Fact Check: Old video of ISIS desecrating Philippines church attributed to Hamas

Hyderabad: A video of armed men desecrating a church is going viral on social media with users claiming it shows Hamas militants attacking a Baptist church in Gaza city. The users are linking the video to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

An X premium user shared the video with the caption, “#HamasTerrorists destroying a Baptist Church in #Gaza city and kicking the statue of Jesus, is this their fight to reclaim their land or is it Jihad against every other religion in this world, ask yourselves!! (sic)”

Several X users shared the video claiming the same. Click here and here to view the posts.

Fact Check

NewsMeter verified that the video has nothing to do with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. It shows Islamic State militants setting fire to a church building in the southern Philippines.

Upon a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we found it on YouTube, published by the New York Post on June 6, 2017, titled ‘ISIS defaces and destroys a Catholic church in the Philippines.’

According to the post, the video was recorded in Marawi City, Philippines. It was released by the Amaq News Agency, an affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist network.

We also found the video on Facebook, posted by the verified page of Daily Mail on June 6, 2017. “ISIS destroy and burn down a Catholic Church in the Philippines,” read the caption.

A June 6, 2017, report by the Catholic Herald, which carried the screengrab from the video also said that the church was destroyed by ISIS-affiliated militants in the Philippines.

Hence, we conclude that the video does not show the desecration of a church in Gaza by Hamas amidst the ongoing conflict with Israel. The claim is false.