An image shared on Facebook purports to show a group of Palestinians eating a meal together amid rubble in Gaza.

Verdict: False

A content detection scan using the website Hive Moderation reveals the image has been created with artificial intelligence (AI). An AI and media forensics expert also confirmed the image is not authentic in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Israel said Tuesday that its ground forces are battling Hamas fighters deep inside Gaza City, according to The Associated Press. Hamas spokesperson Ghazi Hamad denied Israel’s claim, the outlet reported.

“You can’t kill the desire to live, share and rebuild. No bombs can destroy the Palestinian spirit,” the image’s caption reads. The image purports to show a group of Palestinians eating a meal together amid rubble in Gaza.

The image is not authentic, however. A content detection scan using the website Hive Moderation reveals the image is 99% likely to have been created with AI and indicates Midjourney is the program that was probably used to generate the image.

Check Your Fact reviewed the image and noted multiple characteristics that immediately draw its authenticity into question. The faces of many of the individuals included in the image appear blurry and distorted. Likewise, the young boy wearing the blue shirt standing next to the table appears to only have four toes on his visible foot.

Screenshot captured via Hive Moderation

Extra or deformed digits are common hallmarks of AI-generated images, according to BuzzFeed News. (RELATED: Did Hezbollah Recently Share Video Of Their Military Arsenal?)

In addition, Check Your Fact did not find the image referenced in any credible news reports about the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

Dr. Walter Scheirer, an AI and media forensics expert from the University of Notre Dame confirmed the image is not authentic in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This image is characteristic of the exaggerated cartoon style that is a common output of generative AI models. The image is not photorealistic, it more resembles a surreal illustration. The faces of the people in the scene are distorted in unnatural ways,” Scheirer explained.

Israel continues to launch air strikes on Gaza following a surprise attack from Hamas on Oct. 7, according to Reuters.