FACT CHECK: No, Video Does Not Show Hamas Leader Before His Death

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on Facebook claims to show Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh before his death.

Verdict: False

The video is from November 2023, several months before Haniyeh’s death. He was killed in Iran, while the video appears to have been taken in Gaza.

Fact Check:

Haniyeh was killed on July 31 by an explosive device that had been smuggled into a guesthouse in Iran where he was staying, according to The New York Times. Both Hamas and Iran have blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death, USA Today reported.

Social media users have been sharing a video of a bloodied man, claiming it shows Haniyeh before his death. One user wrote, “Last word of Ismail haniya shaheed R.A…Plz help ghaza.” (RELATED: Was The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Struck by Houthi Rebels?)

This claim appears to be false. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the video was first shared in November 2023. It was shared on X, with the tweet reading, “Bleeding with blood. A Palestinian raises his index finger high and chants, We are all with the resistance. A steadfastness that you will only find in Gaza.”

The video was also shared on a Telegram channel at the same time. The man said “We are all with resistance,” according to the channel.

India Today spoke with the journalist who filmed the video, Mohammed Obied. Obied confirmed that the video was filmed in Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital in November 2023. Since it is impossible to have been Haniyeh, we rate the original Facebook post’s claim as false.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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