An old video from 2013 is being falsely shared as Israeli soldiers torturing Palestinian victims in captivity amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
BOOM found that the claims are false; the video is from 2013 and shows pro-Bashar al-Assad rebels in Syria stabbing and stoning two men to death.
The Israel-Palestine conflict began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, from the Gaza strip. Over 10 weeks, 1,200 Israelis are reported dead and the death toll of Palestinians has reached nearly 20,000, out of which 8,000 are children, according to Gaza' health ministry. Close to 2 million people have been displaced in this conflict.
The viral video shows a few militants with knives stabbing two men standing against a wall with their backs facing the perpetrators.
A caption on X reads, "Occupying Israeli soldiers sadistically stab and torture Palestinian civilians! Zionists are more dangerous than the devil!"
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
A longer version of the video is also circulating on Facebook with the caption, "PLEASE MAKE THIS VIDEO VIRAL TO ALL MUSLIMS TO SHOW WHAT THESE COWARD INHUMAN SATANS ARE DOING. Please share this video widely for all Muslims to show what these cowardly devils are doing. I think it's the hardest scene you can see in your life. Oh God, protect the Jews and the most important ones, and those who help them, and those who let Muslims down, and be with them, for they can't help you.. O Avenger, O Mighty, O Allah, take revenge of your weak united faithful servants in Gaza and everywhere..!!"
Click here to view the post.
FACT CHECK
BOOM found that the video is from 2013 and shows pro-Assad Syrian militia torturing a few victims; the video is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
We ran a reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video on Google and found a report by Al Arabiya published on January 2, 2013 that carried visuals similar to the viral video.
The report was titled 'Syria video shows Assad militia stabbing and stoning victims' and detailed how a newly released video at the time showed Syrian rebels torturing two men.
The report states that the video was first posted on YouTube by Damascus-based rebel group First Brigade. We also found the video shared clip on Al Arabiya's YouTube channel that matched the viral video.
Below is a comparison between the viral video and the original video shared by Al Arabiya.
A Reuters report from January 2, 2013 regarding the same incident shared details of this video being released by some rebel groups. The report mentioned how one of the victims was seen wearing a blue sweater and one of the rebels sported a Nike baseball cap, both of which can also be seen in the viral video.
According to this report, one of the perpetrators can be heard saying "For God's eyes and your Lord, O Bashar," claiming their support to the President of Syria.
Both Reuters and Al Arabiya stated that they could not verify the exact date and location of the video, however, it is old and unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
