Does this video on social media show a Hamas ambush against Israeli tanks? No, that's not true: The video is a military propaganda piece created by the Al-Qassam Brigades. The video's purpose is to serve as a warning message, showcasing their strength and preparedness for potential confrontations with Israeli forces.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok by @hamza702m on November 1, 2023, with a text overlay (translated from Arabic to English by Lead Stories staff) that read:
Watch how the Mujahids emerge from beneath the Israeli forces' tanks as they advance towards Gaza. Observe how they detonate the tanks, capturing those inside and swiftly transporting them to the tunnels. 2023/11/01
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Nov 10 10:57:21 2023 UTC)
The TikTok claim gained significant traction, evident from its widespread circulation across multiple platforms, including here, here and here. This surge in attention followed a major offensive launched by Hamas from Gaza into Israel on October 7, 2023.
Lead Stories recognized the original video and tracked it down on the Telegram channel of Ezedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement. They published it on October 14, 2023, on their Telegram channel "The Military Media of Al-Qassam Brigades." In the video posted on Telegram, the caption (translated from Arabic to English by Lead Stories staff) read:
A message to the ground forces... This is what awaits you when you enter Gaza
#Al-Aqsa_Storm
(Source: Telegram screenshot taken on Sat Nov 11 10:38 2023 UTC)
The video has also been published on YouTube by Al Jazeera on October 14, 2023, with a title (translated from Arabic to English by Lead Stories staff) that read:
Al-Qassam Brigades publishes a message addressed to the Israeli ground forces.
