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Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke October 9, 2023

Airstrike video predates October Hamas attack on Israel

If Your Time is short

  • This video is from May 2023.

A video of an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip is being shared on social media in the wake of an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. 

"BREAKING: Israeli Air Force is striking terror targets in Gaza," reads on Oct. 7 Facebook post sharing the video. 

But this video predates the recent violence by about five months.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

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The footage was first posted online May 13 by The Associated Press. The news outlet’s caption of the video on YouTube says "smoke and sand rising from explosion after Israeli airstrike targeted house in northern Gaza Strip." 

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The airstrike followed several days of attacks between Israel and Palestinian militants, The Associated Press said.

We rate claims that this footage shows a response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack False.

 

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Airstrike video predates October Hamas attack on Israel

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