Amidst Palestine’s accusation of Israeli forces deploying restricted weapons in Gaza, a video showing radiant material falling from the sky is being shared claimed to be white phosphorous bombs dropped by Israeli forces on Gaza. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The video shows Israeli air force dropping white phosphorous bombs on Gaza
Fact: The video dates back to March 2023 and shows Russian forces using thermite bombs, the incendiary weapons in Ukraine. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On conducting a reverse image search using the keyframes of the video, we found news reports (here, here, and here) published with the screenshot of the video. These visuals are of Russia throwing thermite bombs on a Ukrainian town.
Further, on a relevant keyword search, we found a longer version of the video on The Telegraph’s YouTube channel with a description, ‘Russian forces appeared to target the eastern town of Vuhledar with incendiary thermite munitions.’
Thermite consists of a blend of metal powder and metal oxide. Upon ignition, it initiates an exceedingly high-temperature reaction which is capable of melting through metal. Whereas, White phosphorus is a chemical compound and can be used as a weapon. When it comes into contact with the air, it spontaneously ignites, resulting in the production of intense heat and the release of white smoke.
To sum up, an old video of Russia’s attack on Ukraine is shared as Israel’s attack on Gaza
