2015 image of injured Arab-Israeli journalist falsely linked to war in Gaza

By: Umme Kulsum
November 7 2023

Share Article:

Screenshots of posts circulating online claiming to show a journalist reporting after being hit in the face by an Israeli grenade in East Jerusalem during the ongoing war. (Source: X/Facebook/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

What’s the claim?

A photo of a journalist reporting live with a bandage on the left side of her head and face is circulating on social media with a claim that she was back reporting after being attacked by an Israeli grenade in East Jerusalem. One X (formerly Twitter) post shared the image with a caption, “Journalist Hana (Hanna) Mahameed back on screen after being hit in the face by an ISRAELI GRENADE in East Jerusalem. Was Hamas hiding in her face?” This post had gathered about two million views and 30,000 shares at the time of writing this story. An archived version of the post can be accessed here.

The photo is also viral on other prominent social media platforms with similar narratives, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, and here.

Screenshot of claims made online (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

What we found 

Logically Facts found that the image dates back to 2015 and has nothing to do with the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

A reverse image search led us to a report published by The Guardian that carried a video with the same visuals as the viral photo, which could be seen at the 0.07 timestamp. According to The Guardian, on October 5, 2015, Hanna Mahameed, a TV reporter working with the Lebanese network Al-Mayadeen TV, had appeared on screen after suffering a close-range injury to her face from a stun grenade that was reportedly fired by Israeli police during a skirmish with Palestinian demonstrators in East Jerusalem. The report also included a video that showed Mahameed in pain after suffering injuries and being rescued from the spot, and then reappearing on screen with most of her face bandaged.

Screenshot of the video footage published in The Guardian (Source: The Guardian/Screenshot)

We also found many media networks that covered this story in 2015. The photo showing the journalist reporting with her head and face bandaged had also gone viral on social media in 2015, with many praising the journalist’s courage and dedication.

We also found a report by Haaretz published in August 2016. According to the report, the incident took place when Mahameed was covering the riots outside the home of Fadi Alloun, a 19-year-old who was shot dead by Israeli police after he stabbed and wounded a 15-year-old Israeli boy. The report further stated that the Israeli Justice Ministry had closed the case against the police officer who was accused of launching a stun grenade at Mahameed, as it was unable to identify the offending officer.

The verdict

A 2015 photo of an Arab-Israeli journalist appearing with her face and head bandaged, after being injured in the face while reporting live during a clash between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters, has been shared as recent.