Egyptian clothing factory fire falsely linked to Middle East war
- Published on April 14, 2026 at 08:59
- 3 min read
- By Ramadani SAPUTRA, AFP Indonesia
Civilian infrastructure like hospitals and ambulances have been targets in the Middle East conflict triggered by joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, but a video of a building ablaze shared online does not show an Israeli strike on an Iranian medical facility. The clip, which surfaced shortly after a ceasefire announcement in early April, in fact shows a fire at an Egyptian clothing factory just before the war broke out.
"Viral, a hospital in Iran was struck by an Israeli missile, reportedly killing 1,103 patients inside the hospital," reads Indonesian-language text over a TikTok video shared on April 8, 2026.
The clip of crowds watching thick black smoke billowing from a warehouse-like building has racked up more than 281,000 views.
Peace negotiations between the United States and Iran in Pakistan fell apart on April 12, with the US delegation -- led by Vice President JD Vance -- blaming Iran's refusal to give up its nuclear programme and Tehran hitting out at "maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade" (archived link).
US President Donald Trump has since declared a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which he said would only apply to vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said its security forces had full control over the strait and warned enemies would be trapped in a "deadly vortex" in case of any "wrong move".
The war in the Middle East has dragged on for six weeks, with the UN condemning widespread international law violations in the conflict, which has killed and injured thousands of civilians (archived link).
The joint statement by the heads of multiple UN agencies called out the targeting of hospitals, health workers and ambulances, as well as other civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants.
The video of the fire has also spread with similar claims it shows a strike on an Iranian hospital on Facebook and Instagram.
However, the video surfaced online more than a week before the Middle East war broke out and shows a fire in Egypt.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes of the falsely shared video led to a similar, higher-quality clip on TikTok uploaded on February 21, 2026 (archived link).
The video's caption, written in both Arabic and French, states the large fire broke out on February 19 at a clothing factory in a city called 6th of October, located in Egypt's Giza, injuring 25 people.
Subsequent searches also found a video matching the falsely shared clip uploaded to Facebook by the London-based Arabi21 media outlet on February 22, with the post also stating it shows the fire at the "Future" clothing factory in the 6th of October city (archived here).
Similar visuals of the smoking factory, as well as a sign reading "Future Fashion", can also be seen in a report about the fire by Egyptian newspaper Youm7 (archived link).
A search for the Future Fashion factory on Google Maps led to a photo showing the same building, geotagged to an automotive business near the facility in 6th of October city (archived link).
AFP has debunked a wave of misinformation triggered by the war in the Middle East here.
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