On October 25, 2023, Georgian-language Facebook users (1, 2) disseminated posts claiming that Israel targeted and bombarded thirsty children gathered near a water tank in the Gaza Strip. According to one of the users, Israel turned on the water supply to Gaza’s water for a couple of hours precisely to achieve similar goals. The posts are accompanied by a video taken from a military drone showing footage of the bombing.
The claims voiced by the Georgian-language Facebook users are false and contain elements of video manipulation. In fact, the video was shot in Sudan and shows the destruction of one of the units of the rebel military group “Rapid Support Forces” by the Sudanese army.
The video was actually shot in Sudan. It was first published on October 12-13 on the Facebook page Al-Jazeera’s Sudan service and online media X (formerly Twitter) accounts (1, 2, 3.). According to the description of the video, it was filmed in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and the footage shows the Sudanese army destroying a Rapid Support Force (RSF) unit while they were at a fuel tank.
The video has been circulating on other social networks with incorrect descriptions, which is why it was verified by the Arab fact-checking organization and an Indian media.
Based on the information received from the media, it was possible to find the place shown in the video on Google Maps and it was determined that it is indeed located in Khartoum.
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Photo from the viral video |
Photo from Google Maps |
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What is happening in Sudan?
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary group “Rapid Support Forces (RSF)” began in April 2023. Their leaders, Generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, were initially allies; however, during the process of negotiating the integration of the “RSF” into the country’s army, the situation became tense, which led to the start of an armed conflict. According to the United Nations, the conflict caused the forced displacement of almost a million people in the first month alone.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, “Myth Detector” debunked a number of false and manipulative claims on the topic.
About the Sources:
Lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili often publishes posts with anti-Western, anti-Ukrainian, and anti-opposition content. Since the emergence of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, the user has been spreading disinformation regularly. False information spread by Zakareishvili has been debunked by “Myth Detector” many times in the past.
The Facebook account Maia Tvaltvadze regularly publishes posts with anti-Western, anti-vax content, as well as conspiracy theories. “Myth Detector” has fact-checked the false information spread by Tvaltvadze many times in the past.
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