Dated mosque footage with altered audio shared amid Israel-Hamas conflict
- Published on October 19, 2023 at 22:47
- Updated on October 19, 2023 at 22:55
- 3 min read
- By Natalie WADE, AFP USA
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"Unbelievable scene from Masjid Al Aqsa where thousands of Palestinian(s) have gathered. Pray for Palestine," says an October 8, 2023 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the video circulating online, people can be heard chanting, "Here I am, O Al-Aqsa," in Arabic -- a phrase commonly heard at protests and demonstrations in support of Palestinians.
Similar posts can be found elsewhere on X and other social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, claiming the protest occurred shortly after the latest outbreak of hostilities.
Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
Israel responded with waves of bombings on the Gaza Strip that have killed more than 3,700 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to the latest toll from the Hamas health ministry. Food, water and electricity have been cut to the densely populated enclave.
Social media has been used to document the conflict -- but it has also led to a torrent of misinformation online.
The spread of this clip comes as thousands of protesters poured onto the streets of several Middle East capitals in support of Palestinians.
But the video is not of a demonstration and the audio has been altered.
AFP analyzed several posts sharing the footage and found examples with the username "Fwaz Tobasy" overlayed in the top left corner. A Facebook search uncovered the profile of the user -- who has posted several videos of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound -- a heavily contested holy site that is sacred to both Muslims and Jews.
The account shared the video on April 17, 2023 (archived here).
In the original clip, instead of protest chants, an Islamic call to prayer can be heard.
A keyword search on TikTok uncovered a video posted on the platform on May 15, 2021, that appears to have the same audio as the altered versions circulating online.
@mrnaveed_official#sheikhjarrah#palestine#israel#idf#israelpalestine#freepalestine#justiseforpalestine#plm#fy#fyp#fypシ♬ original sound - Muhammad Naveed
More of AFP's reporting on the Israel-Hamas conflict is available here.
October 19, 2023 The metadata of this article was updated.
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