Image of bandaged journalist in Jerusalem is from 2015, not Israel-Hamas war | Fact check
The claim: Post implies image shows photo of journalist injured by Israeli forces in 2023
A Nov. 6 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes an image of a journalist with half of her face bandaged reporting in front of a backdrop of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
“Palestinian journalist Hana Hammad continues work after being injured by Israeli forces in Jerusalem,” reads text included in the post.
Some commenters appeared to believe the wounding of the journalist occurred amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
"They are literally committing a massacre in the name of Hamas," reads one comment on the post.
“Meanwhile Isr*eli influencers post a photo dump of their 'war day' featuring their outfit, lunch, beach photo etc.,” reads another.
The post received more than 200,000 likes in two days. Other versions of the post spread widely on Instagram and Facebook.
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Our rating: Missing context
The implied claim here is wrong. The photo does show a journalist injured by Israeli forces in Jerusalem, but it dates back to 2015.
Reporter injured when Israeli officials use 'riot dispersal means' in 2015
Though the post implies the image is from 2023, it predates the ongoing Israel-Hamas war by more than eight years. A matching image can be seen in various 2015 news reports, including those from the Independent, The Guardian and BuzzFeed News.
The outlets identified the woman in the image as reporter Hanna Mahameed, not Hanna Hammad. She was working for the Lebanese TV station Al-Mayadeen at the time of the incident and is described as "Arab-Israeli."
Mahameed was reporting in East Jerusalem when a clash broke out as officials tried to detain the father of a Palestinian teenager suspected of stabbing an Israeli teenager, the Associated Press reported.
Israeli police used "riot dispersal means" to subdue the protestors, at which point Mahameed was hit by a stun grenade, The Guardian reported. She appeared on camera after the incident with her face bandaged.
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Israel's Justice Ministry dropped the criminal investigation into the case the following year because officials couldn't identify the police officer responsible for throwing the grenade, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported in 2016.
USA TODAY previously debunked a claim implying a video shows Israeli airstrikes killing a Palestinian journalist in October 2023.
USA TODAY reached out to several users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The Associated Press, Check Your Fact and BOOM Fact Check also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
BuzzFeed News, Oct. 6, 2015, This Journalist Appeared On Live TV After She Was Hit In The Face By A Police Grenade
The Guardian, Oct. 5, 2015, Arab-Israeli TV journalist goes back on air after being hit by stun grenade
The Independent, Oct. 5, 2015, Journalist Hana Mahameed back on screen after being hit in face by ‘Israeli grenade’ in East Jerusalem
Associated Press, Oct. 4, 2015, The Latest: Israeli stabbing victim describes deadly attack
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Photo shows reporter hurt in East Jerusalem in 2015 | Fact check
