Video from Greece shared as Israelis fleeing Ben Gurion Airport

What is being claimed?

A video of a crowded airport is being circulated with the false claim that Israelis have "stormed" Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to flee to other countries amid the heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. 

An Instagram user shared the video with the caption, "Thousands are trying to flee Ben Gurion Airport." The post had 446 likes and over 9,000 views. Palestinian photographer Wissam Nassar also shared this video with the same caption on Instagram on October 2, 2024, and his post received over 113,652 likes. An archive of similar claims can be found here and here.

Screenshot of the viral video shared online. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the viral video shows Athens airport in Greece, not Tel Aviv.

Here are the facts

The text "Love, Athens" is written on one of the walls seen in the viral video. A reverse image search led us to an image published by Getty Images on October 1, 2024, showing people sitting on the floor at an airport with the same sign visible in the background.

The caption states that the image shows a line at Athens International Airport on September 30, 2024, as people waited to check in to their flights to Israel. The caption says, "European Commission and European Union Aviation Safety Agency advised that airlines not operate within Lebanese and Israeli airspace due to the ongoing hostilities. El Al, the main Israeli airline, issued a notice that stranded passengers across Europe should travel to Athens, Greece, or Larnica, Cyprus, as they try to increase flights across three Israeli airlines." The image was credited to Getty Images photographer Alexi Rosenfeld.

We found that Rosenfeld shared this image, among others from Athens International Airport, on his Instagram account (archived here) on October 1, 2024, documenting people waiting at the airport as their flights to Israel were delayed. 

A comparison of the viral video with photojournalist Rosenfeld's image. (Source: Instagram)

A reverse image search also led us to a video uploaded by the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom on September 30, 2024, of passengers standing at Athens International Airport in Greece. Comparing this with the viral video, we found multiple similarities, including several of the same passengers and the same writing on the wall.

Comparison of viral video and Israel Hayom's video. (Source: X/Israel Hayom)

Mehr News Agency also published a video of passengers stranded at Athens airport on September 30, 2024, with the caption: "Israeli passengers wander off at Athens airport." Several Greek airlines suspended flights to Tel Aviv until October 6, 2024, and to Beirut in Lebanon until October 31. The airlines then extended the cancellation of flights to Tel Aviv until October 13, 2024, CNBC reports. Many countries like Dubai, Iran, and Emirates have canceled flights to the Middle East. 

The verdict

A video of passengers waiting at Athens airport after flights to Israel were canceled amid tensions between Israel and Lebanon has been shared with the false claim that it shows Israelis trying to flee the country after the attack by Iran.