An unsettling video from 2016 depicting Syrian rebels beheading a young boy near Aleppo, Syria, has resurfaced, falsely linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Please note that this article contains graphic descriptions of violence. While the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in over 700 casualties in Israel and more than 500 in Gaza, with Hamas launching a surprise attack on October 7, 2023, the resurfaced video is unrelated to these events.
Israel has responded with airstrikes, and its defense minister has ordered a complete siege of Gaza, resulting in a cut-off of essential supplies such as water, food, fuel, and electricity to the strip. Amidst these developments, several old and unrelated videos are being circulated as part of the ongoing conflict.
The video in question depicts distressing scenes of a young boy being beheaded on the back of a red pickup truck, accompanied by chants of "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) in the background. The assailant then raises the severed head as a symbol of victory. This video was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by a user with the handle @MrSinha_ and the caption, "Allah Hu Akbar & then beheaded the innocent kid... They're not humans, their faith makes them worse than animals...So called "secular-liberals" are supporting these p!gs? (Watch it at your own risk) #IsraelUnderAttack #IslamIsTheProblem #HamasTerrorists." It's worth noting that India TV Fact Check team had previously fact-checked this user for spreading misinformation on the platform.
This post has not been included here due to its graphic nature. The video is also circulating on Facebook with a similar caption.
Fact Check reveals the true origin
Several responses to the X post correctly pointed out that the video is old and unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Investigating further, we conducted keyword searches, which led us to an article originally published in July 2016, featuring a screenshot from the same video. In the image, Syrian fighters are seen posing with the boy before the beheading, with the red pickup truck in the background. The article was titled, "U.S.-Backed ‘Moderate’ Rebels Behead a Child Near Aleppo."
Subsequent keyword searches unearthed multiple news reports confirming that the incident occurred in Handarat, near Aleppo. Members of a Syrian militant group beheaded an 11-year-old Palestinian boy. An article from July 20, 2016, in the UK's Independent reported that the United States was investigating the video depicting Syrian rebels executing the boy.
The report stated that fighters from the Syrian insurgent group Nour al-Din al-Zinki, which had received backing from the US, captured the young boy near Aleppo. The group was one of the main opposition factions fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime. An earlier video revealed six fighters boasting about capturing the boy, whom they claimed was associated with a pro-government faction in the area.
The Syrian government identified the boy as a Palestinian from the Handarat Palestinian refugee camp. Two videos emerged from the incident, with one showing fighters holding the boy and striking him. The second video, released later, showed one of the rebels beheading the boy. Nour al-Din al-Zenki, the Islamist rebel group involved in the Syrian Civil War, pledged to investigate the video and referred to the execution as an 'individual mistake.' Reports indicated that all individuals involved were arrested and under investigation.
Lebanese outlet Almanar reported that the child was brought from a hospital and slain as an act of vengeance after the killing of Nour Al-Din Al-Zenki's commander's brother. The report further identified the assailant as Omar Salkho, one of the commanders of the militant organisation.
In summary, the resurfaced video of a 2016 incident involving Syrian rebels beheading a young boy has been falsely linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict, and it is unrelated to the ongoing events in the region.
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