Video shows Hamas “paraglided amongst Israeli citizens and proceeded to massacre them.”
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Video that predates Hamas October 2023 attack mischaracterized amid violence
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This video was shared online before Hamas militants launched an Oct. 7 attack on Israeli towns.
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The video was previously described by a YouTube account that posted it as showing paragliders in Egypt.
News outlets have published video footage that appears to show Hamas militants using motorized paragliders to land amid a music festival in Israel on Oct. 7.
On social media, though, another video is being mischaracterized as some users claim it shows that event.
"Hamas paraglided amongst Israeli citizens and proceeded to massacre them," reads the text over the video which shows paragliders landing among crowds in a city.
An Oct. 8 Instagram post sharing this video 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.)
Hamas militants launched an Oct. 7 attack on Israeli towns.
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But the video shared on Instagram has been online since September.
Searching the TikTok account of the handle that’s visible in the clip, we found the video posted Sept. 27 on that platform. A second video shows the paragliders landing on a field, and the third shows adults and children running toward them. This doesn’t track with news reports of "festivalgoers fleeing the attack" in Israel or gunmen opening fire on a "crowd of young people."
A YouTube account that has the same user name as the TikTok account also posted the video there Sept. 29, with an Arabic caption that, translated to English, said: "Parachute forces in Heliopolis."
Heliopolis is a city in Egypt.
We rate claims this video shows Hamas militants paragliding into Israel as False.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Oct. 8, 2023
Insider, Videos show Hamas fighters attacking Israel using motorized paragliders amid a wave of surprise attacks, Oct. 7, 2023
The Telegraph, How a sunrise desert rave was shattered by paragliding Hamas gunmen, Oct. 8, 2023
Independent, Hamas paragliders descend on Israel music festival as people flee massacre, Oct. 8, 2023
CBS News, Hamas gunmen open fire on hundreds at music festival in southern Israel, Oct. 8, 2023
TikTok post, Sept. 30, 2023
TikTok post, Sept. 29, 2023
TikTok post, Sept. 28, 2023
TikTok post, Sept. 27, 2023
YouTube, قوات المظلات في مصر الجديده, Sept. 29, 2023
The Associated Press, Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation, Oct. 7, 2023
The New York Times, What We Know About the Hamas Attack and Israel’s Response, Oct. 9, 2023
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Video that predates Hamas October 2023 attack mischaracterized amid violence
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