BBC Debunks Israeli Official’s Disinformation Video Accusing Gazans of Staging Injuries

Picture from the set of The Reality, a Lebanese short film. (Screengrab via Instagram)

BBC Verify debunked a social media post from Israeli official Ofir Gendelman claiming to show Gazans setting up fake civilian injuries for cameras in order to fool the international media.

Gendelman, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tweeted Thursday: “See for yourselves how they fake injuries and evacuating ‘injured’ civilians, all in front of thr [sic] cameras. Pallywood gets busted again.”

https://twitter.com/ofirgendelman/status/1722561334858961025

In the video attached to the tweet, a young girl can be seen being made up with fake blood as part of a film set before emergency workers rush in.

Journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh, however, part of the BBC’s disinformation unit, was quick to debunk the diplomat’s claim.

“False,” he replied. “It’s a short film recently made in Lebanon.”

Explaining more, Sardarizadeh details the clip shared as “behind-the-scenes footage.” The Lebanese short film is called The Reality and is about Palestinian life.

Film director Mahmoud Razmi posted the behind-the-scenes clips later used by Gendelman on his Instagram story.

The BBC journalist went on to report that “both the director, Mahmoud Ramzi, and the child actor, Rami Jardali, posted rebuttals to the false claims being made about them and the short film on Instagram.”

The Israeli official, Gendelman, has a history of posting videos that are later discovered to be fake. During the weekend he posted a “must watch” video of IDF attack dogs chasing Hamas in tunnels under Gaza. The video was then shown to be training footage by journalist Yoav Zitun.

In May 2021, when Israel launched operations in Gaza, Gendelman also shared a video from Syria in 2018, incorrectly stating that it depicted Palestinians in Gaza launching rockets from within a civilian area.