Israel Hamas 2023

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…

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…

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…