An old video from a military photo session in Baghdad is circulating as if it depicted Palestinians faking injuries in Gaza

Accounts on the “X” platform circulated a video depicting a scene where a young man tears a child’s clothes and applies a red bandage. Sharers claimed that it is a theatrical act in Gaza, fabricating victims from the children of the Strip during the aggression, as part of the “Pallywood” campaign.

The Palestinian observatory “Tahaqaq” checks the authenticity of the circulated video and the misleading claims through research into public sources. It was found that the claims were deceptive, and the video does not depict children faking injuries in Gaza; rather, it portrays Iraqi children during a photoshoot published on the “TikTok” app in 2022. This was clearly evident from the speakers’ accents in the video. Through communication with the video’s creator, Murtadha Falah, known as “Thalji,” clarified to “Tahaqaq” that the video captured a military photo shoot conducted in Baghdad in 2019, shared on December 15, 2022, through his “TikTok” account and on his Instagram in 2023.

Falah also pointed out that it was filmed in the capital, Baghdad, unrelated to the aggression on Gaza. It is a personal project, not affiliated with any organization or state, and it is a part of a series of photographic images and short films. Falah moreover mentioned that he shared the final behind-the-scenes result on December 19, 2022, through his “TikTok” account.

Additionally, Falah provided the observatory team with a video explaining the truth behind the circulated video, which had been employed in a misleading context.