Youba Tv account joins others ones which took it upon themselves to publish misinformation and rumors against Palestinians during the ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Kashif monitored these accounts content which were very active since October 2023, some of these accounts are: “Hoda Jannat”, “Eddy Cohen”, “Gazawood”, and “qurayesh”. The accounts share and publish fake, fabricated, and misleading images and video that incite against Palestinians.
“Youba TV” describes itself as “an independent Moroccan-Israeli-American online channel” that is interested in “themes of coexistence, humanity, love and solidarity among all people.” The channel has accounts on various social media platforms: YouTube, “X”, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
As for its cover photo on “X”, it is of the flags of the Israeli occupation, the United States of America, and Morocco. In this report, Kashif will focus on the misleading information that the channel publishes on X.
“YoubaTv” account was created on “X” a month after the aggression on the Gaza Strip was launched in November 2023. Since then, it has published more than 3,380 tweets, and is followed by about 8,700 followers at the time of preparing this report. Despite the fact that the number of its followers is not large, the tweets may reach tens of thousands of views.
The account claims to publish facts that the Arab media hides, far from “empty slogans,” as it describes them. However, Kashif’s team verified a group of misleading information that it published. We present to you the most prominent contexts of it:
First: Accusing the people of the Gaza Strip of acting, faking injuries and casulties, and inciting against them.
1. An old video from the activities of the Medical Awareness Day at the Islamic University of Gaza is being republished recently, claiming that it was fabricated and used by the Palestinians to gain sympathy.
Recently, accounts on social media published a video clip showing a group of explosions, what looks like injuries, and cameras in the middle of people gathering around the event. The clip was accompanied by the following claim: “Note the fabrication and lies of the Palestinians to appeal to people’s feelings.”
Kashif verified the video and through reverse search found that it is old and the claim is misleading. The Islamic University of Gaza published a video on its official Facebook page on 18 March 2018 with the following caption: “Watch | Opening of the Medical Awareness Day activities at the Islamic University.”
Kashif’s team compared the circulated video and the one published by the Islamic University in terms of the people, their clothes, the gathering of students, the scene of the incident, and the explosions, and found that the two clips date back to the same event.
2. A video from behind the scenes of the movie “The Covenant” is being reposted with the claim that it is a dramatic clip of a child who was bombed in the Gaza Strip.
“YoubaTv” chane recently published a video clip of a child in the middle of the rubble, with what appears to be blood on his face. The clip was published with the following claim: “Gaza plays, artificial blood, makeup, and actors to gain the world’s sympathy – this play is one of thousands of Hamas films and plays in Gaza, Hamas scenarios and dialogues, and directed and produced by Al Jazeera.”
Kashifverified the video and found it to be from behind the scenes of “The Covenant” movie, which was produced on the occasion of the International Civil Defense Day. It was filmed by photographer Mahmoud Zaqout and published on his Instagram account on 1 March 2022.
3. Old photo reposted recently claiming that it shows Gazans distributing sweets on October 7th.
“YoubaTv” recently posted a photo on X showing a young man distributing sweets to a taxi driver, accompanied by the following claim: “Gaza residents distribute sweets in joy over the Hamas massacre on October 7.”
Kashif verified the first image through a reverse search using the “Google Images” tool and found that it is old and the claim is misleading. The photo was published by the “Prisoners’ News in the Occupation Prisons” page of the Quds Network on 6 September 2021, and the account stated that it dates back to “distributing sweets in Gaza, in celebration of 6 prisoners being able to seize their freedom through a tunnel they dug from the Gilboa Prison.”
Second: The Israeli occupation’s show and intimidation
1. An old video was re-posted recently, claiming that it shows the transfer of thousands of missiles to the north of the occupying state in preparation for war with Hezbollah.
“YoubaTv” recently published on “X” a video clip showing the transfer of B-52H bombers, captioned: “A clip of the transfer of thousands of missiles to the north of the State of Israel in preparation for war.”
Kashif verified the video through reverse image search using the “Google image” tool and found that it is old and the claim to be misleading. It was posted on the US Marines website on 4 July 2024 with the following text: “Airmen assigned to the 705th Munitions Squadron conduct convoy operations during Exercise Prairie Vigilance/Bayou Vigilance 24-3 at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, April 7, 2024.”
2. Two old videos are being re-posted as the Israeli occupation army bombing southern Lebanon.
Recently, accounts on “X” circulated a video clip that includes two scenes showing two planes launching flare bombs, with the claim that the video dates back to the Israeli occupation army’s bombing of southern Lebanon.
Kashif verified the video through reverse image search using the Google Images tool, and found that it consists of two old scenes. The first scene was published by the Gung Ho Vids channel on YouTube on 20 August 2014 titled “AC-130 warplanes launch anti-missile flares.”
The second is an excerpt from a clip published by the “This is Flight” channel on YouTube on 19 June 2021, specifically between 2:25 and 2:34. The channel explained that the video shows “a Polish Air Force C-130 Hercules performing a spectacular display with the launch of flares at the Antidotum 2021 air show.”
Kashif’steam checked the audio of the two original video clips and found that the audio clip of the circulating video is fabricated and does not belong to the two original clips.
3. A video of the Israeli occupation army detaining a group of citizens in Jenin is being republished with the claim that it is a video of Hamas members surrendering to the Israeli army after they emerged from a tunnel in Rafah.
A video clip has spread on “X” showing the detention of a group of citizens, claiming that theyare Hamas members who emerged from a tunnel in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and surrendered to Israeli forces.
