Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April 2025, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian and one Nepali citizen, the Indian Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of 07 May 2025. The Indian government stated that the operation targeted terrorist infrastructure at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, emphasising that no Pakistani military installations were struck. It described the strikes as focused, measured, and non-escalatory.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reportedly stated that at least 100 terrorists were killed during the operation. However, Pakistan stated that at least 26 civilians were killed and 46 others injured in the missile strikes. In response, cross-border shelling by Pakistani forces reportedly led to the death of at least sixteen civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, along with Col. Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, addressed the media on 07 May 2025 to brief on Operation Sindoor. During the briefing, they released visuals showing the Indian Armed Forces striking the targeted sites.
In this context, a video (here, here & here) showing people running in panic near demolished buildings is being widely shared on social media, with the claim that it depicts Pakistani civilians fleeing in the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals showing Pakistani civilians fleeing in the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor on 07 May 2025.
Fact: Although the Indian Armed Forces targeted terrorist infrastructure at nine locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir on 07 May 2025 under Operation Sindoor, the viral video actually shows the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza on 03 April 2025. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Upon analysing the viral video, we noticed a watermark reading ‘Nour alzaharna.’ An internet search with this username led us to an Instagram account with the same name, where the video was originally posted on 04 April 2025—more than a month before Operation Sindoor, which began on 07 May 2025. The caption of the post reads: “Please be with us, we are dying every second. We need your support.”
Further investigation revealed that the Instagram account belongs to a user called Nour Alzaharna based in Gaza, Palestine, who regularly posts videos from Gaza, appealing for help. We also found media reports from the BBC and Al Jazeera featuring similar visuals from the same site. According to these reports, the video shows the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in northern Gaza on 03 April 2025.
To sum it up, an old video from Gaza is being falsely shared as Pakistani civilians panicking after Operation Sindoor.
