A graphic video showing Israeli soldiers handling bodies on a rooftop has recirculated across social media platforms, amassing millions of views under claims it depicts recent atrocities. However, a fact-check by European Pulse confirms the footage is not new; it documents an incident from September 2024 during an Israeli military raid in the West Bank town of Qabatiya.
The clip, shared from multiple angles, shows Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers pushing what appear to be lifeless forms from a building's roof. Its renewed virality was notably amplified after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reshared it on X, vowing to verify its contents. He later clarified the video's 2024 provenance while stressing the imperative of upholding international humanitarian law.
The 2024 Incident in Qabatiya
On September 19, 2024, Associated Press journalists on the ground in Qabatiya reported witnessing three Israeli soldiers push a body off a rooftop. Residents identified one of the four bodies recovered by the military as Shadi Zakarneh. The Israeli military stated at the time that the operation, conducted with the Shin Bet security agency, resulted in the death of the "head of a terrorist organisation in Qabatiya" and six others.
Geolocation of the viral videos places the scene north of Qabatiya, near a primary school. The footage clearly shows soldiers throwing at least three bodies from the rooftop, an act that immediately sparked outrage from Palestinian human rights groups and drew diplomatic criticism.
The incident raised serious legal and ethical questions. Under the Geneva Conventions, parties to a conflict must treat the deceased with dignity, preventing mutilation and facilitating repatriation to families. The then-spokesperson for the US Pentagon, John Kirby, labelled the footage "deeply disturbing" and said Washington had sought answers from Israel.
Israeli Response and Investigation
Facing a backlash, the IDF issued a statement calling the event "serious" and stating it "did not coincide with IDF values and the expectations from IDF soldiers." The military announced it would investigate the conduct during the counterterrorism raid in which "four armed terrorists were killed."
While the IDF did not publicly release the full findings of its probe, a spokesperson later told fact-checkers that the bodies were lowered from the rooftop during an "unusual incident" for identification purposes, citing an operational risk to troops. The case was reviewed, deemed not to align with IDF standards, and resulted in "lessons learned," including the need for alternative procedures and higher-level authorisation.
President Lee's post, despite his subsequent clarification, triggered a sharp response from Israel's Foreign Ministry, which called it "unacceptable." This exchange highlights how old, emotionally charged footage can rapidly influence international discourse and diplomatic relations when stripped of its original context.
The recirculation of this video occurs against a backdrop of heightened regional tension, where disinformation and recycled content often cloud public understanding. The episode underscores the critical need for media literacy and rigorous verification, especially for content related to conflict zones. The conflict's ripple effects continue to be felt in Europe, influencing policy debates on security, humanitarian law, and energy security. The EU's Energy Chief has warned of prolonged energy price hikes stemming from the Middle East conflict, linking regional instability directly to European economic concerns.
Furthermore, the principles of international humanitarian law invoked in this case are central to European foreign policy. The bloc consistently emphasises the adherence to these laws by all parties in conflicts, a position reinforced by its own legal frameworks and its support for international courts. Instances like the Qabatiya incident provide concrete, if distressing, case studies for these ongoing diplomatic and legal discussions within institutions in Brussels, Strasbourg, and European capitals.
This fact-check serves as a reminder that the velocity of social media often outpaces verification. For an informed audience, understanding the provenance and full context of such imagery is essential to forming a accurate view of ongoing conflicts and their historical antecedents. The incident remains a documented moment from 2024, its gravity undiminished, but its misrepresentation as a current event is a distortion of the timeline that demands correction.
