New Delhi: In the midst of the escalating tensions between Israel and Palestine, a wave of misinformation has flooded social media platforms, intensifying the confusion and fear already prevalent in the region. Alt News, a trusted fact-checking organization, has diligently examined five viral videos that have been circulating online, each purportedly depicting various aspects of the ongoing conflict. The comprehensive fact-check has provided clarity and dispelled the misleading narratives surrounding these videos.

Claim 1: Evacuation of Airports Near Gaza

One of the viral videos in question was shared by Ashlea Simon, chairperson of the Right-Wing British political party Britain First.

The video showed fighter jets being transported on trucks, accompanied by a claim that the Israeli Defense Forces were evacuating airports near Gaza due to an influx of terrorists. Alt News undertook a thorough reverse image search and found the same footage in a tweet dated September 15, well before the current conflict began on October 7. This evidence established that the video was unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

Claim II: Paratroopers Landing in Israeli Territory

Another video shared by far-Right YouTuber Jackson Hinkle depicted paratroopers descending on a stately building, with the assertion that these were Palestinian fighters landing in Israeli territory.

Alt News investigation led to identify the building as the Egyptian Military Academy. By comparing the video frames with official imagery from the academy's website, Alt News confirmed the video's origin in Egypt, not Israel. 

Claim III: Alleged Kidnapped Jew from Gaza

A video featuring a man and a young girl, claimed to be a kidnapped Jew from Gaza, surfaced on social media, stirring outrage and fear.

The video bore a TikTok watermark belonging to user @izzeddin_masama. Despite the account's deletion, further analysis revealed that the video had been uploaded on September 9, a month before the conflict began on October 7. This information discredited the claim and proved that the video was unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

Claim IV: Fireworks in Gaza After Israeli Air Strikes

Yet another video depicting fireworks illuminating the night sky over a city was misleadingly shared as a celebration in Gaza after Israeli air strikes on Hamas locations. The video bore a TikTok username (@ramiguerfi41) and was connected to the conflict. However, a investigation uncovered that the video was uploaded on September 28, days before the Hamas attack on Israel. The video was not connected to the ongoing conflict, thus refuting the claim made by those sharing it.

Alt News traced the video back to a tweet by former Palestinian authority spokesperson and political analyst Nour Odeh, dated May 13. This finding irrefutably proved that the video was old and not from the ongoing conflict, thus debunking the claim made by Ahmed and others.

 

Claim V: Building Destruction in Gaza

Journalist Sulaiman Ahmed, associated with The Round Table Show, shared a video showcasing a building being destroyed in an airstrike, linking it to the current conflict and reporting casualties.

Alt News traced the video back to a tweet by former Palestinian authority spokesperson and political analyst Nour Odeh, dated May 13. This finding irrefutably proved that the video was old and not from the ongoing conflict, thus debunking the claim made by Ahmed and others.

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Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.

Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.

Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.

An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.

The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.

A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.

Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."

"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.

"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.

A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.