Fact Check Video Fact-Check International

Mushroom picking video falsely linked to fleeing Israelis

22 June, 2025 5:08 pm

Amid the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict, a video is being shared on social media claiming that Israeli citizens are fleeing the country.

Watch such a video shared on Facebook here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive).

Fact Check

The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation finds that the circulated video is not a scene of Israeli citizens fleeing the country amid the ongoing conflict. In reality, a video of medicinal mushroom Yarsagumba being gathered in Nepal’s Dolpa district has been circulated with the false claim.

During investigation of the discussed video, a Shorts video published on June 17 by a YouTube channel with the username Nedoyatrisoch2.0 was found here. Reviewing the video shows that it matches the one circulated with the claim.

The title of the video states that the people seen in it have gathered to collect something called Yarsagumba, which begins in a place called Ruppatan from Jestha 13 (May–June).

Later, upon reviewing the YouTube channel, another Shorts video published on June 1 was found here. In that video, besides the discussed footage, several other clips from the same time at the same place can be seen. Also, from the title of the video, it is known that this footage of collecting something called Yarsa was recorded in a place called Ruppatan in Nepal’s Dolpa district.

Another Shorts video on the channel was found here, where a drone shot shows that for one month of the year, people in Nepal live on the peaks of remote mountains to collect Yarsagumba.

Since the username of the channel includes “2.0”, the original channel was searched under the name Nedo Yatri Soch, based on the name of the channel. In the search, the original channel of the same person named Nedo Yatri was found here. From the description of the channel, it is learned that this person is a resident of Nepal’s Dolpa district. Through his videos, he tries to showcase his district.

Later, upon reviewing his channel, several videos related to Yarsagumba collection were found. From the title of one of the videos here, it is learned that Yarsagumba is one of the most expensive mushrooms in the world. Watch his vlogs about going to collect the mushroom called Yarsagumba here, here, and here.

It is learned about the Yarsagumba mushroom here that it grows inside the larvae of specific moths and butterflies. Due to its various medicinal properties, it has high value in the global market including in China.

It is mainly found in several mountainous regions including Dolpa in Nepal, located at the foothills of the Himalayas. Every year, in the second week of May, the collection of this mushroom begins. At that time, schools are closed, and families including children, women, and men all go to the mountainous regions of Nepal to collect Yarsagumba.

Conclusion

The video of collecting a mushroom called Yarsagumba in Nepal’s mountainous region is being shared claiming it shows Israelis fleeing the country during the Iran-Israel conflict, which is completely false.

Sources