the October 2023 issue of the German satirical magazine Titanic feature a cartoon of people wearing masks depicting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a title that translates to "This time there won't be enough sweets for everyone"? No, that's not true: Titanic's webmaster confirmed to Lead Stories that this supposed cover is fabricated. The official cover…

Does a nighttime video on social media showing a large group of people marching down a street depict a pro-Palestinian protest in France? No, that's not true: It shows soccer fans in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The video was shot on October 5, 2023, two days before the start of the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict. The claim was implied in a post…