With the recent targeted assassinations of top terrorists from Hamas and Hezbollah, including Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah’s senior military commander Fuad Shukr, and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Air Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Israeli Defense Forces have instilled fear in their opponents. Meanwhile, Hamas supporters on social media are encouraging their followers to remain steadfast. In this context, a video has been shared claiming that, due to fear of retaliation from Hamas and Hezbollah, Israelis are fleeing from Tel Aviv.
Islamist Wajid Khan shared a video on X claiming, ‘Jews are leaving Tel Aviv. Cowards community.’
यहूदी तेलअवीव छोड़ रहे है . बुज़दिल कॉम !! pic.twitter.com/WyqVbzwdI9
— Wajidkhan (@realwajidkhan) August 3, 2024
Radical Islamist X handle, The Muslim wrote, ‘ Current Situation of Tel Aviv. Jews are running.‘
तेल अवीव की वर्तमान स्थिती।
— The Muslim (@TheMuslim786) August 3, 2024
जयोनिवादी भागते हुए… pic.twitter.com/IanzKSDC9a
Rizwan Haider asserted, ‘@ChandanSharmaG @SonOfBharat7 ‘s close relatives are fleeing Jewish Tel Aviv! No matter where you flee ,,, Iran will not let you go!‘
@ChandanSharmaG @SonOfBharat7 के सगे रिश्तेदार यहूदी तेलअवीव छोड़कर भाग रहे हैं!
— Rizwan Haider (@ItsRizwanHaider) August 3, 2024
चाहे जहाँ भाग जाओ ,,, अब ईरान तुम्हें नहीं छोड़ने वाला!#Iran #IsmaelHaniyeh #Hamas #Israel #IsmailHaniya pic.twitter.com/BOmyALGwWx
Azam Khan Parody wrote, ‘Jews are leaving Tel Aviv.’
यहूदी तेल अविव छोड़ रहे है.
— Azam Khan( 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘆 ) (@AzamKhan022) August 3, 2024
pic.twitter.com/NHDDbTjjk9
Zainab Zehra claimed, ‘Continue to LEAVE Tel Aviv and Haifa. Iran will not spare anyone this time.’
Continue to LEAVE TelAviv and Haifa.#IRAN will not spare anyone this time
— ZAINABZEHRApic.twitter.com/QgGb1vKiBJ
(@ZAINABALI_72) August 3, 2024
Dr Anastasia Maria Lopus tweeted, ‘Tel Aviv airport seems busy.’
Tel Aviv airport seems busy
— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) August 3, 2024pic.twitter.com/wjViDgC6Da
Benjamin Netanyahu Parody wrote, ‘LEAVE! LEAVE !! LEAVE !!! You don’t have right to live in Tel aviv.’
LEAVE ! LEAVE !! LEAVE !!!
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו parody (@netanyahupresss) August 3, 2024
You don’t have right to live in Tel aviv. pic.twitter.com/LFq4rE3hbw
Mohammad Shadab Alam, Javed Ahmed, Nadeem Ahmed, Nasir Gulzar, Dr. Addy, Intakhab Khan, and Zainab Abbas also shared the video with a similar claim.
Also Read: Did Turkish President Erdogan Threaten to Send Turkish Forces to Lebanon if Israel Invades?
Fact Check
We started fact-checking this claim by performing a reverse image search of a keyframe from the viral video. During our search, we found an article published by Alwakeel News on October 10, 2023. The article states, ‘A video clip circulated by activists on the social networking site ‘X’ documented the moment a group of Ashkelon residents fled after a warning issued by the Qassam Brigades to evacuate the area before five o’clock in the evening today.’
The article details that the video shows a group of Ashkelon residents fleeing towards the airport, fearing the threat issued by the Qassam Brigades, which called for the evacuation of the city by five o’clock in the evening. The Al-Qassam Brigades issued a statement saying, “In response to the enemy’s crime of displacing our people and forcing them to leave their homes.”
Furthermore, we also found a tweet from Nhip Song Crypto shared on October 10, 2023. The tweet read, “God is great and glory be to Islam. Urgent | The military spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades: In response to the crime of the enemy displacing our people and forcing them to flee their homes in several areas of the Gaza Strip, we are giving the residents of the occupied city of Ashkelon a deadline to leave it before five o’clock this evening, and those who were warned have been excused.”
الله أكبر والعزة للإسلام
— Nhịp Sống Crypto (@nhipsongcrypto) October 10, 2023
عـــاجـــل | الناطق العسكري باسم كتائب القسام: رداً على جريمة تهجير العدو لأهلنا وإجبارهم على النزوح من منازلهم في عدة مناطق من قطاع غزة فإننا نمهل سكان مدينة عسقلان المحتلة لمغادرتها قبل الساعة الخامسة من مساء اليوم، وقد أعذر من أنذر..#طوفان_الاقصى_ pic.twitter.com/Z5ouea0BCw
The Qassam Brigades are the armed wing of the terrorist organization Hamas. Led by Mohammed Deif until his death on July 13, 2024, the Qassam Brigades are the largest and best-equipped militant group operating within Gaza today. It is also important to note that Ashkelon is located just 21 km from the Gaza border.
In conclusion, the video is from October 10, 2023, three days after the terrorist organization Hamas entered Israel and killed more than a thousand civilians, leading to a war between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas. Hence, the claim that people of Tel Aviv are fleeing is false.
