Fact Check | 2023 video from protest in Pakistan shared as 'visuals from Gaza'
The Verdict - Misleading
The video is from a pro-Palestine gathering that was held in Karachi in 2023, where fake body bags were displayed as a symbolic tribute.
What is the claim?
A video of small body bags kept on the floor, with the words "Save Gaza" written on a white sheet, was shared online with a claim that it shows the ones killed during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. A Facebook user shared the video with the caption, "Birds of Jannah From Gaza." Similar posts can be found here, here, and here.
The video started circulating after Israel carried out airstrikes on Gaza on March 19 and 20, 2025, killing at least 85 Palestinians. On March 23, 2025, Israel attacked a hospital, claiming to have killed two Hamas members. Around the same time, Pakistan’s religious political party Jamaat-e-Islami held rallies condemning Israel’s attacks.
However, the video is from 2023 and shows a protest held in Karachi to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
What are the facts?
A reverse image search led us to an X post (archived here), published on November 20, 2023, where the user shared similar visuals and images of small body bags atop a Palestinian flag spread across the street. The post was captioned, "Thousands of Pakistanis gathered at Nishtar Park in #Karachi to show solidarity with #Gaza and #Palestine (sic)."
Using this as a cue, we searched for looked for reports about a protest held at Nishtar Park in Karachi and found images published by the Associated Press (AP) in November 2023.
One AP image is very similar to the visuals in the now-viral video, and according to the caption, the white body bags were laid down to represent Palestinians killed in Israel’s attacks on Gaza in November 2023. The caption added that supporters from Pakistan’s main religious political party participated in the rally. The photograph was attributed to AP news photographer Fareed Khan.
Alamy also published pictures from this rally held in Karachi on November 19, 2023, and attributed those images to the same AP photographer.
In November 2023, several pro-Palestine rallies were held in multiple cities in Pakistan in support of Palestine and against Israel’s strikes on Gaza.
The verdict
Visuals from a symbolic protest held in support of Palestine in November 2023 in Pakistan’s Karachi have been passed off as people killed in Gaza following the recent Israeli airstrikes.
(This story was originally published by logicallyfacts.com, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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“Full prepared..going to win,” Congress MP KC Venugopal ahead of Kerala polls
EC not functioning as a neutral institution: Venugopal
Congress MP K. C. Venugopal on Monday raised concerns over the election schedule announced by the Election Commission of India for the upcoming Kerala Assembly election, questioning the timing of the poll dates and alleging that the schedule leaves limited time for campaigning.
Speaking to news agency ANI in Delhi after the poll panel announced elections in five states and Union Territories, Venugopal said that the Congress and the United Democratic Front (UDF) are fully prepared for the elections and confident of victory. At the same time, he questioned the pattern of dates announced by the Election Commission.
“We are fully prepared, we are going to win the elections... You can see how the Election Commission has set the dates. The first phase of elections is on the 9th, nominations are due until the 23rd, scrutiny is on the 24th, nominations can be withdrawn until the 26th, and after that, there are 11 days for campaigning,” he said.
“As for Kerala, there is Easter and Good Friday in the first week...The Election Commission could have announced the dates earlier... The counting date is on May 4th, so what was the point of holding elections in Kerala so early? What is their intention behind holding elections on the same day in Kerala, Puducherry, and Assam?... We are confident that we will win, but the people of the country are seeing the biased attitude of the Election Commission...,” he added.
He further stated that his party was ready for elections irrespective of the dates announced by the poll body.
“We are going to win the election. India's strategy has been set up. And we are all ready for winning this election. But one thing as far as declaring election, even though they are giving only for five days, we are going to win the election. We have no problem,” he said.
Detailing the poll schedule while questioning the time available for campaigning, he stated, “but you can see the pattern of date which the election commission announced. Yesterday they declared election, and today they notified us. The first phase of election on April 9th, filing of nomination will be over on the 23rd of this month, 24th scrutiny, 26th withdrawal of nomination. After 26, four plus seven, 11 days campaign.”
“As far as Kerala is concerned, April first week is a holy week. The holiday week means, Good Friday is there. Nobody will do anything on Good Friday. Easter is the big festival. These festivals are natural, you have to see that. Among the 11 days, working days, two, three days will go for holidays. Then hardly seven, eight days for campaigning in this election for candidates,” the Congress MP questioned.
The Congress leader said the Election Commission could have announced the dates earlier if there was a need for an early election schedule.
Questioning the urgency behind placing Kerala in the first phase of polling, he added that the counting date is much later.
“Which is the date of counting? Fourth May. Then what is the urgency of putting Kerala in the first phase without giving sufficient time for candidates? And putting Kerala, Puducherry, Assam together, what is the intention behind that?” Venugopal questioned.
He also alleged that the Election Commission was not functioning as a neutral institution.
“The Election commission is completely losing that capacity as a neutral player. You can see 14 of our prime minister's programs over and on the 15th they announce the election, 16th notification comes,” he said.
Venugopal further stated that such tactics would not affect the Congress’ prospects in the election.
“They think that this type of techniques and tactics, because of these techniques and tactics, UDF is going to lose, and Congress is going to lose. This is their complete dream only. This is not going to happen. We are very much confident at any cost, whether they are not giving any time also, we are going to win the election,” he said.
“But the people of India are watching this. The tricks of the election commission. To restrict the campaign, people of India are watching. This I want to bring into the notice of the nation. That's all,” Venugopal said.
The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the schedule for the Kerala Assembly election. Polling in the state will be held in a single phase on April 9 while the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4.
