By: Iryna Hnatiuk
April 18 2024
No, this footage does not show Palestinians celebrating Iran's attack
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The video was filmed before the attack and shows a Ramadan celebration.
Claim ID 71921daa
Context
After Iran attacked Israel on April 13 in retaliation for its attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, misleading videos and images started circulating on social media. Among them is a viral video showing people singing and celebrating at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the overlapping text says, “The joy and support of the Palestinian people for Iran’s direct action against the Zionist regime.”
However, what was presented to users as a celebration of Iran's attack on Israel was actually a gathering for prayer during Ramadan, and the video appeared online a week before the attack.
In fact
A reverse image search led us to an identical video published online on April 5, a week before the Iranian attack. It shows scenes of Palestinians gathering in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. The text part of the publication on X reads, "Young men chanting in support of Gaza and the Palestinian Authority. Resistance after performing the dawn prayer on the last Friday of Ramadan in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque."
The same video was published on April 5, 2024, a week before the attack. (Source: X/Screenshot)
The video went viral with this misleading context following Iran’s attack on Israel on Saturday evening, April 13. Iran reportedly fired over two hundred drones and missiles into Israel, as confirmed by an Israeli army spokesperson.
This year, Ramadan, the sacred month for Muslims, started on March 12 and lasted until April 9. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Qibli Mosque or Qibli Chapel, is the main congregational mosque or prayer hall in the mosque compound located in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The verdict
The footage showing people chanting near Al-Aqsa Mosque was filmed before Iran attacked Israel and appeared on social media on April 5. The gathering in the video is not related to celebrating the attack but to the dawn prayer during Ramadan. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.