On Oct. 7, 2024, as pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups across the globe held memorials to mark one year since Hamas' deadly raid on Israel, Snopes looked back on its coverage of the attack and subsequent war — identifying videos related to the violence that have circulated under false or misleading pretenses.
From footage related to pro-Palestine protests on U.S. college campuses to clips supposedly showing Israeli or Palestinian children held captive in chicken coop cages, these videos have been categorized as miscaptioned. Snopes uses that label for footage that is real and not the product of artificial-intelligence (AI) software or other digital-editing tools, though being shared with incorrect or misleading descriptions.
But what if a video you're watching hasn't been fact-checked by Snopes? As we've shared before, it's a good practice to pause and assess the footage absent its alleged descriptions or captions. Those can take the form of text overlays on the footage or writing attached to the video (Instagram or Reddit thread captions, for instance). Once you've watched the video on its own terms, then consider the captions. Do they match your own interpretation of the footage?
A good principle: Try not to let other social media users influence your perception of what you see. And, whenever you're unsure about something, refer to credible sources like Snopes. You can send us questionable media via our "Contact Us" page, and we'll do our best to look into it.
Remember, some groups post with the intentional goal of misinforming the populace for financial gain.
Here's a sampling of videos related to the Israel-Hamas war that have circulated with incorrect, or misleading, captions:
