Pro-Israel Figures Launch Disinformation Campaign Denying Israel’s Killing of Ahed Al-Bayouk

On December 7, reports of Israeli troops killing a three-year-old Palestinian in Gaza named Ahed al-Bayouk circulated on media outlets and social media. Within hours, pro-Israeli influencers and former officials launched a coordinated effort to cast doubt on the incident, denying Israel’s responsibility for her killing.

Video of Girl Approaching Aid Trucks Exploited to Debunk Ahed Al-Bayouk’s Shooting

On the same day Ahed al-Bayouk was shot, a video of a little girl running toward aid trucks went viral on Palestinian social media. Israeli trolls later used the video to cast doubt on Israel’s role in killing Ahed.

The former official spokesman for the Israeli government, Eylon Levy, quoted the video, with captions suggesting that Ahed was run over by trucks and not killed by Israel.

“Al Jazeera is spreading an unsubstantiated report that ‘Israel killed a 3-year-old girl’ in Gaza yesterday. There is no evidence for that. There is, however, footage on social media of a Gazan truck driver running over a little girl,” Levy posted to his more than 245,000 followers.

The Gazawood account amplified the claims, accusing Al Jazeera and Palestinian outlets of not providing evidence for the killing of Ahed by Israeli troops.

In the comment section of the reports of the killing of Ahed al-Bayouk, several accounts denied Israel’s responsibility for her killing, sharing the video of the girl and the trucks.

No Connection Between Viral Video and Ahed Al-Bayouk’s Killing

Misbar’s team traced the footage of the girl and the trucks back to a Facebook post by Palestinian influencer Kamel al-Heigy, who shared it with a caption indicating that the location was the Khan Younis section of al-Mawasi.

This location alone debunks the claim linking the video to the killing of three-year-old Ahed al-Bayouk, whose death was reported in the Rafah section of al-Mawasi, a different governorate entirely.

Furthermore, the girl featured in the viral video did not die. Kamel al-Heigy and other local Facebook pages from Gaza clarified that the child survived the incident and was not harmed.

“God saved the girl from beneath the aid truck. Take care of your children,” al-Heigy captioned the video.

A local Facebook page, named Gaza Plus, shared the video, clarifying that the girl survived and is fine.

The viral video also contradicts reports of how Ahed spent her last minutes before being shot. According to Al Jazeera, the three-year-old was shot while playing in front of her family’s tent, not while crossing the street as implied by pro-Israeli trolls.

International and Israeli Media Confirm Ahed Al-Bayouk’s Killing

International and Israeli media, along with multiple agencies, have independently reported and acknowledged the killing of three-year-old Ahed al‑Bayouk by Israeli fire in southern Gaza.

The BBC reported on the killing of Ahed, citing Palestinian sources, stating that she was killed on the Palestinian side of the so-called Yellow Line, the boundary Israeli forces agreed to withdraw behind during the first phase of the U.S. ceasefire proposal. The outlet added that the Israeli army would conduct an additional review of the incident.

The Israeli outlet The Times of Israel reported on the incident, citing Al Jazeera and Palestinian media reports that a three‑year‑old girl was killed by apparent Israeli troops’ gunfire in the al‑Mawasi coastal area.

Although these reports documented Ahed’s killing, the claim that she was run over by a Palestinian driving an aid truck continues to circulate widely. The attempt to attribute her death to a truck accident represents a deliberate misinformation campaign that has been going on throughout the war, meant to shield Israel from responsibility for killing or starving Palestinians by attributing such incidents to Palestinian negligence or unavoidable circumstances.

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