Footage shows “Palestinian freedom fighters shot down 4 Israelis fighter jets.”
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Rockets are fired toward Israel from Gaza, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP)
Video clip of aircraft shot down is from video game, not Israel-Hamas conflict
If Your Time is short
- This footage is from Arma 3, a combat simulation video game.
These days, military conflict is often accompanied by misinformation that bills fictitious scenes from video games as real depictions of fighting.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas is no exception.
The caption on an Oct. 7 Facebook video says the footage shows "Palestinian freedom fighters shot down 4 Israelis fighter jets."
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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(Screenshot from Facebook)
But scrutiny of the video reveals it is a simulation, with a few Facebook commenters saying the clip is from a video game and one describing the video as "terrible cgi" (computer generated imagery).
Those commenters have strong fact-checking instincts, and their observations are correct.
The same clip was shared Oct. 3 on YouTube, titled, "Two combat helicopters shot down by anti aircraft defense - Arma" — four days before Hamas launched its attack on Israel.
"This not representative of reality it is just a simulation in the video," read part of the YouTube video’s description. One hashtag on the video read "#arma3."
Featured Fact-check
(Screenshot from YouTube)
Arma 3 is a video game that describes itself as "a combined arms military game set in a massive military sandbox." On X, formerly Twitter, Arma 3 says it offers players "true combat gameplay in a military sandbox."
PolitiFact has debunked many claims that clips from video games showed real war footage, several following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In many instances, those clips were also traced back to Arma 3.
We rate claims that this footage shows "Palestinian freedom fighters shot down 4 Israelis fighter jets" False.
RELATED: Video that predates Hamas October 2023 attack mischaracterized amid violence
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Our Sources
The Washington Post, What is Hamas, and why did it attack Israel now? Oct. 9, 2023
YouTube, Two combat helicopters shot down by anti aircraft defense - Arma, Oct. 3, 2023
Reuters, How Hamas duped Israel as it planned devastating attack, Oct. 9, 2023
Arma 3, Frequently asked questions, accessed Oct. 9, 2023
Arma 3’s profile on X, accessed Oct. 9, 2023
Full Fact, Footage of helicopters being shot down is from a video game, not Gaza, Oct. 9, 2023
PolitiFact, No, this isn’t a real video of Russian tanks getting destroyed, May 20, 2022
PolitiFact, No, this isn’t real footage of downed helicopters during an ambush, May 20, 2022
PolitiFact, Clip shows video game, not Ukrainian victory in Sievierodonetsk, July 19, 2022
PolitiFact, Video clip of military helicopter crash is from a video game, not the war in Ukraine, June 6, 2022
PolitiFact, These video clips do not show Russia’s attack on Ukraine. They’re simulations from video games, Feb. 24, 2022
PolitiFact, This ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ clip is from a video game, not a video of fighting in Ukraine, Feb. 28, 2022
PolitiFact, Digitized images are from a video game; they’re not from Ukraine war footage, April 12, 2023
PolitiFact, This is a video game, not combat in Ukraine, May 23, 2022
PolitiFact, Post shows video game footage, not the war in Ukraine, July 6, 2022
PolitiFact, Don’t fall for these hoaxes about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Feb. 25, 2023
ABC News, Timeline of surprise rocket attack by Hamas on Israel, Oct. 9, 2023
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Video clip of aircraft shot down is from video game, not Israel-Hamas conflict
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