Since October 7th 2023, a global campaign titled “Pallywood” which is a term combined of the words (Palestine + Hollywood) and used to manipulate, fabricate, and doubt Palestinians’ deaths and injuries, was relaunched.
The term, Pallywood, first came into light in 2000 after the killing of Mohammad Al-Durra, and after a controversy in the global media around the killing of AlDurra, and doubting the event and facts.
Today, with the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, several pro-Israel social media, Israeli and international, accounts take part in the campaign by sharing video clips and images that cast doubt on the Palestinian narrative, accusing Palestinians of faking deaths and injuries.
Kashif Observatory monitored a number of these accounts over the past period, and its team verified and investigated posts that were used out of context, following are some of these accounts:
1- @Israel account on X, formerly Twitter, is Israel’s official account on the platform, run by a diplomatic digital team at the Israeli foreign ministry, and is followed by 1.5 million.
The account published a fragmented image that shows a security member’s baton in the Indonesian hospital with the following claim: “Footage of Hamas terrorists inside the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza. Hamas endangers the sick, Hamas endangers the elderly, Hamas endangers children, Hamas endangers the innocent civilians. Remember that.”
Fact: Kashif verified the claim and found that what can be seen in the video is a rubber baton of one of the hospitals’ security members, and is used to dismantle arguments and provide security and calm among the injured and displaced due to the large numbers in the hospital.
Verification link: A video circulating with a claim that it expose terrorist militants from inside the Indonesian hospital
2- The Jerusalem Post account, @Jerusalem_post, on X is the official account of the English-speaking Israeli newspaper, followed by 750K.
The newspaper published a video clip of a Palestinian child captioned: “Al-Jazeera posts blurred doll, claims it to be a dead Palestinian”.
Fact: The child who appears in the video is Mohammad Al-Zahhar who was killed in an Israeli strike on his family’s home in Al-Mighraqa area north of the Nusirat camp in the Gaza Strip after the truce ended.
Verification link: Real video of a killed infant in Gaza circulates claiming it’s of a doll
3- EdyCohen account on X, @EdyCohen, a prominent Arabic-speaking Israeli journalist, and followed by 670K, the majority of them are from the Arab league. The account is significantly active on daily basis.
Cohen published a video of a girl wearing a white coat, medical coat, claiming to be in the Al-Shifa Hospital and speaking in English: “I can’t believe I’m doing this but the world has to know, has to know, has to know, what Hamas is making here, taking over the entire hospital, they’re taking over the fuel, the medicine, I have nothing to treat with, I had to fix a fracture for a five-year-old boy without morphine because Hamas took it to themselves, ya allah, please if you hear me.. please leave, run away, don’t stay here please”. Then she speaks in Arabic: “people get out of here get out of Al-Shifa.”
Fact: The video and the claim are misleading. The woman is not a nurse or a doctor at Al-Shifa Hospital according to the director of the hospital, a female doctor and two journalists.
Verification link: A fabricated video of a woman claiming to be a nurse at Al-Shifa Hospital and alleging Hamas control has circulated on social media
4- Eli David account on X, @DrEliDavid, introduces himself as “Researcher, Lecturer, Entrepreneur & Investor | Co-Founder at @DeepInstinctSec| Top 100 Most Influential Twitter Accounts | All opinions are my own.
David published a video of a group of people lying on the ground, wearing shrouds, one of them appears to open his eyes, with the following caption: “Another miracle! Praise the Lord!”
Fact: the video is old, and was published before the events of October 7th. Using the reverse search feature and searching in public sources Kashif found that the video was first published in 19 August 2023 by “metjetak17” account in TikTok. The video was published by “myraudahhq” on Instagram on 31 August 2023, stating it’s a workshop on managing funerals.
Verification link: Old video from August re-published as Palestinians faking their funerals in the Gaza Strip
5- Yoseph Haddad’s account on X, @YosephHadad, describes himself as a social advocate and the CEO of the “Arabs Together for Each Other” association. He has more than 220,000 followers on X, and 767,000 followers on Instagram.
Haddad posted a video from inside the Indonesian hospital with the claim: “Live broadcast from Al Jazeera, showing armed terrorists inside the hospital in Gaza.
Fact: Kashif verified the claim and found it misleading, as Kashif broke down the video and obtained a set of images showing that what appears in the video is a rubber stick, which is used by security personnel inside the hospital, in case of any disturbance and to ensure protection and calm among the injured and displaced civilians inside the hospital.
