A set of videos (here & here) depicting deceased Palestinians, purportedly victims of the ongoing conflict with Israeli forces, are gaining traction on social media platforms. Through this article, let’s look into the veracity of the claim attributed to these videos.
Claim: Visuals of dead Palestinians, who are victims of the ongoing conflict with Israeli forces in Gaza in 2023.
Fact: Both of these videos are unrelated and inaccurately linked to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. One video captures a distinctive dance ritual in Bali, which took place in October 2022. Meanwhile, the other video portrays an art installation displaying mock shrouded bodies of children in solidarity with those who lost their lives in the Israel-Palestine conflict. This installation is located in Palestine Square in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The images in question are unrelated to the current Israel-Palestine conflict, as they are from a religious event held in Bali in October 2022. Utilizing a reverse image search on the screenshots from the viral video led to the discovery of a news report confirming the origin of the visuals. According to this report, the images capture a peculiar dance ritual in Bali, where hundreds of villagers simulated being lifeless as part of the ritual.
The gathering took place in the Tabanan Regency, with a total of 108 simulated lifeless figures arranged on the ground. This enactment was a component of the religious play known as ‘Calonarang,’ dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Dewi Durga.
Taking a cue from the above-mentioned news report, further search with pertinent keywords yielded few news reports about the same visuals (here & here). These news reports also confirmed the above-mentioned details about the video. Thus, all these details establish that the viral visual has nothing to do with the recent Israel-Palestine conflict.
The visuals in question do not portray actual deceased individuals; instead, they showcase an art installation featuring simulated shrouded bodies of children. This installation is situated in Palestine Square in Tehran, the capital of Iran. A reverse image search on the screenshots from the viral visuals led to the discovery of multiple reports that confirmed the presence of a similar installation.
As per a specific report, the art installation, titled the ‘Symphony of the Killed,’ featured live music and was conducted at Tehran’s Palestine Square on 13 November 2023. The purpose of this performance was to convey a message of solidarity with the children of Gaza who lost their lives during the Israeli offensive.
News reports and stock images related to the art installation can be viewed here and here. These sources further affirm that the depicted figures are not actual dead individuals but rather part of an art installation conducted in Tehran.
To sum it up, outdated and unrelated visuals are being shared as though depicting the dead bodies of Palestinians in the ongoing conflict with Israel.
