Does this video explosion of a building in Gaza show a « gender reveal party » for an Israeli soldier? – release

A shared video on social networks shows Israeli soldiers destroying a building in Gaza, with blue smoke. A man exclaims then « It’s a boy ! « interpreting blue color as announcing the arrival of a future boy. Some Internet users have seen a Gender Reveal Party (celebration organized to reveal the kind of a baby), gesture deemed terribly cynical which aroused indignation.

Broadcast by influential Instagram accounts, it was also shared by the Turkish TV TV channel TRT or the Qatari Al Jazeera channel, which presents it as showing it « Israeli soldiers exploding a building in Gaza for a Gender Reveal Party». In France, the European deputy of Palestinian origin Rima Hassan (LFI) relays it as follows: « Israeli soldiers organized a Gender Reveal Party By blowing up civil infrastructure in Gaza by including the blue color to reveal the sex of the newborn. ”

At the origin of this video, there is a publication of May 3 of the Israeli news account The Hive News, followed by 14,000 people on Instagram. It is this media that is credited as a source by Al Jazeera.

Faced with the covers of this video and the reactions denounced an inappropriate behavior of the Israeli army, The Hive News published a comment on his Instagram account in which he explains that « The sentence “It’s a boy” was said to be joking by one of the soldiers, because of the blue smoke which spread after the building explosion! The Hive News media wrote in a sarcastic way that “Tsahal reveals the kind of one of the buildings in Gaza” Because of the blue color. Any other affirmation that TSAhal explodes buildings for a GENDER REVAL Or for any other reason that military operations is an absolute lie! ”

The Hive News has published a second « clarification » on Instagram Monday, May 5, in which he says: “We have published an exclusive video in which an explosion of color occurs in the sand during the destruction of a building used for terrorist activities in Gaza. In the background, we hear a soldier joking because of the blue color: “It’s a boy.” The event was perceived as a Gender Reveal Party Due to blue smoke. Tsahal has never used his military operations maliciously to reveal the sex of a baby or for any other private reason unrelated to a military operation. This remark (Legend, editor’s note) was made by us in the tone of the joke, in the form of an event paraphrase. The anti -Semitic channel Al Jazeera published the video by claiming that TSAhal exploded houses deliberately to reveal the « Baby sex». « 

Contacted by Check Via his Telegram canal, The Hive News claims to have received the video on Saturday May 3 « Directly of a first -hand source which filmed it on the ground ». It has not been able to indicate precisely the place of recording, designating it only as « Somewhere in Gaza ».

The Hive News considers that « All the bustle around this incident is only a vast operation to “Fake News”». Relying on the information transmitted by its source, our interlocutor explains that “Israeli defense forces have demolished the empty building because they feared that explosives were hidden inside. Following the explosion, a blue substance – probably painting – was released from the interior of the building, resembling the visual effect observed during the sex revelation celebrations (of a future baby). When we heard one of the soldiers say “It’s a boy” (To joke), The Hive News team thought it would be humorous to legend the scene as follows: “Israeli defense forces organize a party to reveal the sex of a building in Gaza” – by emphasizing the word « building »»». The Hive News underlines that « The main information bodies like TRT and Al Jazeera have deliberately omitted the part “For a building” In their cover, thus creating a manipulative and misleading narration. This is what made this affair a viral fake news that has escaped any control. ”

The media also ensures that « The building was empty and no one was killed during the explosion. » Information that Check is unable to confirm. Solicited, the Israeli army did not respond to our request.

If The Hive News assures that this scene does not show a revelation party of the kind of future baby, we can note that other videos, which appeared on social networks since the start of the conflict in Gaza, from October 2023, show scenes of GENDER REVAL In the presence of Israeli soldiers. But without destruction or explosion.

Thus on November 2, 2023, the media Mako tells the story of Neriah Levy, a future dad called October 7 as a reservist. His comrades from the army organized a surprise for him by pulling him with pink colorful powder from a tank to tell him that he was waiting for a little girl. The images of this announcement of the genre of the future baby have toured social networks, especially from Israelis greeting the soldiers’ initiative, without anyone knowing if they have been shot in Gaza or Israel.

On August 15, 2024, the newspaper Maariv reports the broadcast of a viral video on Instagram entitled « This is how a reservist father is made aware of the sex of the fetus ». The video presented as shot « In the heart of Gaza » shows a soldier trying to guess the kind of his future child.

The father said in Hebrew: « I think she is a girl. » A few seconds later, thick blue smoke from a smoke grenade appeared from the window of the building opposite, where there were other soldiers. Crees of joy sound. The images of this video were also widely shared on social networks.