Did photojournalist cry when Israeli forces stormed Al Aqsa mosque?

A collage of images about Al Aqsa mosque being attacked in Jerusalem is viral on social media. Netizens claim that a photojournalist got emotional while capturing images of the Al Aqsa which was stormed by Israeli security forces on May 7.

By Newsmeter Network  Published on  17 May 2021 7:00 AM GMT
Al Aqsa mosque, photojournalist

HYDERABAD: A collage of images about Al Aqsa mosque being attacked in Jerusalem is viral on social media. Netizens claim that a photojournalist got emotional while capturing images of the Al Aqsa which was stormed by Israeli security forces on May 7.

The post is being shared with a caption, "A Photojournalist Felt in Tears While Capturing Pictures in Masjid Al Aqsa (sic)."



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FACT CHECK:

This claim is false. The picture of the photojournalist was taken in 2019 during an AFC Asian Cup football match.

NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found a tweet from January 2019 by the AFC Asian Cup that carried the same image. The tweet identifies him as an Iraqi photographer who got emotional during the Round of 16 clash against Qatar.

https://twitter.com/afcasiancup/status/1088392339540922368.

It should be noted that the viral image has been available on the internet since 2019. It has no connection with Israel-Palestine conflict. The image was taken when the Iraq national football team lost to Qatar in the 2019 Asian Cup. The same image was also tweeted by the Arab sports website 'Sport360Arabiya' and reported by 'Aljazeera'.

On the other hand, the image of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem being attacked is true. A report dated May 7, 2021, with the same photo reads: "JERUSALEM - MAY 7: Israeli security forces are seen as they enter Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, intervene Muslim worshippers with stun grenade during prayer on May 7, 2021. (Mostafa Alkharouf - Anadolu Agency)"

(Click here and here to read)

Evidently, the claim of the photojournalist becoming emotional after the Al-Aqsa mosque was stormed by Israeli forces is false.

The image of the photojournalist has been shared on the internet in the past as well and with misleading claims. Several fact check websites have debunked the false claims that the photographer was crying after Dhoni's run out in India's World Cup semi-final match against New Zealand in July 2019.


Claim Review:Photojournalist cry when Israeli forces stormed Al Aqsa mosque
Claimed By:Twitter Users
Claim Reviewed By:Newsmeter
Claim Source:Twitter
Claim Fact Check:False
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