The messages circulated shortly before the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ). ordered Israel to halt military operations in Rafah “immediately,” a historic ruling that is likely to increase mounting international pressure on Israel after seven months of the war.
On the second day of the hearings, Israel’s lawyer Gilad Naom said: told the court that “nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, from which approximately 50 tunnels enter Egypt” (archived link).
“These tunnels are used by Hamas to supply themselves with weapons and ammunition. They could potentially be used to smuggle hostages or senior Hamas operatives out of Gaza.”
But the photo purporting to show a Hamas tunnel between southern Gaza and Egypt actually shows an underground passageway near a border crossing about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the north.
Northern Gaza Tunnel
A reverse image search on Google led to the same photo published by Getty Images on January 7, 2024 and attributed to Noam Galai (archived link).
The caption reads: “A view into a tunnel that Hamas allegedly used on October 7 to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on January 7, 2024 in northern Gaza.
“As the IDF has pushed into Gaza as part of its campaign to defeat Hamas, they have highlighted the militant group’s extensive tunnel network as emblematic of the way the group entrenches itself and its military activities in civilian areas.”
Below is a screenshot comparison of the incorrectly shared image (left) and the photo published by Getty Images (right):
Photographer Noam Galai also posted the photo Instagramas part of a series of images from the same tunnel (archived link).
He wrote: “In the photos here you can see Israeli soldiers securing a terror tunnel that Hamas used to attack Israel through the Erez border crossing on October 7.”
The Israeli army promised to destroy the Gaza tunnelsAccording to a study by the US Military Academy West Point, the number was approximately 1,300 and covered more than 500 kilometers at the beginning of the war.
Egypt, which has been a mediator in the conflict for years, has done so rejected claims of smuggling tunnels running under the buffer zone.
AFP reported by 2015, the Egyptian army had destroyed 1,600 tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
However, as of June 11, 2024, AFP has not been able to independently confirm whether any tunnels still exist as the area is restricted by the Egyptian military.
AFP has debunked other disinformation related to the war between Israel and Hamas here.
