This Video Does Not Show Palestinians Faking Injuries During the Gaza War
The Claim
Behind the scenes video in Gaza shows a group of journalists filming a staged video with a young boy, playing the role of an air strike victim. After the cameras stop rolling, the men laugh and lift the boy up as he breaks out in a smile.
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Recently, social media users have been sharing a video alleging the fabricated injury of a Palestinian child, supposedly caused by an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The video clip is from behind the scenes of the "Al-Ahd" movie, produced for the Palestinian Civil Defense, and is not intended to fabricate the injury of a child from Gaza during the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The Video Is From Behind-The-Scenes of the Al-Ahd Movie
Misbar found the original video, which was posted on February 15, 2022, on the TikTok account of Palestinian photographer and director Mahmoud Zaqout. Zaqout captioned it "New film," indicating in the comments that it was from behind the scenes of a movie.
Additionally, Misbar found another video clip posted by Zaqout on his TikTok account on March 9, 2022, accompanied by the comment "Do you want a sequel?" This video featured the same child wearing the same clothes, with noticeable similarities in the cinematographic elements.
Upon reverse searching the scenes appearing in the second video, Misbar located the complete video clip posted on the Palestinian Civil Defense page on March 1, 2022. It was captioned "International Palestinian Civil Defense Day."
The Ongoing Israeli War on Gaza
The Israeli occupation continues its assault on the Gaza Strip, which commenced on October 7, 2023. This ongoing aggression has claimed the lives of 35,173 individuals and injured 79,061 others, according to statistics released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health on May 14, 2024.
The United Nations: Hostilities Are a Nightmare for Gaza’s Children
On May 15, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated that the escalation of Israeli hostilities in Rafah and throughout the Gaza Strip has deepened the suffering of hundreds of thousands of children who endured a continuous nightmare over the past 218 days.
UNICEF Regional Director Adele Khodr added, "The children of Gaza, who have endured unimaginable horrors, deserve an immediate ceasefire and a chance for a peaceful future."
She further emphasized that civilians are suffering from malnutrition, facing more death and displacement. She noted that the recent Israeli operation in Rafah, ten days ago, resulted in the displacement of more than 448,000 individuals to unsafe areas. Khodr called for expediting the opening of border crossings and allowing safe movement of humanitarian organizations to provide vital life-saving assistance "upon which all children in Gaza rely."
Israeli occupation forces continue their military operations in the Gaza Strip, despite Hamas' announcement of its acceptance of a proposal presented by Egypt and Qatar for a ceasefire.
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