Viral video does not show Netanyahu being slapped by Israeli public

The iVerify Pakistan team reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search from the viral clip to trace the original video of the incident.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms X and Facebook on June 19, 2025, shared a clip claiming to show a man punching Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. However, the incident actually took place in May 2025 and shows Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel being slapped while exiting the Ataturk Cultural Centre in Istanbul.

Nearly 80 people, including top army officers, were killed while civilians were among over 300 wounded in Iran as a result of Israel’s strikes on military sites and private residences on June 13. Iran subsequently launched its own retaliation with ballistic missiles fired at Israel and the two countries continued to exchange a volley over the weekend.

HOW IT STARTED

On June 19, the central organiser of the PML-N’s social media wing shared a 15-second clip on X showing a man reaching out from the public and slapping an official.

The caption on the video said, “Netanyahu was slapped repeatedly by his own people.”

The caption of the post said: “God willing, such curses and wrath will befall those who inflict atrocities on the people of Gaza.”

The post received over 116,000 views.

The clip was also found on Facebook as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here, accumulating over 655,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.

A reverse image search yielded an X post of Belarusian media outlet Nexta from May 4, 2025.

The caption of the post read, “A Blow to the opposition. The leader of Turkiye’s largest opposition party — the Republican People’s Party (CHP) — Ozgur Ozel was punched in the face while exiting the Atatürk Cultural Centre in Istanbul. The incident occurred during the funeral of former MP Sırrı Sureyya Onder. The attacker was immediately detained by security.

“The motive behind the attack remains unknown. Turkey’s Interior Ministry stated that the suspect has been identified and an investigation is underway. The Interior Minister condemned the assault, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally called Özel to wish him a speedy recovery.

“Ozgur Ozel is a fierce critic of Erdogan. Recently re-elected as CHP leader, he has accused the government of using force against the opposition, calling it a ‘junta administration’.”

The same incident was reported on May 4 by Belgian news website The Brussels Times, Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah and Indian website Firstpost.

According to the reports, an assailant slapped Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition CHP on May 4 as he was leaving an event in Istanbul.

The attack captured on camera showed Ozel holding his head in pain while the suspect was quickly apprehended. Authorities identified the attacker as S.T. after his initials, while media reports said he was an unemployed man with a criminal record.

Ozel was attending a commemoration ceremony in Istanbul’s Ataturk Culture Centre for Sırrı Sureyya Onder, the deputy parliamentary speaker who passed away on May 3.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a video shows Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu being slapped by the Israeli public is false.

The actual clip shows Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel being slapped on May 4 while exiting the Atatürk Cultural Center in Istanbul.

MULTIPLE CLAIMS

At the same time, iVerify Pakistan observed multiple other claims regarding the Iran-Israel conflict. Here are more claims that were debunked by the platform.

– Viral image of artillery shell exploding over Tel Aviv — FALSE

On June 19, a pro-Iranian X account shared an image showing an artillery shell exploding over a populated or urban area.

The caption on the post read, “We’re back, Tel Aviv”.

The post received 5.7 million views and 8,300 reshares.

The same image was found on another Iranian account with the caption; “Urgent | Israel Hayom, citing Israeli security officials: We are witnessing the largest wave of missiles from Iran in recent times.”

The post gained 25,000 views.

A reverse image search yielded an article of international wire news agency Reuters where the same picture was posted with the caption: A shell fired by Israeli forces explodes over the northern Gaza Strip, January 4, 2009.

The incident was covered by Times of Gaza, an account that provides news updates and top stories from occupied Palestine, in an X post from June 20 with the caption: “Gaza, not Tel Aviv. This is white phosphorus used by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza.”

The incident was covered in a report by French news outlet France24 on January 12, 2009, with the title: “Israel using phosphorus bombs, says rights group”.

According to the report, a leading human rights group had accused Israel of using white-phosphorus munitions during its January 2009 offensive in the Gaza Strip and warned of the risk to Palestinian civilians who live near the fighting.

Human Rights Watch had said in a statement that its researchers in Israel observed, on January 9 and 10, “multiple air-bursts of artillery-fired white phosphorus over what appeared to be the Gaza City/Jabaliya area”.

Therefore, the claim that a viral image shows an Iranian artillery shell exploding over Tel Aviv is false. The image unrelated to the Iran-Israel conflict and shows a possible white phosphorous artillery shell being used in Gaza in January 2009.

– Viral video of Iranian MPs burning US flag and chanting ‘Death to America’ — MISLEADING

On June 18, an X user shared a 90-second clip showing a group of people burning a US flag while chanting something.

The caption on the post read, “In the Iranian parliament, MPs burn the American flag while chanting ‘Death to America’ and threaten to use a nuclear bomb against the American homeland. I think Iran actually is an American problem.”

The post received over 10 million views and 16,000 reshares.

The same clip was shared by several other X users, with some posting it on June 14 also, as seen here, here, here, here, here and here, collectively accumulating over 690,000 views.

A reverse image search yielded an article of Canadian news website Global News published on May 9, 2018, titled: “‘Death to America!’: Iranian lawmakers burn American flag after Trump exits nuclear deal”.

According to the report, Iranian lawmakers burned an American flag and a copy of the nuclear deal inside parliament following US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement.

Chanting “death to America”, they had set the items on fire and stomped on the ashes, prompting the parliament speaker to caution them not to burn down the chamber. While anti-American displays are common in Iran, observers noted this was the first time such an act occurred inside the parliament.

The incident was also covered by CNN on the same day with the following headline, “In Iran, hardliners are burning the deal and the American flag”.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows Iranian lawmakers burning the US flag in parliament while chanting against it amid the Iran-Israel conflict is misleading. The video is actually from May 2018 and shows them protesting against Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal.

– Viral video of Israeli army hiding in underground bunkers amid Iran conflict — FALSE

On June 16, a Facebook user posted a video showing a bunch of army personnel in an enclosed space, serenading a poem.

The post was captioned: “Israeli soldiers in shelters.”

It was viewed by 50,000 users.

The same claim was shared on X by a user, gaining over more than 2.3 million views.

The video with the same claim was shared here, here and here.

The viral clip also made rounds on X here, here, here and here, 329,000, 739,000, 63,000, and 81,000 views, respectively.

A reverse image search led to an Instagram post dated May 13, 2024, by user @idflover, featuring the same video.

In the caption, the user paid tribute to Israeli soldiers on the occasion of Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day), Israel’s official day of remembrance for fallen Israeli soldiers and terrorism victims..

The video was credited to @noyleyb, an Israeli Defence Force soldier who originally shared it on the same day.

He captioned the post: “This year’s Yom HaZikaron ceremony was different – it was spent on base defending our land from pure evil. Without a dry eye in the room, together we sang “When the heart cries” by Sarit Hadad. It’s heartbreaking to say this, but everyone in this video knows someone who has been murdered since Oct 7th. May everyone’s memory be a blessing and may we see better days Dedicated to Avshalom and Shiraz Peretz and Yitav Halevi Z”L.”

Therefore, the claim that a video shows Israeli soldiers hiding in underground bunkers amid the fighting with Iran is false. The video is from May 2024 on the occasion of Israel’s Memorial Day.