“Video shows a female Israeli soldier executing a wounded Palestinian in the West Bank, and there is no video evidence that the boy tried to stab the police.”
The clip is real, but it was filmed after a 14-year-old attacked Border Police officers, and police had already published footage of the attack when the claim that there was "no video" spread. Whether an officer fired at him after he fell is not established.
Where this claim comes from
On February 5, 2024, Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) posted a 14-second clip captioned "FEMALE ISRAELI SOLDIER EXECUTES A WOUNDED PALESTINIAN IN THE WEST BANK" (post), then, more than seven hours later: "ZIONIST NOTES CLAIM THE BOY TRIED TO STAB THE POLICE. Is there video evidence of this claim?" (post). The second post was seen about 3.9 million times. Full timeline and both videos: the incident page.
The circulating post
Ratings of the parts
- "There is no video evidence the boy tried to stab the police" — False: police published security-camera footage of the attack at 12:23 UTC, more than seven hours before the post. It shows him reach into his pocket, pull something out and make stabbing motions at an officer; the object is too small to make out, but the attack is on camera.
- The teen tried to stab police officers — Supported: the police account and the footage agree (the footage shows him pulling an object from his pocket and stabbing at an officer), and a photo published with the police account shows a knife on the road; Palestinian outlets reported the killing without disputing the attack.
- The clip shows an officer "executing a wounded Palestinian" — Not established: it was filmed after he was shot; one gunshot-like bang is heard as an officer stands over him, but the video cannot show whether a shot hit him on the ground, and no reporting we found examined it. Presenting it as an execution, without the attack that came first, misleads.
- The officer was a woman — Unverifiable from the video.
Why "Needs Context" and not "Lie"
The clip is real and shows the aftermath of a real shooting, and the question of a shot after he fell remains open. The "no video evidence" line is false, but it was posed as a question, and we cannot show the poster had seen the police footage. The claim as a whole misleads by leaving out the attack; it does not meet our burden-of-proof test for a fabrication.
Scale and intent — side by side
October 7 (Hamas): about 770–840 civilians killed in one day. Intent to kill civilians is documented — in Hamas's written orders ("kill as many people as possible"), its fighters' own footage, and its leaders' statements.
Gaza (Israel): civilian deaths in the tens of thousands over two years (the civilian share is disputed, roughly 60% to 83%). Israel's stated aim is to destroy Hamas; warnings and large aid volumes are documented, and several incidents have been acknowledged by the IDF as errors. Intent to kill civilians is alleged, and has not been established by any court.
Both facts matter, and neither cancels the other. Every party's alleged crimes, on one scale: War Crimes Ledger.
Sources & References
- › Sulaiman Ahmed on X: viral clip (Feb 5, 2024)
- › Sulaiman Ahmed on X: "Is there video evidence of this claim?" (Feb 5, 2024)
- › Emanuel Fabian (Times of Israel) on X: police footage (Feb 5, 2024)
- › Times of Israel: Palestinian teen shot dead after trying to stab police in West Bank town (Feb 5, 2024)
- › Check Your Fact / Daily Caller: missing context (Feb 7, 2024)