Fact check: Viral video doesn't show Hamas staging child's funeral

Daniel Funke, USA TODAY
·4 min read

The claim: A video shows Hamas staging a funeral for a child amid its ongoing conflict with Israel

At least 103 people, including 27 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, a militant Palestinian organization. But on social media, some say Hamas officials are making the violence seem worse than it is.

A video published May 10 on Facebook shows people carrying a stretcher on a street during what appears to be a funeral procession. Later in the clip, the pallbearers scatter and the person on the stretcher stands up and runs away.

The caption says: "hamas tried to make a false funeral for a kid for tv... and than israel started to strike back... look what happend (sic)."

The video, which has more than 3,500 views, is one of several widely viewed clips that have circulated online this week as Israel and Hamas trade missile fire over escalating tensions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The violence comes after the Israeli government blocked gatherings of Palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and moved to evict Palestinians from a neighborhood in East Jerusalem.

More: Amid warnings of a 'full scale war,' Biden administration dispatches envoy to Middle East

But the clip in the Facebook post doesn't show Hamas staging a funeral for a child. The video traces back to a fake funeral that took place last year in Jordan, as other independent fact-checking organizations have pointed out. There's no evidence casualties in the Gaza Strip have been fabricated.

USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the video for comment.

Clip shows fake funeral in Jordan

The video in the Facebook post has been around since last spring — long before this week's fighting in Israel and the Gaza Strip. The clip shows a funeral that was staged in Jordan near the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Al Roeya, a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, reported in March 2020 that the video had gone viral on Twitter. The clip shows young people holding a fake funeral as a ruse to leave their homes and get around Jordan's coronavirus restrictions, according to Al Roeya and other Arabic-language news outlets.

More: Graphics show rising violence as Israelis use airstrikes against Palestinian rocket attacks

In mid-March 2020, the Jordanian government closed schools, borders and gatherings in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The restrictions were followed by a brief total lockdown, during which people weren't allowed to leave their homes — even for essential trips.

In the video of the fake funeral, a siren blares in the background as the purported pallbearers drop the stretcher. A laugh can also be heard, hinting at the fact that the clip isn't meant to be taken seriously.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.
Update your settings here to see it.

USA TODAY and other fact-checkers could find no evidence that the deaths of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been staged.

The estimated death toll of 103 comes from the Gaza health ministry. Israel says it has carried out airstrikes on Hamas military installations. Images from the Gaza Strip show the destruction caused by those airstrikes.

Our rating: False

The claim that a video shows Hamas staging a funeral for a child amid its ongoing conflict with Israel is FALSE, based on our research. In fact, the clip shows young people holding a fake funeral to get around Jordan's coronavirus restrictions in March 2020. There's no evidence that Palestinian deaths have been fabricated.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Hamas didn't stage funeral, as viral video claims

Recommended Stories

  • Prince Harry’s broadside leaves senior royals bemused over his ‘woeful lack of compassion'

    The Duke of Sussex’s broadside about the Prince of Wales has left senior royals bemused over his “woeful lack of compassion” for his own family, The Telegraph understands. All three royal households were seemingly left reeling on Friday by the Duke’s suggestion that he had been failed not only by his own father but through association, by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh too. One senior aide said it seemed “unnecessarily cruel” to “throw others under the bus” whilst trying to make a point about mental health. Another royal source said: “For a couple that have been at pains to set out their compassionate principles, they seem woefully lacking when it comes to their own family. “It’s not just the Prince of Wales but the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as well. “It has been met with utter bemusement.” There was particular bewilderment over Prince Harry’s implicit criticism of his grandparents, not least just a month after the Duke of Edinburgh’s death. Questions were also raised about the Duke and Duchess’s continued use of their royal titles. And aside from the highly personal content, royal sources suggested that the family was disappointed by the foul language used during the expletive-strewn 90-minute interview.

  • Rep. Greene's combative behavior could spark ethics review

    A year before her election to Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene searched for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at her Capitol office, taunting the New York Democrat to “get rid of your diaper” and “talk to the American citizens,” as shown in video unearthed Friday by CNN. The Georgia Republican continued: “If you want to be a big girl, you need to get rid of your diaper and come out and be able to talk to the American citizens." Two men appear along with her in the video, also mocking Ocasio-Cortez and her staff through the mail slot.

