A video going viral on social media (here, here, and here) shows a person without hands, with his shoulders wrapped in white tape. The post claims that he is Mohammad Mahroof, a Hamas militant from Gaza. The post alleges that on 07 October 2023, he was responsible for horrific acts, such as killing Israeli children, cooking their bodies in an oven, and burning some alive in a pool. The post further claims that Israel captured him, leaving him alive but with his arms severed. Let’s verify the claim through this article.
Claim: Israel severed the arms of Mohammad Mahroof, a Hamas militant from Gaza accused of killing Israeli children in 2023, but left him alive.
Fact: The viral image is not of a Hamas militant Mohammad Mahroof but of 15-year-old Palestinian Diaa Al-Adini. Diaa Al-Adini was severely wounded in an Israeli army attack on 13 August 2024, that targeted an apartment in Gaza’s al-Qastal Towers. Due to medical shortages, doctors had to amputate limbs to save lives. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A Google lens search of the viral image led to several reports (here, here, and here) from August 2024 featuring the same boy in the viral image identifying the boy as 15-year-old Palestinian Diaa Al-Adini. He had both arms amputated after being injured in an Israeli strike on 13 August 2024. Following the attack, Adini was transferred from Al-Aqsa Hospital due to an Israeli evacuation order. He then sought refuge at an American field hospital. Many Palestinians, like Adini, were displaced during the ongoing conflict, struggling to find medical care and safety amidst the chaos.
Further investigation led us to the Alamy image website, where the same boy’s photo was uploaded (here and here) with the description “Palestinian teenager, Diaa Al-Adini, severely wounded in an Israeli army attack that targeted an apartment in the al-Qastal Towers east of Deir al Balah, Gaza. He lost both his arms. Due to medical shortages in hospitals, doctors are forced to amputate the limbs of many patients to save their lives.”
We also found the same image on the Getty Images website, with the description: “Palestinian teen loses both arms in Israeli attack, struggles for survival amid medical crisis in Gaza.” He was identified as teen Diaa Al-Adini here as well, and not as Mohammad Mahroof, a Hamas militant from Gaza.
During our search for Hamas militant named Mohammad Mahroof, we found News reports (here and here) that consist of lists of Militants, Hezbollah and Hamas members Israel has killed since 07 October 2023, but none of these lists include a militant by the name Mohammad Mahroof.
To sum up, photo of 15-year-old Diaa Al-Adini, injured in an August 2024 Israeli strike is shared with a false claim of him being a Hamas militant.
