Israel Hamas

Does a viral video on the X platform prove that "the Kamal Hospital in the Gaza Strip" was attacked by the Israeli forces "with a bulldozer" in 2023? No, that's not true: The footage predates the conflict. It is a least a decade old, and was posted as news coverage of an incident in Egypt. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video of a baby with medical tubes and sensors attached to their body show the consequences from conflict in Gaza for Palestinian children in 2023? No, that's not true: The footage in a post making that implication predates the 2023 Hamas-Israel war. The video comes from an account of an American family documenting the journey of their baby…

Did Israel officially admit that its army bombed the Nova Festival and caused the death of 364 Israelis during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023? No, that's not true: Israeli officials called the claim "untrue" and "fake." Additionally, there is no evidence presented to support the assertion that the Israel Defense Forces attacked the music festival, resulting in the…

Does a video of a man collapsing in the street prove that his fall was staged for pro-Hamas propaganda and that it happened in Gaza in 2023? No, that's not true: The footage predates the 2023 Hamas-Israel war. Contrary to online speculations, it doesn't show an incident in Gaza -- it was filmed in the West Bank in 2015. Lead…

Was the academic year in Gaza suspended because "all students" have died? No, that's not true: Available data suggests that most schoolchildren are still alive, even though the Hamas-Israel war has disrupted their education. While international organizations have drawn attention to the death toll among minors in the war, none state that Gaza's entire school-age population -- some 625,000 children,…

Is a video on social media that shows clothing thrown from above, falling into heaps on a Times Square sidewalk, part of a protest against the clothing store Zara because of an ad that was "disrespectful of the Gaza conflict"? No, that's not true: The CGI video is aiming to raise awareness of the environmental impact of the fast fashion…

Does a video show an Israeli army commander on October 14, 2023, stating that the Israel Defense Forces trapped and burned Israeli civilians in a house? No, that's not true: A Defense Forces spokesperson told Lead Stories that "The clip in question is part of a broader briefing on Hamas' massacre of Israeli civilians." The deceptively edited social media clip…

Is Starbucks leaving Morocco and San Francisco due to boycotts over the Hamas-Israel crisis and pro-Palestinian protests? No, that's not true: Starbucks announced the closure of seven stores in San Francisco on October 2, 2023, five days before the Hamas-Israel war began, the company spokesperson confirmed to Lead Stories. Starbucks also confirmed that the company continues to operate stores in…

Did the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, threaten to stop oil supply to the world if bombing in Gaza does not stop? No, that's not true: The statement has never been made by Sheikh Tamim, a Qatari official told Lead Stories. An internet search did not produce any results that would corroborate the claim. The claim…

Does a video on social media provide evidence that Hamas has been staging civilian casualties in Gaza by filming rubber dolls that look like real babies? No, that's not true: The video reused on social media was first posted months before the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict. Neither the footage nor the pre-war post said anything about Gaza. The claim appeared in…