  • US sending new aid to Palestinians as conflict intensifies

    The Biden administration notified Congress this week that it will send millions of dollars in U.S. assistance to the Palestinians aimed at promoting peace with Israel even as violence between the two sides rages. As the conflict intensifies despite U.S. calls for restraint, the administration notified Congress on Thursday that it will provide $10 million to Palestinian groups in the West Bank and Gaza to support exchange and reconciliation projects with Israelis. The State Department said Friday that the money is part of more than $100 million that the administration allocated to the Palestinians earlier this year, reversing a near total cutoff in support under former President Donald Trump.

  • Target, Starbucks, and other retailers may face a 'horrible' new wave of confrontations over masks following updated CDC rules

    The CDC relaxed guidelines around wearing masks for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Critics say it leaves retail businesses in a tricky position.

  • Dave Bautista says his 'Blade Runner 2049' performance finally made Hollywood 'see past my physicality'

    "I want to be a better actor. I want to do some drama. People would kind of giggle at me," Bautista said before landing the 'Blade Runner' role.

  • IRA killers behind deaths of 500 UK soldiers escaped justice despite veterans facing ‘witch hunt’

    The terrorists behind the killings of more than 500 British soldiers during the Troubles have escaped justice, an analysis of historic murders shows, fueling anger over the continued pursuit of veterans through the courts. A trawl of reported deaths of troops both in Northern Ireland and on the mainland shows that authorities failed to catch or else prosecute the killers in the vast majority of cases. In total, according to The Telegraph’s analysis, the murders of 516 soldiers went unpunished. Police and prosecutors secured convictions in just 71 cases, while in an additional five killings, the convictions were subsequently overturned on appeal. Veterans have repeatedly complained that they are being unfairly pursued through the courts for deaths as long as half a century ago, while terrorist suspects are no longer under scrutiny. Lawyers and politicians have argued that soldiers are currently disproportionately much more likely to face prosecution, not least because the Ministry of Defence (MoD) kept paperwork for all shootings committed by troops sent to Northern Ireland to keep the peace. Last week, two soldiers - known only as Soldier A and Soldier C - walked free from court after they were acquitted of the murder of Joe McCann, an Official IRA commander, who was shot and killed in 1971. Theirs was the first so-called ‘legacy’ trial, although others are in the pipeline.

  • What you need to know before going to Pimlico

    Jason Newton explains what you need to know before you go to Pimlico Race Course.

  • CVS worker forged COVID vaccine cards so kids could go to school in New York, cops say

    Police said the man told them, “I sell the cards to kids, so they can go to school.”

  • ‘I Wanted Trump to Win’: Husband Charged in Wife’s Murder Also Used Her Name to Vote

