Facebook (FB) pages in the Philippines posted a clip from a military simulation video game and falsely claimed it was taken in Israel amid the current fighting with Hamas after a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group.
Posted on Oct. 8, the clip of a man in a military uniform shooting missiles to crash a helicopter bore the caption:
“(GYERA SA ISRAEL). Nagpapatuloy ang labanan sa pagitan ng mga pwersa ng Israel at mga mandirigma ng Hamas sa mga lansangan ng katimugang Israel, na ang bilang ng mga namatay ay umabot sa mahigit 600 sa Israel at mahigit 300 sa Gaza base sa report ng Aljazeera Media Network.
(WAR IN ISRAEL). Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters continues in the streets of southern Israel, with the death toll reaching over 600 in Israel and over 300 in Gaza based on a report by Aljazeera Media Network.”
Several Filipino netizens fell for the wrong information, while others either speculated that it was from the Ukraine-Russia war, a movie scene, or fake.
The clip is not real and is just a recording from a tactical shooter simulation video game.
YouTube channel RIMStudio uploaded the original clip on Feb. 27 saying it is from Arma 3, a game developed by the Czech studio Bohemia Interactive a.s. The video’s title read:
“A-50 Battle helicopter shot down by FIM-92F Advanced Stinger Missile l St.77 MilSim ARMA3 #shorts.”
Its description also contains a disclaimer that it is “just a military simulation” and “not real life.”
VERA Files Fact Check previously debunked a clip from the same game passed off as footage from the Ukraine-Russia war. (Read Stream shows Arma 3 video game NOT Russia-Ukraine conflict)
Bohemia Interactive a.s. also issued a statement addressing the circulation of their game’s clips, which are being used to portray real-life conflicts. The developers provided tips in distinguishing game videos from real-world footage, such as the former’s very low resolution, unnatural particle effects and unrealistic vehicles, uniforms and equipment.
The misleading video was uploaded a day after Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, which later retaliated by launching air strikes on Gaza, a Palestinian territory.
In an Oct. 9 update, the Philippine Embassy in Israel said that among the estimated 30,000 Filipinos in the area, 22 have been rescued while seven remain unaccounted for. Filipinos in the Gaza Strip have asked to be repatriated.
FB page Mabuhay Radio Japan – Worldwide’s (created on Dec. 14, 2019 as Mabuhay Radio) post has 83 comments, 103 shares and 413,000 views as of writing. FB page RD TV (Feb. 18, 2020 as RD_FBpage_Dw5wdr) also uploaded a copy of the video. The same clip also circulated with false context in other countries and social media platforms.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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