Facts Matter: False posts deny anyone was killed during Hamas attack

Since the Israel-Hamas war began earlier this month, thousands of people have been killed, many taken hostage, a great amount of destruction to the area and innumerable false posts on social media.

When the conflict started on Oct. 7, Hamas militants attacked people attending the Tribe of Nova music festival near the Gaza-Israel border. The event was billed as a celebration of "friends, love and infinite freedom."

But a social media post claimed reports of attendees being killed were false.

"The only videos we have seen are people running away from the concert," a narrator said in an Oct. 10 video posted to Instagram. "There isn't a single video or photo suggesting that 250 people were killed at a concert or that a mass shooting took place."

That claim is wrong, according to PolitiFact. There is video from the event showing dead bodies and some Israelis being taken hostage.

ZAKA, an Israeli rescue service, reported 260 bodies recovered from the scene and survivors said the militants spent hours hunting down attendees who were hiding in bushes and nearby orchards.

Following the attack, President Joe Biden, along with the heads of state in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, confirmed the slaughter of more than 200 people attending the festival.

Even the video used for the post is false, PolitiFact said. In a "fuller" version of the clip, gunshots can be heard in the background as people are fleeing the event.

Medieval church not destroyed by bombs

Social media posts claim the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Porphyrius was destroyed by Israeli bombs.

"Israel just blew up the third oldest church in the world. Saint Porphyrius Orthodox Church in Gaza was 1,616 years old," an Instagram user wrote.

But the Church of St. Porphyrius, named after the Bishop of Gaza from 395 to 420 A.D., is still standing, according to The Associated Press. Worship services have continued throughout the war.

A post on the group's Facebook page said in Arabic that the church is "untouched and operating" for the congregation and the Gaza community. There was also a post stating the church's archbishop and pastor would remain in the area during the conflict.

The church, made of limestone with an interior of gilded icons and ceiling paintings, was founded in 407 A.D., and a new building was built in the 12th century during the Crusades, AP said.

Clip is from video game, not war

Recent social media posts claim to show "Iron Beam," a laser-based air defense system developed by Israel, being used in the Israel-Hamas war.

"History: First video of the Israeli Iron Beam, new laser air defense system, intercepting enemy rockets, from today," a Facebook user wrote, captioning a clip showing streaks of light colliding in the sky.

But that clip doesn't show advanced weapons of war, according to Reuters. It's footage from a video game.

The post uses a clip of the video game Arma 3, Pavel Krizka, public relations manager at Bohemia Interactive, which developed the game, told Reuters.

Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Spanel responded to a similar false post on X.

"This is clearly fake video made using Arma 3," he wrote.

No draft planned for U.S. military

With a rise in conflicts throughout the world, some social media users are claiming the U.S. is moving away from an all-volunteer military.

"Biden Set To Bring Back The DRAFT. For War With Russia Or China," a Facebook post read.

But that's not accurate, according to The Associated Press. Defense officials have said there is no plan for ordering U.S. residents to enlist in the military.

Department of Defense spokesperson Nicole Schwegman told the AP they have not recommended the draft to the president or Congress, who are the only government officials with the ability to call for a draft.

The false posts point to two articles to support the claim of a draft being instated: a Sept. 25 story from the Mises Institute headlined, "The US Military Is Laying the Groundwork to Reinstitute the Draft"; and an essay published in the quarterly journal Parameters headlined, "A Call to Action: Lessons from Ukraine for the Future Force."

Zack Yost, writer of the Mises Institute article, told the AP the piece doesn't say the military is bringing back the draft, rather that they are "laying the groundwork to do so."

U.S. Army War College professor John Nagl, co-author of the Parameters essay, told the AP that the article doesn't recommend reinstating the draft.

• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.