Photo does not show a British general killed in Gaza
- Published on February 8, 2024 at 14:51
- Updated on February 8, 2024 at 15:13
- 3 min read
- By AFP Middle East & North Africa
- Translation and adaptation Mary KULUNDU
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A Nigerian Facebook user shared an image of a white man in fatigues sitting in a military vehicle on January 21, 2024.
"Major shock in London and Tel Aviv: British General Alexander Emmanuel, leader of the 'Claw' battalion participating in the Gaza war, is killed," reads the caption.
The post further claims that "Alexander was a hero of the Iraq war and a member of the battalion that captured President Saddam Hussein".
The claim was repeated on the same Facebook account, as well as in posts from Algeria and the UK (here and here).
AFP Fact Check already debunked the false report in Arabic.
Gaza war
The Gaza war started with Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures (archived here).
Militants also seized around 250 hostages. Israel says 132 remain in Gaza, of whom 29 are believed to have died.
In response, Israel has carried out a relentless offensive that has killed more than 27,800 Palestinians, mostly women, children and adolescents, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry.
Days after the Hamas attack, the British government announced the deployment of military equipment for maritime and air surveillance to deliver "practical support" to Israel and "ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation" (archived report).
But the posts claiming to show a British general named Alexander Emmanuel allegedly killed in Gaza are false.
Unrelated image
A reverse image search reveals that the picture dates back to 2008 and shows a British corporal called John Horn after his return from Iraq.
AFP Fact Check located it in the archives of Getty Images, which attributes it to UK photo agency PA Images (archived here).
The image shows the soldier next to a woman, who was cropped out in the post we are debunking.
According to the caption, photographer Andrew Milligan took the image on December 12, 2008, in Bad Fallingbostel, Germany.
"Corporal John Horn, an operator on a challenger tank from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, with fiance Laura Mcgee at the Wessex Barracks in Bad Fallingbostel, Germany, after returning from Iraq," it says.
A keyword search on PA Images revealed the same images alongside others from different angles (archived here).
There is no evidence of British soldiers participating in the ground offensive in Gaza.
Additionally, a search for a British general named "Alexander Emmanuel" brings no results from any credible sources.
AFP Fact Check has contacted the UK Ministry of Defence for comment and will update this debunk in case of a reply.
Britain and the United States are carrying out strikes targeting Yemen's Huthi rebels, who in November 2023 began targeting ships in the Red Sea they claimed were linked to Israel -- attacks the rebels said were in support of Palestinians in Gaza (archived here).
The Red Sea is a key shipping transit route, which carries up to 12 percent of global trade.
Read more fact-checks related to the Gaza war here.
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