Verification link: A video circulating with a claim that it expose terrorist militants from inside the Indonesian hospital
6- GAZAWOOD –the PALLYWOOD saga account on X,@GAZAWOOD1, which was created in October 2023 and followed by 7500 accounts, is one of the most published accounts of real videos and images as fake.
The account published a video clip of a child lying on the ground and surrounded by flattened boxes with the claim that the Palestinian child from Gaza is acting.
Fact: the child is from Afghanistan, not Gaza. “ashiyaana.angels” account in Instagram published the video on 16 January 2023: “we changed this child’s life forever. She’s no longer begging and will start her school soon.”
Verification link: video of an Afghan child shared online by a donations group reshared by the Pallywood campaign.
The account published a video of a child sitting at a table and selling cakes in Gaza in the middle of the rain, accompanied by several allegations, including: “#Pallywood 101, they took a small terrorist in the rain with an umbrella claiming that he has no home as a result of the IDF bombings and that he is “collecting money for his family. Acting, directing just like a good movie. ….I’m singing in the rain.”
Fact: The video is misleading. The videographer, Sami Al-Sultan, said that he took this video on Saturday, 27 January 2024, while passing through the Deir Al-Balah market near Al-Baraka roundabout, where he saw the child Abdullah Shalmakh sitting behind a table with some cakes in front of him, coinciding with the heavy rain, as Shalmakh and his family work selling cakes in the middle of the market in Deir al-Balah to provide a source of livelihood after they were displaced from Gaza City.
Verification link: Real video of a child selling cakes in the rain spread with the claim it is staged
7- Leonskee’s account on X, @Leonskee, describes itself as “a husband, father, atheist, and traveler,” and that he stands with Ukraine and Israel. He is followed by nearly 7,000 interactive followers, and continuously publishes videos within the Pallywood campaign.
The account published a video clip of a mother embracing her two killed children with the title: “New dolls have arrived in Gaza for propaganda!” Hamas terrorists must be eliminated and destroyed!”
Fact: Kashif contacted the mother of the twins, Mrs. Rania Youssef Abu Anza, who confirmed the death of her husband, Wissam Abu Anza, and her twin in the bombing of their house east of the city of Rafah, near the Mall of Arabia, on Saturday, 2 March 2024. Mrs. Abu Anza confirmed to Kashif that she had given birth to twins after a successful transplant at the Hala Specialized Center in Gaza City after nearly 10 years of marriage. She provided the Observatory with a picture of her husband and two children before they were killed.
Verification link: Real video of mother embracing her killed twin in Israeli strike shared as dolls.
The same account posted a video of a group of worshipers, including a young man who stopped praying and asked people to help him, suggesting that it was a staged scene within the Pallywood campaign. The comment came in English: “And. . . .action #pallywood.”
Fact: Kashif verified the claim and found it to be misleading. The videographer, Adly Abu Taha, confirmed to Kashif that he was covering the return marches in Gaza in 2018. He added that the Israeli occupation forces opened fire randomly, wounding the young man in the foot.
Verification link: Video from the march of return 2018 republished as a part of the “Pallywood”.
“Leonskee” account also published a video of citizen Khaled Al-Nabhan’s farewell to his granddaughter Reem, claiming that it was a doll and not real.
Fact: Gazan grandfather Khaled Nabhan embracing and kissing his granddaughter Reem, who was killed along with her brother Tariq in an Israeli occupation’s bombing of their grandfather’s house.
Verification link: Real video of a grandfather kissing his killed granddaughter in Gaza is re-published with the claim that the child is a doll.
8. “Daniel” account on X, @VoteLewko, has more than 6,500 followers.Daniel introduces himself on his LinkedIn page as a specialist in communications technology and has a master’s degree from the University of Wollongong in Australia.
The account posted a video of a play in front of the White House in Washington, claiming that it was of Palestinians faking their injury and death.
Fact: The video is from a protest demonstration in front of the White House organized by activist Hizami Barmada, simulating the targeting of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Bermada posted the video on her Instagram account, explaining that US President Joe Biden, the US Congress and others not only support the war, but also benefit from it financially and politically. She also explained that this demonstration is part of an artistic activity movement in which about 700 volunteers participate.
Verification link: Video of a protest demonstration in front of the White House reshared with the claim it is Palestinians faking their injuries and deaths in the Gaza Strip