Claim: Starbucks will be closing seven locations in Downtown San Francisco, California following a boycott of the coffee giant for being pro-Israel. Fact: The closure of seven branches of Starbucks in San Francisco was announced before Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October. The stores are not closing down due to the boycott against “Zionist” […]
Claim: A photo on social media shows a drone strike on an Israeli businessman’s cargo ship in the Indian Ocean. Fact: The claim is false because the images are from 2019, when oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman were reportedly attacked by Iran. On 26 November 2023, a Facebook user posted an image (archive) […]
Claim: A video shows that London’s Elizabeth Tower, also known as the ‘Big Ben’, was painted white by “Jihadis” (a term used for Muslim fighters) in 2023. Fact: The claim is false because the video shows a protest by vegan activists in the UK from a year ago. Animal Rebellion activists sprayed white paint – […]
Claim: A Facebook video shows Hamas’s A-Qassam Brigade destroying Israeli army’s tanks. Fact: The claim is false as the footage is from a video game simulation, Arma 3. The video shows armed tanks on a deserted road and caught on fire after they were struck by missiles. What’s going on in Gaza? On 7 October […]
Claim: A picture shows US President Joe Biden kneeling in front of George Floyd’s daughter and asking for her forgiveness on behalf of the state. Fact: The picture shows Biden speaking to C.J. Brown, the son of a Detroit store owner, while he was campaigning to become the President of the United States. On 23 […]
Claim: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s psychiatrist, Dr Moshe Yatom, has died by suicide. Fact: Netanyahu’s psychiatrist did not die by suicide; recent news reports claiming so are based on a satirical article published back in 2010. On 6 November 2023, Pakistani media outlet Global Village Space published an article (archive) titled, “Israeli Prime Minister’s psychiatrist […]
Claim: A video shows that the chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Lt-Gen Herzl “Herzi” Halevi, was captured, detained, and subjected to violence repeatedly. Fact: The video neither shows the Israeli army chief Halevi, nor is it recent. It actually depicts a Ukrainian prisoner of war from February 2023. On 1 November 2023, Facebook […]
Claim: A video shows an airstrike by Israel targeting the Al-Sadaqa Turkish Palestinian hospital in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Fact: The video predates the current war in Gaza. In fact, it’s from July 2016 when a hospital in Aleppo, Syria was reportedly targeted by the government’s warplanes. What’s happening in Gaza? On 7 October 2023, […]
Claim: A picture shows Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver with Yasser Arafat. Fact: The picture does not show Silver. The image, taken by Anat Saragusti, is actually of Israeli journalist Sarit Yishai-Levi. On 14 November 2023, Dr Edy Cohen — who describes himself as a “researcher” and a “right-wing Likudnik Zionist” on X, formerly Twitter […]
Claim: A video shows the IDF executing a large number of Palestinian prisoners of war, who are thrown into a pre-dug pit before being shot to death. Fact: The clip does not show the IDF, but two Syrian military intelligence service officers killing civilians, in what later came to be known as the 2013 Tadamon […]
Claim: A video shows a cleric engaging in sexual activity with a boy in a mosque in Palestine. Fact: The video is from Pakistan. It surfaced in 2021 when a seminary student exposed the sexual abuse he was subjected to at the hands of his teacher and former JUI-F leader, Mufti Azizur Rehman. [Trigger warning: […]
Claim: Saudi Arabia has ended all negotiations on potentially normalising ties with Israel following the recent escalation between Israel and Hamas. Fact: The Kingdom has suspended talks, as per media reports. The Saudi Arabian government has not given any official statement on the matter. What’s happening in Gaza? On 7 October 2023, the Al Qassam […]