An image shared on X purports to show a dead journalist in Gaza.

Until their last breath, they continued to convey the voice of the oppressed in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/ruoEttYl52

— Oday Mohammed🇵🇸 (@Odaymohm) October 11, 2024

Verdict: False

The claim is false. A content detection scan using Hive Moderation reveals the image has been generated with artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, a media forensics and AI expert denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

At least 50 Palestinians were killed as a result of recent Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters. In one instance, 10 Palestinians were killed “when an Israeli missile struck a house,” the outlet reported.

The X image, which has received over 200 views as of writing, purports to show a dead journalist in Gaza. In the same image, a male journalist appears to lie dead in the street. The journalist is wearing a vest that clearly labels him as a member of the press and his camera rests nearby.

“Until their last breath, they continued to convey the voice of the oppressed in Gaza,” the image’s caption reads.

The claim is false, as the image is AI-generated. A content detection scan using Hive Moderation indicates the image is 99.2% likely to have been AI-generated.

Screenshot captured via Hive Moderation

Check Your Fact also reviewed the image, and both the journalist’s fingers and the letters on his “PRESS” vest appear to be distorted. Extra, missing, or deformed fingers are often a characteristic of AI-generated images, according to BuzzFeed News.

Likewise, the image is not referenced in any credible news reports about the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. Actually, the opposite is true. On Oct. 14, Misbar debunked the claim and reported the image is AI-generated. (RELATED: Greek Orthodox Priest Was Not Killed In Israeli Strike In Lebanon)

Furthermore, Dr. Walter Scheirer, a media forensics and AI expert at University of Notre Dame, denied the image’s authenticity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“This image is likely the product of a generative AI algorithm. The key giveaway is that the patch on the back of the reporter’s vest misspells what should be the word ‘press’. Further, the letters of the misspelled word are poorly rendered in an unrealistic way,” Scheirer said.

Although the image is AI-generated, four journalists have either been killed or wounded in Gaza recently, according to The Intercept.

Check Your Fact has contacted a media forensics and AI expert for comment.