Fact Check: Old video of Israel’s Rafah bombing falsely shared as Iran’s attack on Jewish state
The video in question depicts an Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Rafah, Gaza, which occurred on February 12, 2024.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 3 Oct 2024 12:24 PM IST
Claim: The video depicts Iran's recent attack on Israel which destroyed 30 Israeli F-35 fighter jets.
Fact: The claim is false. The video shows the Israeli bombing of the Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024.
Iran fired missiles at Israel on Tuesday to avenge the killing of a Guards commander and other high-ranking officials. As air raid sirens echoed throughout the nation, civilians rushed to find shelter.
Amid this context, a video circulating on social media shows destroyed tents and debris scattered across a vast area. The accompanying claim suggests that the footage depicts Iran's attack on Israel.
An X user shared the video and wrote, “Iran has successfully destroyed 30 Israeli F-35 fighter jets. These jets were used to genøcide 40,000 children. #iranattackisrael #Khamenei_ir #Netanyahu.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim is false. The video in question depicts an Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Rafah, Gaza, which occurred on February 12, 2024.
Upon conducting a reverse image search, we found the video published by verified YouTube channels, including Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, on February 12, 2024.
According to these channels, the footage shows the aftermath of the Israeli bombing of the Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah, located in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Turkish news outlet, Anadolu Agency, included a screengrab from the video in a February 12, 2024 report. The description read: “A view of the pothole formed as a result of Israeli attack at an empty field where Palestinians pitch their tents as buildings heavily damaged after Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza on February 12, 2024.” In another report published on the same day, the agency stated that the Israeli army had fully cordoned off the Shaboura camp in central Rafah, launching a ground assault after deploying additional military vehicles, along with airstrikes, amid reports of resistance from Palestinian groups.
The video screengrab was also featured in a report by Left Voice, published on February 12, which stated that Israel had initially instructed Palestinians to evacuate to Rafah, only to bomb them afterwards.
Hence, we conclude that the video does not Iran's bombing of Israel. The claim is false.
