An old video news report by a Russia Today Arabic journalist showing the elaborate underground tunnel system operated by Palestinian militant group Hamas below the Gaza Strip, is being shared without context that the video is old.
BOOM found that RT Arabic aired the video in June 2021 while covering the tunnel systems in Gaza.
Israel initiated a ruthless counteroffensive against Hamas following a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group on October 7, 2023, causing the loss of nearly 1,400 lives. Recent news reports indicate that the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine has claimed the lives of over 8,000 Palestinians, and left numerous others displaced due to continued Israeli airstrikes.
On October 24, the Israel Defense Force announced the successful dismantling of a Hamas operational tunnel that had been used by its militants to infiltrate Israel via the sea route.
TV9 Network's executive editor Aditya Raj Kaul posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "As Israel begins targeting Gaza Terror Tunnel Network, Hamas Terror groups gives access to Russia Today journalist to visit the Tunnel Network. This is the RT on ground report from underneath Gaza. This is the Gaza Metro."
The three minute and 15 seconds clip shows a reporter being lowered in to a tunnel and then walking inside it. Armed Hamas militants are seen sitting crouched inside the tunnel, which has electricity and Hamas posters along its walls.
Click here to view the post.
The post has garnered 3.1 million views on the social media platform till the time of writing this article.
BOOM has previously fact-checked Kaul for sharing an old video and linking it to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Several pro-Israel social media accounts also shared the video, making a similar misleading claim.
Click here to view the post.
Fact Check
BOOM ran a keyword search and found a post on social media platform X that shared the same news report, attributing it to an RT Arabic report dating back to 2021.
Click here to view the post.
We also found RT Arabic's verified X account, where it uploaded the video on June 14, 2021.
The news bulletin was posted with an Arabic caption, stating that it was a ground report from Gaza featuring visuals from the Saraya al-Quds tunnels.
Click here to view the post.
We also found that RT had published a news article in German in 2021 reporting about their correspondent's visit to the tunnels controlled by Hamas at that time.
Dubbed the 'Gaza Metro' by Israeli Defense Forces, the elaborate tunnel network is Hamas's best kept secret and is used for everything from providing shelter to its militia, command posts, stocking electronic devices, weaponry, launching rockets, to holding hostages. Read more about it here.
