Did a video show a ‘dead’ man getting up during air-raid sirens in Gaza?
Does a viral video show a fake funeral in Gaza where the 'corpse' jumps up and runs away when air-raid sirens sound?
False
The claim that this footage is from Gaza is false.
The video shows a staged funeral in Jordan from March 2020, not Gaza. Claims of Palestinians faking casualties are false and misleading.
GenuineClaims
✕ 1 falseThe video shows air-raid sirens wailing in Gaza and everyone runs for cover, including a man on a stretcher who was apparently 'dead' but then gets up.1234
The video in question is genuine footage, but it does not originate from Gaza. Multiple reliable fact-checkers have traced the clip back to March 2020, confirming it was filmed in Jordan. Reports indicate it depicts a staged 'fake funeral' during the COVID-19 lockdown. The intense scrutiny from various independent sources confirms that this clip is distinct from recent events in Gaza, thus making the post's claim misleading.
Palestinians (generally) lie and deceive; their lies will bring God's wrath on them.
This claim is a broad generalization about Palestinians that expresses opinion rather than fact. There's no verifiable evidence backing this statement. The author’s strong language and derogatory tone contribute to a biased perspective rather than an objective assessment of any factual events.
What was posted
FacebookThe post shows an image of people reacting to air-raid sirens with a man on a stretcher supposedly getting up. The caption includes sarcastic commentary about Palestinians allegedly staging casualties.
“Air raid sirens start wailing in Gaza and suddenly everyone runs for cover including, apparently, the “dead” man on the stretcher. 😂 Turns out even he decided this was a bad day to stay dead....”
The media
Image✓ What is genuine
The video conveys real activity, but its context and the claim tying it to Gaza are fabricated.
The tells
- ●●● Strong signal The claim relies heavily on contextual misrepresentation.our visual review
- ●○○ Weak signal The source of the claim is a person known to convey biased narratives.our visual review
Synthetic-media detector
Detector ranThe claim stands or falls on whether the media is real, so the detector ran.
Scores are the detector’s estimate for the file as uploaded. A low score does not rule out editing, a spliced caption, or footage shown out of context — those are judged above. Model v3.
How we checked the media
- Conducted searches for the video and its context in different fact-checking outlets.
- Reviewed claim origins and fact-check reports from multiple sources.
Sources
4 sources reviewed- 1Early pandemic staged funeral procession video wrongly linked to Gaza ↗
Full Fact · fullfact.orgPrimary / fact-checkerIFCN + EFCSN; UK charityEvidence
The video was filmed in March 2020 in Jordan, and is being misrepresented as Gaza footage.
- 2Video from 2020 isn’t evidence that recent violence in Israel and Gaza is ‘fake’ ↗
PolitiFact · politifact.comPrimary / fact-checkerIFCN signatory (Poynter)Evidence
The clip has been online since March 2020 and is not related to any current conflicts.
- 3This video has circulated in posts since March 2020 about a Covid-19 stunt in Jordan ↗
AFP Fact Check · factcheck.afp.comPrimary / fact-checkerIFCN + EFCSN; wire-backedEvidence
This video clearly corresponds to a staged event from March 2020, as demonstrated through various reports.
- 4False ‘narrative’ about Israel-Hamas war? No, 2020 clip of fake funeral during Jordan’s Covid lockdown ↗
Africa Check · africacheck.orgUntiereduntiered — treated as signal only, never decisiveEvidence
Clarification on the true context of the video regarding Jordan's staged funeral practices during COVID.
Further reading
- 1Full Fact Full Fact provides details on the video’s origins and its false association with Gaza.
- 2PolitiFact PolitiFact offers an in-depth analysis of how the video has been misrepresented in various contexts.
- 3AFP Fact Check AFP Fact Check corroborates that the video was related to Jordan’s COVID-19 response and not Gaza.
- 4Africa Check Africa Check further clarifies the misrepresentation of the video concerning recent conflict narratives.
The full story
The clip at the center of this claim depicts a staged funeral in Jordan from March 2020, not a current event in Gaza. It shows individuals carrying a stretcher, who drop it in response to air-raid sirens, after which the individual on the stretcher rises. This footage was staged during the early COVID-19 lockdown. Reports from multiple credible sources confirm the video was connected to a stunt in Jordan intended to highlight the absurdities of pandemic restrictions. The narrative surrounding this clip has been distorted over time, particularly in the context of increased tensions in the Israel-Palestine situation, leading to the false claim that it represents Gaza casualties. The original context of humor related to the pandemic was lost in translation to misrepresentation, thus contributing to the spread of misinformation.
