Fact Check: Video shows Arma 3 video game footage, not a firefight between Israel and Hamas
The footage is not real and is from the video game called Arma 3 – an open-world, tactical-shooter video game that promises “true combat gameplay in a massive military sandbox.”
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 16 Oct 2023 10:39 AM GMT
Screengrab of the Facebook post.
Hyderabad: A 12-hour-long video showing anti-aircraft fire directed towards what appears to be a fighter jet in the night sky is viral on social media. Those sharing the video claim that it shows Israel Air Force F16 shooting down a Hamas Su-57 Fighter.
A Facebook page, Star Gaming, shared the video with the caption, “Is.ra.el Air Force F-16 Shot Down Ha.ma.s Su-57 Fighter #Israel #hamasattack. (sic)” The post has also tagged another Facebook page by the name Arma 3.
(Image Credit: Facebook)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the footage is not real and is from the video game called Arma 3 – an open-world, tactical-shooter video game that promises “true combat gameplay in a massive military sandbox.”
We started our investigation by checking the profile of the Facebook page, Star Gaming. The user of the page introduces themself as a ‘full-time gamer’ and ‘Gaming video creator.’
We skimmed through the page and found many posts containing similar footage of anti-aircraft fire directed at fighter jets, along with the caption claiming the Hamas Su-57 fighter was shot down by Israel’s F16. The posts also tagged the Facebook page of the video game Arma 3.
Click here, here, here and here to view the posts.
Some of these posts were flagged by USA Today’s fact-check as footage from the video game Arma 3.
Further, the About section of the Facebook page of Arma 3 explicitly states that “Arma 3 is the third core game in the simulation and modern combat Arma franchise developed by Bohemia Interactive.”
However, we found several live video posts on this page too with the captions claiming that the videos show Israel’s F16 shooting down Hamas Su-57 Fighter.
We ran a keyword search about the weapons that Israel and Hamas have and came across a report by Global News. It said that Israel is one of the best-armed nations. Its air force includes an advanced American F-35 fighter jet and missile defence batteries, including American-made Patriot and the Iron Dome missile defence system.
The Hamas arsenal includes assault rifles, heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank weapons and longer-range sniper rifles. And there is no mention of fighter jets. The surprise on October 7 attack included militants on paragliders and grenade-dropping drones.
The report also said Hamas guerrilla warfare tactics could make any ground assault dangerous for Israeli troops. Hamas, in the past, had employed boobytraps and suicide bombers.
Hence, from the above findings, we conclude that the viral footage does not show a firefight between Israel and Hamas. The viral footage is from the video game Arma 3.
This is not the first time a clip from the game Arma 3 went viral as footage of the ongoing war. NewsMeter had debunked a similar video which showed a clip from the game where a man shoots down a helicopter.
