“Cries of Victory in Israel — Gaza Now Belongs to Israel! HAMAS Surrenders Desperately!”
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Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 13, 2023, after the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning to a population of over 1 million in northern Gaza and Gaza City. (AP)
Hamas has not surrendered to Israel, despite video’s claim
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Israel has yet to launch an expected ground invasion into Gaza in response to an Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas militants.
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There are no credible reports that Hamas leaders have surrendered.
As Israel prepares for a ground incursion into Gaza more than a week after an Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel by Hamas militants, some social media users are falsely claiming that the war is already over.
A caption and headline on an Oct. 15 Facebook video read, "Cries of Victory in Israel — Gaza Now Belongs to Israel! Hamas Surrenders Desperately!"
The Facebook 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.)
The Facebook account that shared the video was created in January and has shared multiple misleading headlines about the Israel-Hamas war, such as the False Oct. 16 statement that Egypt had joined the war against Israel.
This video about Hamas surrendering originated on a YouTube channel called DCM Global, which shared a video Oct. 15 with the same headline.
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"The Israeli army has entered Gaza as of now," a narrator in the video said. "The Hamas militia was forced to surrender to the Israeli army by waving their white flags in their hands."
(Facebook screenshot)
The video shows soldiers with their arms up and holding white flags. They aren’t Hamas militants, however. Using a reverse image search, we found the footage posted on YouTube Nov. 25, 2022. That video’s caption said the footage showed Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukrainian soldiers, although we couldn't authenticate that video.
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But there are no credible reports that Hamas had surrendered to Israel by the time this Facebook video was shared.
Israel has been bombarding Gaza with airstrikes, but as of Oct. 16, it had yet to launch an expected ground invasion three days after ordering more than a million people to evacuate Gaza City, the most populous city in the Palestinian territories.
Israel in 2014 launched a ground invasion into Gaza in a battle that lasted more than a month before a truce that still left Hamas in control. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Oct. 15 to "demolish Hamas" in response to the terrorist attacks.
The claim that Hamas had surrendered to Israel by Oct. 15 is False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, Oct. 15, 2023 (archived)
DCM Global, YouTube, War Ended Quickly! The Whole World has Witnessed the Power of Israel! Hamas Desperately Surrenders, Oct. 15, 2023 (archived)
Israel Defense Forces, X post, Oct. 13, 2023
Israel Defense Forces, IDF Forces Preparing to Implement a Wide Range of Operational Offensive Plans, Oct. 14, 2023
The Associated Press, Gaza’s desperate civilians flee or huddle in hopes of safety, as warnings of Israeli offensive mount, Oct. 14, 2023
The Washington Post, Israeli ground offensive in Gaza could be a ‘bloodbath,’ analysts say, Oct. 15, 2023
The Associated Press, Urban battle from past Gaza war offers glimpse of what an Israeli ground offensive might look like, Oct. 16, 2023
Reuters, Israel vows to demolish Hamas as troops prepare to move on shattered Gaza, Oct. 15, 2023
The Guardian, Netanyahu says Israel will dismantle ‘bloodthirsty monsters’ of Hamas – video, Oct. 15, 2023
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Hamas has not surrendered to Israel, despite video’s claim
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