Fact-Check: No, This Photo Doesn't Show a Tunnel Connecting Rafah to Egypt

This image shows a tunnel which connects Northern Gaza to Israel and is far away from Rafah in Southern Gaza.

Fact-check: A photo of a tunnel connecting Norther Gaza to Israel is being falsely shared as a photo of a tunnel from Rafah connecting Egypt.

(Photo: The Quint)

A photo of an underground tunnel is going viral on social media to claim that it connects Rafah from the Southern Gaza to Egypt.

Some background: According to the Gaza health ministry, on 26 May, an airstrike in a camp at Rafah killed 45 Palestinians and injured dozens.

• Following this, the Israeli army continued bombing in Rafah’s Tal as-Sultan area including the Indonesian Field Hospital.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

(Archives of similar claims can be seen here and here.)

What's the truth?: It does not show a tunnel connecting Rafah and Egypt.

• This image shows a tunnel which connects Northern Gaza to Israel and is 40 km away from Rafah in Southern Gaza.

How did we find out the truth?: We performed a reverse image search on Google and this led us to Getty Images.

• A similar image was shared on 7 January 2024, and the description stated that it shows a tunnel reportedly built by the Hamas group, which connects Northern Gaza through the Erez border crossing to Israel.

• It adds that Hamas reportedly used this tunnel to attack Israel on 7 October 2023.

• The photo was credited to Noam Galai.

The photo is from Northern Gaza and not Rafah.

(Source: Getty Images/Screenshot)

• Taking a cue, we checked Galai's Instagram account where he had posted photos of the same tunnel.

• In a post, he included photos of the tunnel where IDF soldiers were also present.

It is also important to note that Northern Gaza, where this particular tunnel is situated, is around 40.7 KM away from Rafah.

Conclusion: A photo of a tunnel connecting Norther Gaza to Israel is being falsely shared as a photo of a tunnel from Rafah connecting Egypt.

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