FACT CHECK: X Video Falsely Claims To Show Children Faking Their Deaths In Rafah
A video shared on X claims to show three children purportedly faking their deaths in Rafah.
(Warning: Graphic content)
Verdict: False
The claim is false. The video originally stems from Instagram and shows three children who were recently killed in Rafah.
Fact Check:
At least 45 people, including children, were killed as a result of a recent Israeli air strike on a camp in Rafah, according to BBC News. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the incident as a “tragedy,” the outlet reported.
The X video claims to show three children purportedly faking their deaths in Rafah. The clip opens with the children lying bloodied and unconscious on the sidewalk. Text overlay on the video indicates there are no signs of gunfire or a bomb anywhere. Later in the clip, the children appear to be transported to the hospital. The video bears a watermark that reads, “moazabutahaa.”
The claim is false, however. Using the “moazabutahaa” watermark, Check Your Fact was able to trace the clip to Instagram, where it was shared on May 21 by Palestinian photojournalist Moaz Abu Tahaa. “[Three] martyrs (children) and a number of injuries to Kuwait hospital due to the bombing of reconnaissance planes of a group of citizens in Yabna camp in the center of Rafah, southern sector,” the video’s caption reads.
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Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the clip referenced in any recent credible news reports about Rafah or the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. In fact, the opposite is true. Misbar also reported the claim was originally posted by Tahaa on Instagram. According to the outlet, the Kuwait Specialty Hospital “uploaded a photo showing the same individuals seen in the circulating video” on May 21. (RELATED: No, Video Does Now Show IDF Troops Celebrating Iranian President’s Helicopter Crash)
Furthermore, the clip is neither referenced on the website belonging to Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor its verified X account.
Check Your Fact has contacted Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
