FACT CHECK: Video Appearing To Show Israeli Police Assaulting Girl Predates Current Conflict
A video shared on Instagram purports to show Israeli police officers appearing to assault a young girl in Jerusalem recently.
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Verdict: False
The video predates the current conflict and was originally shared on the platform in February 2022 by Baraah Abo Ramouz, a journalist based in Jerusalem.
Fact Check:
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said it killed several top Hamas operatives involved in the Oct. 7 attack that ignited the current Israel-Hamas conflict via a series of recent raids, according to the Times Of Israel. The IDF also indicated it had killed 19 Hamas operatives planning to attack soldiers, the outlet reported.
“Footage taken yesterday shows a contingent of heavily armed Israeli police officers brutally assaulting a 12-year-old girl at the Bab Al Amud Plaza in occupied #Jerusalem,” the video’s caption purports. The video, posted by @peace4palestineuk, appears to show the officers beating the young girl with their batons.
The clip is not linked to the current Israel-Hamas conflict, however. Check Your Fact reviewed the video and noticed a watermark reading “Baraah Abo Ramouz” on the clip. A keyword search generated Ramouz’s Instagram account, which indicates Ramouz is a journalist based in Jerusalem.
Ramouz originally posted the video clip of the Israeli police officers appearing to assault the young girl to Instagram in February 2022.
“Assaulting a girl and firing sound bombs on those in the door of the pillar,” Ramouz captioned the clip at the time.
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Likewise, the incident involving the young girl was referenced in a Middle East Eye article published in February 2022. In the article, the outlet indicated the girl was in East Jerusalem in observance of a religious festival when the incident occurred. The outlet also identified the girl as Palestinian.
Furthermore, the Israeli Police Department has not publicly addressed the claim. (RELATED: Photo Claiming To Show Airstrike In Gaza Is Actually From 2021)
Check Your Fact has contacted the Israeli Police Department for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.
