Video of caged children predates recent fighting in Israel and Gaza

By: Sam Doak
October 9 2023

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Context

On October 7, 2023, combatants affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad breached Israeli border defenses. According to currently available information, over 700 Israelis have been killed, a number largely comprised of civilian casualties. In the days that followed, Israeli armed forces have carried out retaliatory strikes targeting locations across the Gaza Strip. This has also resulted in the deaths of many civilians, with current estimates putting the death toll at over 400.

In the wake of recent fighting, a video has circulated widely on social media. It shows five young children in what appears to be a cage designed to hold animals. On social media, some have claimed that this footage shows Israeli children captured by Palestinian fighters. One such user, writing on X, stated, “SAVAGE ANIMALS Hamas Terrorists  They have kept Kidnapped Israeli children in cages. These BARBARIAN SCUM NEED TO BE ELIMINATED FROM FACE OF THE EARTH #IsraelUnderAttack.”

Conversely, some social media users have shared this clip, claiming it shows Palestinian children being held by Israelis. One such post, which has been reshared over 2,800 times on X, claims, “These children of Palestine are imprisoned by Israel and Palestine.”

Despite the viral competing claims that have arisen through the sharing of this video, Logically Facts has determined that it was recorded prior to the recent violence. 

In fact

While the original post containing this video appears to have been deleted, the fact-checking outlet FakeReporter has shared a screenshot of this clip, which was posted on TikTok on October 4, 2023. This was days before the recent outbreak of violence, which commenced on October 7.

While social media users have offered a range of theories concerning where this video originated, Logically Facts has only been able to determine that it predates the recent fighting between. There is no evidence that the children shown are captives of either Israeli or Palestinian forces.

In the version of this video that is widely circulating, a man can be heard laughing and speaking in Arabic. When conducting its analysis, the Danish fact-checking outlet Tjekdet noted that this element of the video’s audio has been edited in, and is not part of the original recording. As is clear from other TikTok videos, this particular recording has previously been used in a similar way in edits of clips deemed humorous.

In its coverage of this video, the Spanish fact-checking outlet Maldita.es consulted an academic who stated that the language used in the added audio "is the 'khaleeji' dialect typical of the Gulf area" and that the accent is not typical of a native Palestinian Arabic speaker. Maldita.es was also able to uncover further screenshots suggesting that this video predates October 7, and a further video uploaded by the same TikTok user showing the same children.

The verdict

While the original context behind this video is currently unclear, it predates the outbreak of violence that occurred on October 7, 2023. There is no evidence that the children shown were held by either Israeli or Palestinian forces. This claim has therefore been marked as false.