FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show Palestinians Staging A Scene To Suggest A Child Had Been Shot By Israelis?
A video shared on Facebook purportedly shows Palestinians staging a scene to suggest a child had been shot by Israeli soldiers.
Verdict: Misleading
The video shows a behind-the-scenes look at a Palestinian short film about a 2015 incident between Palestinians and Israelis.
Fact Check:
Israel and Palestine have fought over territory in the West Bank and Gaza for 54 years, according to Human Rights Watch. Strikes have recently occurred between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, Al-Jazeera reported.
The Facebook video shows a crew of people, one with a camera, preparing to film a shot featuring a young boy in a pool of blood on the ground. “The Palestinians are faking scenes where a child is shot by Israeli soldiers,” reads the video’s caption. “I wish they spent all these resources to promote peace rather than propaganda.”
The video does not show a staged shot filmed for propaganda purposes. A reverse image search revealed the video first appeared on TikTok April 21. “Behind the scenes of filming a short film about the story of the child prisoner Ahmed Manasra” the caption reads in Arabic.
The footage appears to show a crew preparing to film part of a 2-minute film titled “Empty Place,” which was shared on YouTube April 18 and shows the same young boy in a lightning bolt T-shirt lying on the ground in a pool of blood. A clip from the film was also shared on Facebook by the film’s director, Awni Eshtaiwe.
The film is based on the true story of Ahmed Manasra, a Palestinian boy who was arrested in 2015 at the age of 13 after he and his 15-year-old cousin stabbed two Israelis, seriously wounding both, according to The Times of Israel. His cousin was shot to death by Israeli security forces during the attack while Manasra was hit by a car while attempting to flee the scene, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Does This Video Show A ‘Fake’ Humanitarian Crisis Being Filmed In Poland?)
In a Facebook message to Check Your Fact, Director Awni Eshtaiwe confirmed the Facebook video showed the production of his short film.
