In protest of Israel’s ongoing illegal blockade of Gaza, the Global Sumud Flotilla, a naval initiative by international human rights activists to deliver aid, began its journey from Barcelona, Spain, on August 31. Israel subsequently arrested about 450 activists from various countries. In this context, a video has been circulated on social media with the headline, ‘Israel has arrested 200 activists from 37 countries from the Gaza-bound aid convoy, the Global Sumud Flotilla.’
See posts circulated on Facebook with this claim here (Archive) and here (Archive).
Fact-check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation found that the video in question is not of the arrest of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla. In reality, a video of a rescue boat accident during the recent severe floods in Multan, Pakistan, has been circulated with the said claim.
An investigation into this matter found a match between the viral video and a video broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Pakistani media outlet ‘Public News’ on September 10, titled ‘Heart-Touching Emotional Scenes as 20-day-old Baby Girl Safely Rescued in Jalalpur’.
Further investigation led to a report published on the website of the Pakistani media outlet ‘DAWN’ on September 10, in which Multan police officer Sadiq Ali was quoted as saying that one child was killed and 18 people were rescued alive after a Rescue 1122 boat capsized in the Jalalpur Pirwala area.
Subsequently, a report from the news outlet AP stated that approximately 142,000 people in Jalalpur Pirwala and dozens of surrounding villages have been affected by the floods. Many displaced residents have moved in with relatives, while others are spending nights in relief camps or on embankments. According to the Punjab Disaster Management Authority, nearly 4,000 villages across Punjab have been submerged since August 23, displacing 2.1 million people and killing at least 68. Heavier-than-normal monsoon rains and repeated releases of water from overflowing Indian dams have worsened the flood situation.
Therefore, the video is not of the arrest of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Thus, A video showing a rescue boat accident during severe floods in Multan, Pakistan, has been circulated with the claim that it shows the arrest of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is false.
