Fact Check: Viral video does not show Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh before his assassination

Hyderabad: Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was reportedly assassinated on July 31, 2024, in Tehran. He was there to participate in the inauguration of Iran’s new President, Masoud Pezeshkian. On Wednesday morning, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a statement saying Haniyeh and his Iranian bodyguard were killed in a raid by the ‘Zionist entity,’ referring to Israel.

Against this backdrop, a video of an injured man being helped reportedly in a hospital is making rounds on social media. The accompanying claim suggests that it shows visuals of Haniyeh before his death.

An X user shared the video and wrote, “Just moments before martyrdom, the last words of Shaheed Ismail Haniya (may Allah have mercy on him).” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is from November 2023 and shows a Palestinian commoner bleeding.

Upon conducting a reverse image search of the video’s keyframes, we found it posted on X on November 7, 2023. The user stated that the video depicts a Palestinian in Gaza, while bleeding, raising his index finger and shouting, “We all stand with the resistance…” The resistance implies the fight against Israel.

We also found the video posted in a verified Telegram channel Gaza Now on November 6, 2023. The post stated the video shows a Palestinian bleeding.

The Arabic content platform Nabd published the video on November 6, 2023. The title stated that the video shows a Palestinian shouting in favour of the resistance while he was bleeding.

Hence, we conclude that the video is old and does not show Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who was reportedly killed on July 21.