Turkish anti-disinformation center debunks 'Israel propaganda' claims of staged Palestinian images

By Faruk Zorlu

The Turkish government's anti-disinformation center has debunked allegations by "Israel propaganda accounts" that Palestinians are producing fake images.

"The claim that 'Palestinians are producing fake videos,' related to images of a hospitalized man shared by Israel propaganda accounts is untrue," the Communications Directorate's Center for Combating Disinformation said on X late on Sunday.

The statement included screenshots of X posts with images of an unconscious man with incorrectly placed medical electrodes and a pulse oximeter on his face, claiming that they were images staged by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been under weeks of deadly Israeli attacks.

"Studies that were conducted determined that these images were taken from a TV series and that the scene in the claims sparked criticism in Malaysian media in 2019," it added.

Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on Oct. 7, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.