    Chaffee County Sheriff’s OfficeFive months after Suzanne Morphew vanished without a trace while out on a bike ride last Mother’s Day, the Chaffee County Clerk’s Office in Colorado received a bizarre notification: a mail-in ballot for the 2020 election had been submitted under her name.When a Chaffee County sergeant went to the clerk’s office to check out the ballot, he saw that it had been handwritten and dated Oct. 15, 2020—and included the signature of her husband, Barry Lee Morphew, on the witness line.But according to an arrest affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast, authorities did not question the 53-year-old dad about his alleged voter fraud until April 22, just days before he was charged with first-degree murder and a slew of other crimes in connection with his wife’s disappearance.“I wanted Trump… to win,” Morphew told FBI agents when questioned about submitting his wife’s voting ballot. “I just thought, give him… another vote. I figured all these other guys are cheating.”‘A Terrible Thing’: Husband of Colorado Mom Who Vanished on Mother’s Day Charged With MurderMorphew added that he knew his wife “was going to vote for Trump anyway” and insisted he didn’t know you couldn’t vote on behalf of “your spouse.” Investigators also noted in the affidavit that Morphew submitted his own mail-in ballot at the same time.But authorities believe Morphew intentionally took advantage of his wife’s disappearance to ensure another vote for the former president. On Thursday night, prosecutors charged him with one felony count of forgery of public records and one misdemeanor count of elections-mail-ballot offense.While his bond was set at $1,000 for the new charges, Morphew is already being held without bail on the charges in connection with his wife’s May 10, 2020 disappearance. Investigators, however, have still not found the mother of two, and have thus kept Morphew’s arrest affidavit under seal since his May 5 arrest.The Chaffee County District Court is expected to unseal the affidavit as early as May 27 in a case that has garnered national attention and confounded investigators for months. Authorities began an investigation into Suzanne Morphew’s disappearance on May 10 after a neighbor reported she did not return home from a bike ride. For days, local and federal authorities conducted an exhaustive search over the 2.5-mile area near her Maysville, Colorado home. Police now believe that a “certain scenario” occurred near her home that resulted in the discovery of her bike—but not her body.How Cops Took Down an Alleged Tree-Trimming Serial Killer Mid-MurderOn May 17, Morphew, who was reportedly out of town the day his wife went missing, released a video pleading for her safe return alongside a social-media campaign to aid in the investigation. He also offered a $200,000 reward for information about her whereabouts.“Oh Suzanne, if anyone is out there that can hear this, that has you, please, we’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back. We love you. We miss you. The girls need you. No questions asked. However much they want, I will do whatever it takes to get you back. Honey, I love you. I want you back so bad,” he said in the May video.Despite Morphew’s public pleas for his wife, questions began to surface about his possible role in her disappearance, including reports that he had scrubbed his Denver hotel room clean around the same time she went missing. Morphew, however, denied the claims.“People don’t know the truth, so they’re gonna think what they’re gonna think,” Morphew said in one rare August interview with Fox21 before insisting that unfair media coverage of his wife’s case made him out to be a villain.Morphew also slammed the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office during the interview, stating he believed the local authorities “screwed this whole [investigation] up from the beginning and now they are trying to cover it up and blame it on me.” A lawyer for Morphew did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

  • Driver catches fire after hoarded gas in vehicle explodes during chase, SC cops say

    The driver told deputies “that she was transporting several containers of fuel that she was hoarding in the trunk.”

  • Rep. Eric Swalwell slams Marjorie Taylor Greene's spokesman during mask confrontation: 'You don't tell me what to f---ing do'

    "Predictably, he went speechless. I regret I wasn't more explicit," the California lawmaker said of the Friday incident.

  • After a whirlwind reunion with ex Ben Affleck, JLo is back on the block in Miami

    She’s back and she definitely knows how to make an entrance.

  • A Dogecoin co-creator called Elon Musk a 'self-absorbed grifter' in a now-deleted tweet after Tesla said it would stop accepting payment in bitcoin

    Jackson Palmer said Elon Musk "is and will always be a self-absorbed grifter" after the Tesla CEO said bitcoin's energy use is "insane."

  • A bride wore a sheer, sparkly dress with a dramatic slit to her intimate destination wedding in Tulum

    Thainá Bak wore a sparkly, see-through Muse by Berta wedding dress with a thigh-high slit to her intimate nuptials in Tulum, Mexico.

  • A man accused of storming the Capitol with a giant Confederate flag will get to go on a family road trip while awaiting trial

    Kevin Seefried was approved to take his scheduled family trip to Salvo, North Carolina, on May 15, court documents show.

  • China reports its first new locally transmitted COVID cases in three weeks, sparking mass testing

    China reported seven new COVID cases on May 13, including two locally transmitted infections in the eastern Anhui province.

  • Israeli ground forces are attacking Gaza, Israel says

    The move marks an escalation amid this week's ongoing violence between Israel and Palestinian militants.

  • 2 NYC mayoral candidates accuse Andrew Yang of cheating on a New York Times pop quiz about housing costs and homelessness

    Advisers to Shaun Donovan and Scott Stringer both told New York Magazine that they doubted Yang answered the questions without getting help.

  • He blew his nose into a blanket and coughed on a JetBlue flight. Now he has to pay, FAA says

    In an effort to curb an increase in out of control airline passengers, the FAA announced Monday it is seeking to fine two passengers a total of $20,000 for two separate incidents in 2020.

  • Judge Judy thinks it's funny people cared so much when she ditched her iconic hairdo

    Judge Judy explained to THR why she changed her look after 22 years to be more comfortable and more conscious of her time.