Simulation Game Footage Falsely Shared as Palestinians Shooting Down an Israeli Helicopter

Wesam Abo Marq

News

9th October 2023

Simulation Game Footage Falsely Shared as Palestinians Shooting Down an Israeli Helicopter

The video shows a shot from the Arma 3 video game(X)

The Claim

A video shows Palestinians shooting down an Israeli helicopter.

News posted on

Emerging story

Amid Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, social media users circulated a video clip claiming to show Hamas fighters successfully shooting down an Israeli military helicopter in Gaza.

A supporting image within the article body

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar investigated the viral video and found it to be fake.

The video does not feature an actual incident in which Hamas fighters recently shot down an Israeli helicopter.

The Video Shows a Shot from the Arma 3 Video Game

The video in question is not authentic, as claimed. The video shows a scene from a simulation military video game called Arma 3.

RIMStudio, a YouTube video game simulation channel, published the video on February 27, 2023. The video's title reads, "KA-50 Battle helicopter shot down by FIM-92F Advanced Stinger Missile l St.77 MilSim ARMA3 #shorts"

The same YouTube channel also posted a similar video featuring the same scene, and they explicitly mentioned that the video is from the Arma 3 simulation video game.

Arma 3 Military Simulation Video Game

Arma 3 is a military simulation video game created and published by Bohemia Interactive. Known for its open-world setting and realistic gameplay mechanics, the game was initially released on September 12, 2013, for Microsoft Windows, followed by a release on August 31, 2015, for macOS and Linux.

Misbar's team has a track record of debunking viral videos from the game that were shared online and falsely claimed to contain genuine footage.

Israel-Gaza Escalation Intensified

Fighting in Israel continues to escalate, following Hamas resistance fighters' surprise breach of the Gaza border. Rescue teams anticipate that the death toll in Israel will exceed 800, with over 2100 people reported wounded, according to officials.

Israel has intensified its airstrikes on Gaza and officially declared war on Hamas, setting the stage for a significant military response. The health ministry in Gaza reports that Israel killed at least 370 Palestinians.

Hamas has captured many Israelis, including soldiers, as hostages. The full extent of Israel's response remains uncertain, but a military spokesperson hinted that the country may attempt to gain full control of Gaza for the first time since 2005.