What was claimed
A video shows Israeli helicopters being shot down over Gaza.
Our verdict
This footage is not real, it is from a video game called Arma 3.
Footage of helicopters being shot down is from a video game, not Gaza
9 October 2023
A video which a number of social media posts have claimed shows Israeli helicopters being shot down over Gaza is actually footage from a video game.
The clip in question has been shared hundreds of times across Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
The footage is actually taken from a video game called Arma 3, with the clip in question having previously been shared on YouTube on 3 October—several days before current events in Israel and the Gaza Strip unfolded.
The description of the video states that “This not representative of reality it is just a simulation in the video [sic]” and includes the hashtag #Arma3.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen clips from Arma 3 circulated online by people claiming it shows real-world events. We’ve written several fact checks about social media posts claiming footage from the game was filmed in Ukraine.
We often see misleading images and videos on social media in the wake of significant global events. For advice on how to verify content before you share it, read our guide.
Image courtesy of Daniel Klein