Kashif verified the claim and found it to be misleading. Kashif also contacted journalist Amr Manasra, who confirmed that the video shows the Israeli occupation soldiers detaining a group of citizens in the Al-Basatin neighborhood in the city of Jenin during the recent military operation in the city of Jenin and its camp. He added that the citizens who appear in the video were abused by the Israeli occupation soldiers, but they were not arrested.
Third: Polishing the image of the Israeli soldiers.
1. A photo of an Israeli soldier with a child went viral, claiming that the soldier is in the Gaza Strip.
“YoubaTv” account posted a photo on “X” showing an Israeli female soldier shaking hands with a little girl, accompanied by the following claim: “Today in Rafah, a female soldier of God speaks to civilians: We are not fighting you, we are only fighting Hamas terrorists.”
Kashif verified the image through reverse image search using the “Google Images” tool and found that it is old and the claim is misleading. The image was posted by the account “Captain Ayla,” who identifies himself as the head of the Arab Media Office in the Israeli occupation army and deputy commander of the official spokesman unit, on his account on X, on 31 March 2023, captioned: “Present, ready, and the priority is to ensure the safety of residents crossing from Judea and Samaria to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to perform the second Friday prayers of Ramadan. As for the atmosphere – the picture speaks for itself.”
The Israel News Agency also published the same photo on 4 January 2023 in an accompanying report titled: “The Israeli army allows safe passage for Muslims during the month of Ramadan.”
2. An old photo is being republished, claiming that it is of an occupation army doctor treating children in Gaza.
“YoubaTv” recently posted on “X” a photo showing an Israeli army soldier treating a child’s leg. The photo was accompanied by the following claim: “An Israeli military doctor treats the children of Gaza.”
Kashif verified the photo through a reverse image search using the Google Images tool and found that it is old and the claim is misleading. On 11 July 2014, the account “Romi Sade” published a screenshot of a Facebook account called “Tshala – TshabaHaganahLeisherel” which published the photo on 2 September 2013 with the following title: “Last night, during a patrol by a force from the 401st Brigade in Hatamar Ephraim, Sergeant Omar, the company medic, recognized a limping Palestinian boy and went to bandage his leg which had been injured by a nail.”
The “Stand with Us in Arabic” page on Facebook also posted the same photo on 8 November 2018, along with the following text: “The Israeli Defense Forces that you don’t see on Arabic pages and screens.”
Pallywood Campaign
“YoubaTv” account is part of a massive campaign called “ Pallywood ”, in which Israeli accounts and others supporting the Israeli occupation state have intensified the publication of content within it since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip on 7 October 2023.
The term “Pallywood” is an abbreviation of two words: “Palestine” and “Hollywood” and refers to the fact that Palestinians act out scenes showing the Israeli occupation’s aggression against them, specifically in the Gaza Strip, and fake injuries and casualties in order to gain international sympathy.
These accounts publish photos and videos out of context and may be old and not from Palestine in general and Gaza in particular, as photos and videos are more often attributed to the Gaza Strip after October 7th.
Kashif verified dozens of misleading photos and videos published by these accounts, and found out their truth and context.
What’s been happening since 7 October 2023?
On 7 October 2023, Hamas began a military operation called “ Al-Aqsa Flood ,” during which it fired thousands of rockets at the cities surrounding Gaza, reaching Tel Aviv. Approximately 1,200 fighters from the Qassam Brigades, supported by 1,500 other fighters from specialized units, attacked more than 55 military targets in the “Gaza Division” and the southern region of the Israeli occupation army.
In an audio message on 7 October 2023, Mohammed Deif, the commander-in-chief of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said, “In light of these ongoing crimes (the occupation’s crimes) against our people, in light of the occupation’s rampage and its denial of state laws and decisions, in light of American and Western support and international silence, we have decided to put an end to all of this with God’s help, so that the enemy understands that the time has come for it to rampage without being held accountable. We announce the start of Operation Flood of Al-Aqsa.”
The number of Israeli occupation army dead since October 7 has reached 682 officers and soldiers, including 326 since the start of the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on 27 October 2023, according to the latest update from the occupation army. While the number of injured Israeli army has reached 4,147 since the beginning of the aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Since the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip was launced7 October 2023, 38,443 Palestinians were killed and 88,481 were injured, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics .
Children in the Gaza Strip
The number of children killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the aggressionhas reached 16,122, while their number in the West Bank stands at 138.
The number of children injured in the Gaza Strip stands at 6,168, while in the West Bank it reached 660, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Save the Children also confirmed that more than 20,000 Palestinian children are missing in Gaza as a result of the comprehensive war waged by Israel on civilian neighborhoods in the Strip and the repeated displacement of families.
In a related context, Juliette Touma, Director of Media and Communications at UNRWA, explained that more than “600,000 children in Gaza have not been able to go to school since the start of the Israeli war,” noting that a large number of schools have been closed and UNRWA schools have been turned into shelters for the displaced. She added: “This means that if this war continues, we are at risk of losing an entire generation of children .”
Save the Children said last April that children in the Gaza Strip are dying from hunger and disease at the highest rate the world has ever seen.
The Israeli website “ SichaMekomit ” published the testimonies of 6 soldiers in the Israeli occupation army without revealing their names. They agreed that the army gave orders to shoot without limits, and that they fired randomly. One of the soldiers said that “it is permissible to shoot at everyone, whether a child or an old woman. We often heard phrases like: There are no innocents. Why didn’t they flee the battlefield? Why aren’t they in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip?”
