False Claims Debunked: Viral Video of Dead Baby Being Mourned in Palestine Actually Shows Real Infant Victim of Israeli Air Raids

Pankaj Menon, a fact-checker based in Delhi, is gaining recognition for his expertise in debunking misinformation. With a background in International Relations, having completed his MA from Madras University, Menon has previously worked with prominent organizations like NDTV, Times Now, and Deccan Chronicle online.

At Newschecker, Ruby takes charge of editorial, operations, and initiatives. With a long career at NDTV, India’s leading national news network, she has experience as a news anchor, supervising producer, and senior output editor. Ruby’s impressive resume includes groundbreaking reportage from conflict zones, coverage of terror incidents, election campaigns, and gender issues. She has been an Emmy-nominated producer and has tackled both local and international assignments, such as reporting on the Arab Spring in 2011, the US Presidential elections in 2016, and ground reportage on the Kashmir issue since 2009.

Recently, Newschecker closely analyzed a viral video shared by Palestinian propaganda pushers. The video featured a man holding up a toy baby, falsely claiming it to be a dead baby. Upon investigation, the team discovered that the video contained the watermark of a handle named ‘omar_aldirawi.’ Further exploration led them to an Instagram page of a Palestinian journalist named Omar Aldirawi, who had posted the same video on December 1, 2023. The caption described the heartbreaking scene of a mother bidding farewell to her 5-month-old child, who had become a target of the occupation.

To validate the claims made in the video, Newschecker examined the comment section and found an image from Getty Images showing the same baby. The caption confirmed that the child was Muhammad Hani Al Zahar, a 5-month-old Palestinian infant. The photographer, Ali Jadallah, had captured several images of the deceased child being mourned by his mother and grandfather.

Thus, the viral claims suggesting that the baby in the video was a plastic doll were proven false. The baby was indeed a real victim, tragically killed during an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. Newschecker’s fact-checking process revealed the truth behind the misleading information.

In a world where misinformation spreads rapidly, fact-checkers like Pankaj Menon and the team at Newschecker play a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy of information. Their dedication and expertise help combat the spread of false narratives and provide the public with reliable and verified news.