Israel’s Channel 12 has said it did not broadcast a purported poll circulating on social media in August 2024 about the treatment of prisoners by the Israeli army as the Gaza war raged. AFP found the image was doctored from a 2022 survey that predated the war by more than one year. The false posts emerged after the news channel broadcast footage that appeared to show Israeli soldiers sexually abusing Palestinian prisoners at a military base.
“Israel’s Channel 12 asked a question in an Israeli public opinion poll: Do you agree with the claim that a soldier is allowed to rape a prisoner with his hands tied? 47% Yes 43% No,” read the caption alongside the altered image posted on Facebook on August 11.
The image appeared to show a news presenter from Israel’s Channel 12 standing next to a poll graphic with a Hebrew-language question that translates as: “Do you agree that a soldier is allowed to rape a “terrorist”?”
The posts emerged online after the United States urged Israel to investigate and implement accountability following the circulation of a video that appeared to show soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner on August 7 (archived link).
The leaked surveillance video, broadcast on Channel 12, showed Israel soldiers hiding behind shields in what online commentators suggested was sexual acts performed on a prisoner the Sde Teiman base.
The Israeli military said it has opened an investigation into “suspected abuse” of a detainee at the facility, known to be holding Palestinians arrested from Gaza during the war (archived link).
Channel 12 hosted a controversial debate on August 7 in which panellists discussed whether the rape and abuse of Palestinian prisoners should be legalised (archived link).
The war was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures (archived link).
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign to destroy Hamas has killed 40,819 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
The altered image was shared on Facebook by users based in Malaysia and Singapore.
Similar false posts were also shared on social media platform X in Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Altered screenshot
A reverse image search on Google found the original footage of the news bulletin segment published by Channel 12 on its website on May 27, 2022 (archived link).
The two-minute, six-second video shows an anchor presenting the news alongside the survey results that read in Hebrew: “Do you agree with the claim that the government relies on supporters of terrorism?”
The video’s Hebrew-language title translates to English as: “A year for the government: a survey of mandates”.
The timestamp for the clip screenshot used in the misleading post can be seen at the one-minute 46-second mark.
In the manipulated image, a blue box covered the screen, hiding the original question that was displayed with the results on a screen behind the news anchor.
Channel 12 subsequently apologised for the poll, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported (archived link).
Below is a screenshot comparison of the altered image (left) and the original video published by Channel 12 (right):
Alon Shani, a spokesman from Channel 12, told AFP on August 21: “We are aware and we published a fake alert shortly after this was spread online.”
The broadcaster has separately debunked the false posts in Hebrew on August 9 here.
AFP has fact-checked more misinformation around the Israel-Hamas war here.
