Claim: A journalist named Motasem A Dalloul, who has been reporting from Gaza, is actually based in Poland, according to a post by the Foreign ministry of Israel that cited X’s new location feature.
Fact: The Israeli foreign ministry’s claim is false. The journalist Motasem A Dalloul is not in Poland. Moreover, Soch Fact Check explored the location feature independently and found that it does not provide a user’s real-time location accurately.
On 23 November, Israel’s foreign ministry issued a statement on X, saying 196,900 followers are being lied to by a “fake ‘journalist’ claiming to be in Gaza. New X feature reveals his actual location is Poland.”
The post further stated, “Reporting from Gaza is fake & not reliable. Makes you wonder how many more fake reports have you read?”
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check explored X’s ‘Account Based in’ tab and found out that it does not provide the user’s real-time location.
This was proven when a team member’s profile location failed to update even after she had changed her physical location. This revealed that the feature can show other details such as the registration country of an international SIM card instead of where the user is actually located.
Besides this, Dalloul has told Anadolu Agency, a state-run news agency in Turkey, that he had not left Gaza “throughout two years of Israeli bombardment”. Dalloul elaborated that he had to use an international SIM card for internet and communication since the Israeli army destroyed Gaza’s communication infrastructure that cut off internet services to many areas for long periods.
He added that the SIM card he used belongs to a company called “Plus”, which is owned by a Polish entity. According to him, this is the reason why the location of his account on X appears to be Poland.
Middle East Eye, a digital news organisation covering news from Middle East and North Africa, also posted a video of Dalloul on its verified X page. In the video, the journalist has refuted the claim made by the Israeli foreign ministry, while standing amid collapsed infrastructure and saying:
“If you can recognise such buildings in Poland, just tell me please. If you can recognise such tents and tent camps as you see here, just tell me. If there is something like this in Poland, please let me know.”
Another journalist, Muhammad Smiry, who has also been accused for reporting outside of Gaza, said the following in a post on X:
“Twitter is showing wrong locations for Palestinians, my account showed Indonesia because my brother is there and has access to my account. Motasem is being attacked by lsraelis just because his twitter location says Poland!”
Virality
The post claiming Dalloul is in Poland was shared on X by verified users here, here, here.
Conclusion: Based on the evidence of our independent investigation and credible news reports, Soch Fact Check concludes that the claim by the Israeli foreign ministry is false. Gazan reporter Motasem A Dalloul is not located in Poland.
Background image in cover photo: Screenshot from a video posted by Middle East Eye
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com