Social media accounts shared an image of a Palestinian police officer, claiming that he was a member of the Palestinian Authority police force in the Gaza Strip, following the announcement of a ceasefire. The image was accompanied by the following caption: “A photo from a circulating video showing a police officer from the Palestinian Authority in the streets of Gaza, shortly after the ceasefire announcement.”
One source of the claim also circulated a video of the police officer, along with a statement attributed to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which read: “The deployment of Palestinian police in the Gaza Strip to enforce control, collect weapons from terrorists and gangs, and restore security to the region.”
Kashif verified the claim via “Google Images” and found that it was misleading. The video actually shows a police officer from the Ministry of the Interior under Hamas’s government in the Gaza Strip, not from the Palestinian Authority.
The video was posted by photographer Mohammad Al-Sha’ar on Instagram on 19/1/2025, with the caption: “The Palestinian police begin their deployment on the streets of the Gaza Strip.”
In a statement published on X on 19/1/2025, Government Media Office Director Ismail Al-Thawabta confirmed that thousands of Palestinian police officers were deployed as part of a government plan to maintain security and order across Gaza’s governorates.
Kashif’s team also contacted Palestinian police spokesperson Colonel Louay Arzeqat, who denied the claim and confirmed that the Palestinian Authority’s police forces are not present in the Gaza Strip.
Additionally, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s religious and Islamic affairs advisor, Mahmoud Al-Habbash, denied the statement attributed to President Abbas about the deployment of security forces in Gaza, emphasizing that the president had not made any such declaration.
It is important to note that since 2007, the Palestinian territories have been politically and geographically divided, with the Gaza Strip being governed by Hamas and the West Bank by the Palestinian Authority.
A report published by the BBC on 21/1/2025, stated that the Palestinian Authority decided, on 16/1/2025—one day after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement—to form a crisis cell to operate in Gaza. The cell was to include all service ministries to work in the first 100 days following the implementation of the agreement. The Palestinian Authority’s statements did not mention Hamas or any cooperation with them.
The ceasefire agreement between the Israeli occupation and Hamas in Gaza came into effect on Sunday, 19/1/2025, after Israel announced the receipt of the names of three detainees who were released on the same day. The Israeli military also released 90 female prisoners and children from Ofer Prison, southwest of Ramallah, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
| Sources of Claim | Sources of Verification |
Nizam Mansour Ask Ramallah & Al Bireh King Hussein Bridge Allenby Bridge (Al Karameh Crossing) Ask Zaid Al Hajri | mhmadalshaer11 Ismail Al-Thawabtah, spokesman for the Palestinian police, Colonel Louay Arziqat, advisor to the Palestinian president for religious affairs and Islamic relations, Mahmoud Al-Habbash , Anadolu Agency , BBC, Middle East, Shehab Agency |