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Fire and smoke rise following Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. (AP)
Old photos, including one from 2019, don’t show Gaza on Oct. 27
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None of these photos were taken on Oct. 27. One was taken in 2019.
Since Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people, Israel has responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive that Gaza’s Health Ministry reports have killed more than 8,000. The continuing siege threatens to cut off supplies of fuel, food and water for Gazans.
"Gaza tonight. When the skies are lit with terror," an Instagram user said in an Oct. 27 post, showing photos of buildings tinged orange against a backdrop of fire and smoke.
The post featured a collage of six photos and claimed it showed Gaza on that night, after heavy airstrikes affected telecommunications services in Gaza.
(Screenshot from Instagram)
Although images from Gaza show widespread destruction and human devastation, this collage’s photos don’t sync with the Instagram post’s date. None are from Oct. 27 and one was from March 2019, after reported Israeli strikes in Gaza City, as described by Agence France-Presse.
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This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Two of the photos were uploaded weeks ago, on Oct. 9. Agence France-Presse’s photo was captioned, "A fireball erupts from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9, 2023." Another photo was taken Oct. 8, with this caption by The Associated Press: "Fire and smoke rise following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023."
Another photo was uploaded by Agence France-Presse on Oct. 10 and captioned, "Explosions illuminate the sky during Israeli strikes on Gaza City on October 10, 2023."
Finally, one photo was uploaded Oct. 24 by Quds News Network, a website that focuses on Palestinian news. It captioned the photo, "Local sources: A timber depot in Jabalya, #Gaza went up in flames following an Israeli strike using a white phosphorus bomb."
We rate the claim that these photos show Gaza the night of Oct. 27 False.
Our Sources
The New York Times, Conflict in Israel and Gaza, in Photos, updated Oct. 30, 2023
Instagram post (archived), Oct. 27, 2023
CNN, October 27, 2023 Israel-Hamas war news
The Atlantic, Destruction in Gaza, Oct. 25, 2023
NPR, As communications in Gaza return, more scenes of devastation trickle out, Oct. 29, 2023
Agence France-Presse photo, March 25, 2019
X post by Palestine Responds, Oct. 9, 2023
Agence France-Presse photo, Oct. 9, 2023
The Associated Press, AP PHOTOS: A week of war brings grief to everyday Israelis and Palestinians alike, Oct. 14, 2023
Agence France-Presse photo, Oct. 10, 2023
X post by Quds News Network, Oct. 24, 2023
The Associated Press, For Palestinians, social media is source of news _ and anger, Oct. 24, 2015
X post by Shayan Sardarizadeh, Oct. 27, 2023
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Old photos, including one from 2019, don’t show Gaza on Oct. 27
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