Kernel of truth
The video features real footage depicting public reactions during a crisis, but the context is critically misrepresented.
Timeline
March 24, 2020
Clip filmed in Jordan depicting a staged funeral.
May 13, 2021
AFP Fact Check traces the 2020 footage's origins and alerts the public about its misuse. 3AFP Fact Check
October 13, 2023
PolitiFact publishes findings confirming the clip was misattributed to Gaza. 2PolitiFact
How it was framed
The post takes authentic footage out of context, misrepresenting its origin and the claim related to Gaza.
- Emotional language. Sarcastic remarks about Palestinians faking deaths and divine retribution.
The video has been shared widely on social media platforms during escalating conflicts, potentially altering its perception.
Bias
Leans anti-Palestinian. The caption frames the clip to mock Palestinians and accuses them of lying and attracting divine punishment, which is a strongly negative slant and seeks to discredit the group rather than neutrally report the video.
Bias describes how the post frames its message — the slant of the language, selection and emphasis — and is judged separately from whether the claim is true. A true claim can still be framed with a strong slant.
How we checked
54 s- 1
Reviewed the Facebook post and analyzed the video content.
- 2
Executed searches using variations of the video's description to trace its origin.
- 3
Consulted fact-checking sites for their assessments regarding the video's legitimacy.
✓ Claim checked✓ Media checked✓ Sources checked
Why 90% confidence
HighOur confidence is high due to the strong corroboration from multiple independent sources confirming the video’s origins and context.
Limits. We could not ascertain the intentions behind the original video creation or the motivations of the poster.
What we don’t know
- The specific motivations behind why this clip continues to be repurposed in misinformation campaigns.
- The individual identities or exact contexts of all original viewers of the footage.
Spot it yourself
Spot the fakeLooks suspicious, isn’t proof
- The video is shared by a source known for exaggerating narratives.
- The presence of humor in the caption can raise doubts about the seriousness of the footage.
- Claims repeated in a sensationalist tone can indicate misinformation.
The actual evidence
- Fact-checks confirming the video's origin traced back to 2020.
- Multiple independent sources, including reputable fact-checkers, verified the context of the video.
- The authentic activity in the video has been misrepresented in its current claims.
- 1
Look for well-known fact-checking sites.
Refer to sources like PolitiFact or Africa Check for verification.
- 2
Check the video's original context online.
Search for details about the video's posting history or initial reports.
- 3
Analyze the language used.
Watch for emotional or inflammatory wording that might signal bias.
Takeaway
Always verify the context of a video before accepting it as evidence. Claims tied to past events can be manipulated to misrepresent current situations.
Questions people ask
Is the video really from Gaza?+
No, the video in question is actually from Jordan and dates back to March 2020, not from any recent events in Gaza.
What does the clip actually show?+
The clip depicts people carrying a stretcher during a staged funeral, which was staged during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Why is there controversy surrounding this video?+
The video has been misattributed to Gaza during heightened tensions, leading to false narratives about it showing staged casualties.
How do fact-checkers validate video claims?+
Fact-checkers use various methods including provenance research, examining context, and corroborating reports from reliable sources.
Go deeper
- Misinformation
- False or misleading information, regardless of intent.
- Fact-checking
- The process of verifying information against reliable sources.
- Provenance
- The origin or source of something, particularly in terms of content.
People also search for
For educators+
- What strategies can be employed to verify claims made in social media posts?
- How does emotional language affect our perception of information?
- Why is it essential to consider the context when interpreting videos?
About this check
- Platform
- Age when checked
- Older post, still live
- Where it spread
- Palestine, Global
- Audience
- International audience
- Language
- EN
- Status
- ● Post is live
- Verified
- October 11, 2026, 03:14 UTC
- Published
- October 11, 2026, 03:14 UTC
Reach. Full Fact says it is 'circulating again' (9 Oct); no view counts given
This verdict was generated with AI from the sources shown. AI can make mistakes — check the sources before relying on it.
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