No, this video does not show Palestinians fleeing to Egypt amid Israel-Hamas war

What's the claim?

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, a video has been shared on social media claiming to show Palestinians leaving for Egypt. A Facebook user shared the video on October 15, 2023; the text reads, “Palestinians fleeting to Egypt.” It has also been shared on TikTok. The archive of the posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of the viral video circulating online. (Source: Facebook/TikTok/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false. The video is from Azerbaijan and is not related to the Israel-Hamas war.

These are the facts

Through a reverse image search, we found the same video clip shared on a YouTube channel named “@zaqatalapage” on August 14, 2023. It was titled: “The crowd of parents after the swearing-in ceremony of young soldiers in military unit (roughly translated from Azerbaijani).” The people and the background match the viral video.

Comparison of viral video and YouTube video. (Source: Facebook/YouTube/Screenshots)

We searched for news reports and found an extended version of the video shared by a local news outlet, Baku TV, on August 14, 2023. It was titled: “A crowd of parents after the swearing-in ceremony of young soldiers (roughly translated from Azerbaijani).” At 0:42 minutes, we can see an Azerbaijan flag in the video.

Screenshot of Baku TV video posted on August 14, 2023. (Source: YouTube/Screenshot)

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, an oath-taking ceremony, where young soldiers take an oath of loyalty to their country and people, was held in the Azerbaijan Army on August 13, 2023. According to local media reports, an oath-taking ceremony is a customary event held at the beginning of the training year for new soldiers starting their service in the armed forces. According to Azer News, a local news outlet, the young soldiers were called upon by speakers at the event to be loyal to the nation and serve the country faithfully. Family members of martyred soldiers, veterans, commanders, and young soldiers were present at the event, which was held on August 13.

The verdict

A two-month-old video of parents attending an oath-taking ceremony of new soldiers in Azerbaijan has been misattributed as Palestinians fleeing to Egypt amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.