Video games and fakes: Misinformation poses a further threat during Israel-Hamas conflict

In 2023, information – and misinformation – moves at lightning speed online, and never more so than during times of conflict.

Since Hamas launched its assault on Israel last week, sparking a conflict in which at least 1,200 people have now been killed, videos alleging to show further attacks, military fighting and support for the conflict have been widely circulated.

However, in many cases, the footage is mislabelled – either accidentally or deliberately – as stemming from recent days, when in fact it is either old, unrelated, or completely fake.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton has also raised concerns about misinformation circulating online, with a particular focus on X, formerly Twitter, who said on Tuesday that the platform was being used to disseminate ‘manifestly false or misleading information’.

In a letter to the platform’s owner Elon Musk, he asked that X ensure its systems for tackling the risks to public security and civic discourse stemming from disinformation are effective, and that Mr Musk report on its crisis measures to the EC.

Replying on X, Mr Musk wrote: ‘Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports.

‘Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that that [sic] the public can see them.

‘Merci beaucoup.’

However, it is not only on X that misinformation has been spreading.

‘On Facebook, Instagram, X and Tik Tok, videos falsely claiming to show current events are spreading quickly.

‘We’ve seen footage of events that took place years ago being shared as if they are happening now, clips from video games being spread as if they show real conflict and false quotes being attributed to public figures.

‘Misinformation thrives in times of conflict. It can create a false impression of current events, and damage trust in accurate reporting. People should try to verify the information they see before they share it on social media.’

Users can also refer to reputable sources of information, such as newspapers and reliable broadcasters.

Here are five examples of misinformation circulating about the Israel-Hamas conflict, debunked by Full Fact.

Video does not show a rocket attack on Israeli airport

A video purporting to show Hamas firing rockets at Ben Gurion International Airport, often known as Tel Aviv airport, was first shared online on February 3, 2020. The incident is an alleged rocket attack in Syria.

On the same date, it was shared online by Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah, which said the video was ‘footage from local sources’ and depicted Turkish armed forces ‘retaliat[ing] against the Assad regime attack’ in Idlib, northwest Syria.

However, in recent days it has been shared on both Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, claiming to show Hamas attacking Israel.

Facebook has flagged the post as false information a number of times, and users have added context to at least one post on X, but it has still been widely shared.

Footage of helicopters being shot down is from a video game

Footage appearing to show Israeli helicopters being shot down over Gaza is actually from the video game Arma 3, and first appeared on YouTube on October 3, several days before the current escalation of conflict began in Israel and Gaza.

The clip has been shared hundreds of times across Facebook and X, and while some posts are flagged as misinformation, others have not.

Scenes from Arma 3 have previously been circulated online alongside claims it shows real-world events, including fighting in Ukraine.

Video supposedly showing ‘new air assault’ on Israel actually dates from 2021

This video, which claims to show a ‘new air assault’ on Israel, dates from a separate incident in May 2021.

The footage, which shows rockets fired into the sky near tall buildings, has been shared on both Facebook and Twitter with captions featuring the word ‘BREAKING’ and claims that ‘Hamas militants’ have started ‘a new air assault’ on Israel. 

Facebook has flagged a number of posts as false information, while X users have added context to at least one post, but the video has still been viewed thousands of times.

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi did not share Instagram story expressing ‘support for the Palestinian cause’

An Instagram story that appeared to show Roberto De Zerbi expressing his ‘support for the Palestinian cause’ was not from the Brighton & Hove Albion football club manager.

The club confirmed the account that posed the story is not associated with Mr De De Zerbi, and appears to have since been deleted or removed.

The screenshot circulated on Facebook and X showing an Instagram story posted by an apparently verified account with the username @robtzerbi, which reads: ‘I support the Palestinian cause, and I hope that it will return to what it was, and I hope that Sudan will return to what it was, and that peace will prevail on the lands of Sudan, and I hope that peace will last throughout the Arab and Muslim countries.’

Facebook has since removed at least one post sharing the image, while X users have provided added context.

Full Fact has contacted Meta to ask whether and why this account was verified.