An image shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, claims to show Thomas Hurley, an American general who was purportedly killed in Gaza as a result of the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

** ✌️👍سمح بالنشر :مقتل الجنرال الأمريكي”توماس هيرلي” في محرقة الدبابات التي حدثت للقوات الإسرائيلية في غزة
الجنرال هيرلي هو كبير خبراء معهد الدراسات الاسترتيجية العسكرية لحرب العصابات التابعه لوزارة الدفاع الامريكية،شارك في حرب العراق وافغانستان.. 💥✌️ pic.twitter.com/Wv0ZN4nhA2

— Dr. Abuseido (@Adactor55) November 19, 2023

Verdict: False

The original image shows Gen. George Casey, a top U.S. commander in Iraq in 2005. A spokesperson for the Department of Defense (DOD) denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Hamas released 11 hostages Monday, the fourth day of its cease-fire with Israel, according to The New York Times. Hamas previously released 13 hostages on Friday, another 13 on Saturday, and 14 more on Sunday, the outlet reported.

The X image, viewed over 400 times, claims to show Hurley, an American general who was purportedly killed in Gaza as a result of the current Israel-Hamas conflict. The post also claims Hurley was the “chief expert of the Institute for Military Strategic Studies on guerrilla warfare of the U.S. [DOD].”

The claim is false, however. The original image, published via Getty Images, shows Gen. George Casey, a top U.S. commander in Iraq in 2005.

“Top US commander in Iraq General George Casey arrives for a ceremony to restore Iraqi border security in the restive city of Kusaiybah, Iraq, a recent battle ground during U.S. operation Steel Curtain, along the Syrian Iraq border on November 30, 2005. U.S. President George W. Bush said in a speech on Wednesday that U.S. troop levels in Iraq would depend on conditions there, not on ‘artificial timetables set by politicians in Washington,'” the image’s caption reads.

The image of Casey also appears in a 2015 Reuters Investigates piece accusing the U.S. of overlooking torture carried out by Iraqi militias. (RELATED: TikTok Video Falsely Claims U.S. Troops Have Landed On Israeli Beaches)

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports indicating a U.S. general named Thomas Hurley was killed in Gaza as a result of the current Israel-Hamas conflict. In addition, the DOD has neither referenced the claim via its website nor its verified social media accounts.

A spokesperson for the DOD denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This is not an accurate claim,” the spokesperson said.

Check Your Fact has contacted the DOD for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.