Old video from Istanbul shared as recent amid Israel-Hamas conflict

By: Ankita Kulkarni
October 17 2023

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Screenshots of the claims made online. (Source: X/Facebook/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

What's the claim?

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel. In retaliation, Israel carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and declared war on Hamas. In this context, a video circulating on Facebook (archived here) shows a crowd gathered in a public square at night chanting slogans, with the caption, “Send Turkish soldiers to Gaza!” protesters in Istanbul chant.” 

The video is also viral on X (archived here) with a similar narrative. The post has garnered around 65,300 views on the platform and is also being shared on TikTok (archived here). Other archived versions of the social media posts making the same claim can be viewed here, here, and here.  

Social media posts circulating online. (Source: X/TikTok/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the video was taken in 2021 and is being misattributed to the current Israel-Hamas war. 

What are the facts?

In the top right corner, we can see the watermark text “Muslim Port.” We located the exact video on X (formerly Twitter) from an account with the same name on May 11, 2021. The caption to the post reads, “Mehmetçik to Gaza!... Currently in front of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul.” We can hear the same slogan, “Mehmetçik Gazze'ye'” in both videos. The word “Mehmetçik Gazze'ye'” roughly translates to “send Turkish soldiers to Gaza." Mehmetçik is a term generally used to refer to soldiers of the Turkish Army. 

Comparison between the viral video and the video shared by Muslim Port in 2021. (Source: X/Screenshot)

We located a report published by Reuters on May 11, 2021, that noted thousands gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Ankara and its consulate in Istanbul to protest Israeli actions against Palestinians. It stated that despite the full COVID-19 lockdown, a demonstration was held in Istanbul where Palestinian flags were raised. People chanted slogans of "(Turkish soldiers) to Gaza" and "Down with Israel, down with America.” Reuters added that the protests were held in response to the violent clashes that had escalated in 2021. Gaza health officials stated that at least 20 people, including nine children, were killed in an airstrike launched by Israel after Palestinian militant groups fired rockets near Jerusalem, the report added. 

Logically Facts geolocated the viral video on Google Maps and found that the video clip was filmed at Cömert Sk No:1 street in Istanbul near the Israeli consulate. We can see the same buildings and trees in the 360-degree view of the street.

Comparison of the viral video and the location on Google Maps (Source: X/Google Maps)

Other videos from the protest were also shared on Facebook by Habertürk, a leading Turkish newspaper, on May 16, 2021, albeit from a different angle. We hear the same slogan “Mehmetçik Gazze'ye.'” The caption reads, “Protest against Israeli attacks in Istanbul: Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Israeli Consulate General and chanted the slogan 'Turkish soldiers to Gaza' (translated from Turkish)."

Euro News also reported regarding the protest on May 11, 2021, noting that the crowd gathered at the Israeli consulate in Istanbul and chanted slogans of “Turkish soldiers to Gaza" holding Palestinian flags. 

Therefore, from the above evidence, we can establish that the now-viral video has been on the internet since 2021 and is unrelated to the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

The verdict

The viral video shows protests held in 2021 near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, with people chanting, “Send our soldiers to Gaza,” in response to the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2021. It is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Therefore, we have marked the claim as misleading.