This Photo Does Not Show Collapse of Israeli Soldiers After Hezbollah Drone Attack

Misbar investigated the widely shared image and found it to be misleading. The image is outdated and has no relation to the recent Hezbollah attack on Israel.

Photo of Israeli Soldiers at Rafah Refugee Camp in 2004

Through a reverse Google image search, Misbar’s team found that the photo was taken 20 years before the Hezbollah drone attack, as it was taken on April 3, 2004. The image is available on the Alamy website, a British online supplier of stock images.

The photo's copyrights belong to Pulitzer Prize-winning Israeli photographer Oded Balilty. According to the caption provided by the photographer, the image depicts Israeli army soldiers waiting for army specialists to inspect a tunnel found in a house at the Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the Palestinian town of Rafah, near the Egyptian border.

Thousands Left Homeless After IOF Demolitions in Rafah, 2004

The image in question, showing Israeli soldiers in a Palestinian home in Rafah, depicts one of hundreds of homes raided in 2004. Four days after the photo was taken, news outlets reported that Israeli troops blew up a weapons-smuggling tunnel on the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. At that time, Israeli troops regularly patrolled the narrow strip between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip, leading to the raiding and razing of hundreds of Palestinian homes.

In the period from the beginning of 2004 to the date of the photo in question, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) demolished 284 homes in Rafah, leaving 2,185 Palestinians homeless. While Israel claimed that the destruction of houses and the repeated raids on homes were part of its right to self-defense, several violations of international law occurred during this time. Innocent civilians were killed in Rafah, and when ambulances arrived to evacuate the deceased, Israeli soldiers fired at them. After the photo was captured, the IOF launched a military operation in Rafah in May 2004, named “Operation Rainbow.” The operation aimed to arrest wanted operatives and uncover weaponry and tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Nevertheless, it resulted in the deaths of 44 Palestinians, including 18 children, and the demolition of 400 houses, 117 of which were completely destroyed, leaving 4,171 Palestinians homeless.

Four Israeli Soldiers Killed in Hezbollah Drone Attack

In its deadliest attack on Israel since the latest escalation in the war between Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah carried out a drone strike on a military base in Israel on Sunday. The drones penetrated Israeli air defenses undetected and hit the Golani Brigade’s base, located 40 miles from the border.

As a result, four Israeli soldiers were killed, and more than 60 were injured, including eight with serious injuries. Given that the Golani Brigade is regarded as an elite infantry unit in the Israeli army, this attack suggests that Hezbollah has sufficient intelligence and the capability to maximize casualties.

Since the start of the Israeli ground operation in Lebanon, at least 18 Israeli soldiers have been killed in exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel.

Read More

Outdated Photo Shows Israeli Airstrike on Gaza, Not Beirut

These Images Are AI-Generated and Not Linked To Israeli Airstrikes Near Beirut Airport