A Filipino Facebook user shared a misleading reel claiming it was of civilians fleeing from the ongoing war in the Middle East. This is false.
Uploaded on June 15, the 19-second video included overlaid text that read:
“Kawawa mga civilian
Soo sad civilian run away from war Israel and Iraq”
It also had a caption saying:
“Latest stop war, kawawa mga civilian.”
In the comments section, some Filipino netizens appear to believe the misleading post, with several expressing sympathy for the supposed war victims and praying for peace.
The video was not taken in Israel or Iraq, but in Nepal where crowds had gathered to harvest a rare mushroom.
A reverse image search using Google revealed that the clip was originally posted by a TikTok user on May 29, 2025. The caption on the footage indicated it was taken in the Dolpa District in Karnali Province, Nepal.
The user also posted similar videos under a playlist named “Caterpillar funguseason”, showing people collecting Yarsagumba — also known as the caterpillar fungus — a rare medicinal mushroom found in the Himalayan region.
In one of the captions, written in the Nepali language, the user wrote, “Yarsagumba collection, 2082 Jestha 23, Rup Patan, Dolpa District,” referring to the Nepali calendar date corresponding to early June 2025.
Iraq-based fact-checking organization Tech4Peace also published an article debunking a related claim that used the same video.
The false clip surfaced amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, as the two countries have been exchanging military strikes since early June.
It has garnered 2 million views, 23,400 reactions, 4,700 shares, and 1,300 comments as of writing.
