WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation on Israel-Hamas War & False Claims From Kerala

Here are some of the viral pieces of misinformation that we debunked this week.

WebQoof Recap | Here's a recap of some of the misleading posts that went viral this week.

(Photo: Chetan Bhakuni/ The Quint)

From false communal claims being shared with a video of an argument on a bus in Kerala to unrelated and altered visuals being linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict, here is a recap of five pieces of viral misinformation we debunked this week.

1. False Claims About Jews Being Targeted in Kerala Blasts Go Viral on Social Media

After reports of explosions at a gathering of Jehovah's Witnesses on Sunday, 29 October in Kerala's Kalamassery emerged, some social media users shared posts claiming that the Jewish community was being targeted with the attack.

• The claim came amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and a day after Kerala saw massive pro-Palestine rallies.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Altered by The Quint)

However, the claim has no basis in fact.

• Jehovah's Witnesses are a sect of Christianity, not Judaism.

• Manjusha Emmanuel, a member of the Jewish community in Ernakulam, told The Quint that there are no Jews settled in Kalamassery. She said that all people from the community lived in Ernakulam City and Kochi.

You can read our report here.

2. Fact-Check: Photo of Child in Halloween Costume Shared as ‘Gazans Faking Deaths'

A photo showing a child using a smartphone while being wrapped in a white sheet has gone viral on social media, claiming that it shows Gazans faking deaths amid the Israel-Hamas war.

However, the photo dates back to October 2022, and shows a child wearing a costume for a Halloween competition in Thailand.

Read our fact-check here.

3. Fact-Check: Incident of a Fight in Bus in Kerala Given a False Communal Spin

Social media users shared a video showing an argument between burqa-clad women and a woman dressed a saree, with a communal claim saying that it showed Muslim women in Kerala harassing a Hindu woman for getting on a bus without wearing a burqa.

The police denied any communal angle to the incident.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Quint found that the claim was false.

Police officials confirmed that there was no communal angle to the incident and that the argument was over the bus not stopping at the newly built bus stop outside the girls' college in Kerala's Kasargod.

You can read our fact-check here.

4. Old Video of Buddhist Convention in Chhattisgarh Shared as Recent

Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, a video of Congress leader Hema Deshmukh attending a Buddhist convention has gone viral on social media.

In the video, attendees are heard taking a oath to "not believe in" and not worship in Hindu gods or goddesses.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

While this event did take place in Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, it is not a recent one and dates back to November 2022.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. This Video of Model Bella Hadid Expressing Support for Israel Is a Deepfake

A video showing model Bella Hadid expressing her support for Israel is going viral on the internet. It also shows Hadid apologising for her previous remarks supporting Palestine.

Hadid has not expressed support for Israel. This viral video is a deepfake.

(Photo: The Quint)

The audio has been altered using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to show Hadid expressing support for Israel. The original video could be traced back to 2018 and shows her talking about Lyme disease.

Read our fact-check here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)