A video on Facebook (FB) is spuriously claiming that the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, has yielded to Israel. This is not true.
On Oct. 16, a Filipino FB user published the fictitious video that bore the headline:
“Gaza now Belongs to Israel.Hamas Surrendered Desperately.”
At the beginning of the eight-minute video, the narrator said “the Hamas militia was forced to surrender by waving their white flags in their hands.” The video then showed a short clip of people in military uniform walking with their hands raised and holding a white cloth.
This is not true. The clip was given a false context. The war between Israel and Hamas continues.
A reverse image search revealed that the original video was published almost a year ago by the YouTube channel of Kanal13, an Azerbaijan-based online station. It described the clip as showing Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukrainian forces.
As of publishing, neither Hamas nor Israel has waived a white flag.
In an Oct. 19 interview, Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, international spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces, said Hamas needs to surrender “unconditionally” if they want the assault on Palestine to cease.
Earlier this week, members of the United Nations Security Council, in a 5-4 vote, failed to adopt a resolution seeking for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Tensions between Israel and Hamas continue to worsen as the two camps pointed fingers on a recent bombing of a hospital in Gaza which killed hundreds.
The FB user’s untrue video has garnered over 21,000 reactions, 4,000 comments, 3,500 shares and 1.1 million views.
Have you seen any dubious claims, photos, memes, or online posts that you want us to verify? Fill out this reader request form or send it to VERA, the truth bot on Viber.
(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
