See in the video: Buried baby survives thanks to a hug – what this supposed Gaza video is all about.
Warning: The footage in this post may be disturbing to some viewers.
They are shocking images: a buried baby is rescued alive from the rubble.
The protective embrace of a dead family member apparently saved the toddler’s life.
The clip is currently circulating on X, formerly Twitter, along with the claim that it is recent footage from Gaza.
It is further alleged that the dead woman who protected the child with her body was his mother.
The dramatic video has been shared thousands of times, commented on and viewed more than half a million times.
But what does it mean? Is the recording real or fake?
The video is real, but has no connection to the current escalation of the Middle East conflict.
Instead, the photo was taken after the severe earthquakes in Turkey and Syria in February 2023.
The Syrian civil protection organization “White Helmets” shared the dramatic clip from the north of the country on Twitter on February 11, 2023 – months before the current escalation in the Middle East.
According to the White Helmets, the child’s dead family member was not the mother, but rather the sister.
The case shows how easily a video can be taken out of context by misleading accompanying text.
Because the clip from Syria is not an isolated case:
Old videos and images are repeatedly misused to stir up the mood on social media in the context of current events and conflicts.
How do we in the editorial department examine videos for manipulation? It is important to look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We look closely at each image and enlarge individual sections. Signs of a fake include: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or editing errors. At stern the general rule is: seriousness over speed. We always check facts and material thoroughly before publishing them. To achieve this, we work with the cross-editorial “Team Verification” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2, Radio NRW.