A video that surfaced on social media depicted a masked man claiming to be a ‘Palestinian fighter’, portraying himself as the leader of the Hamas group, and threatening of violence against Jews at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
In the viral video that first surfaced on X on Sunday, July 22, the man wearing a keffiyeh (a cloth worn by Arab men) around his head and a Palestine flag made an incendiary statement in Arabic.
The man in the video then went on to lambast the French people and President Emmanuel Macron for supporting “the Zionist regime in its criminal war in Gaza against Palestinians.”
It is pertinent to mention that the Olympics will open in Paris on the night of Friday, July 26, and continue through Sunday, August 11.
The man was further heard saying, “You (Emmanuel Macron) invited the Zionists (Jewish radical nationalists) to the Olympic Games. You will pay for what you have done,” and concludes by saying, “Rivers of blood will flow through the streets of Paris. This day is approaching, God willing. Allah is the greatest,” while holding up a fake severed head.
Soon after the video circulated and caused panic among the people, several factors were identified that cast doubt on the authenticity of the video and its alleged origins.
Taking note, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, Izzat al-Rishq denied any involvement and stated that the clip was fabricated as part of “Zionist propaganda” and a malicious attempt against Palestinian resistance.
The fact-checkers scrutinized the Arabic spoken in the video and found it to contain several linguist errors such as the use of “Allaha akbar” instead of “Allahu akbar”.
A disinformation expert, Tal Hagin exposed the clip and traced the video back to an account created in February this year that initially followed crypto and pornographic accounts before suddenly shifting towards pro-Palestine accounts.
However, the account that had “Hamas fighter” written in its bio was suspended by X on Tuesday.
| Posted by Sayima Ahmad | 
