Viral video shows routine opening of Church of the Holy Sepulchre, not Israelis unlocking door after 800 years

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

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search as well as a keyword search to find the context of the video.

Posts from users on social media platforms since April 21, 2025, shared a video, claiming to show Israelis unlocking the door to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after 800 years. However, the door is traditionally unlocked by members of a Muslim family during special Christian events in a centuries-old practice that continues to this day.

The Israeli offensive, which began in response to Hamas’s unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the housing and hospital infrastructure in the enclave. The death toll is feared to be much higher due to thousands still missing under the rubble.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in Jerusalem, is one of the holiest sites in Christianity, believed to be the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. Its connection to Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi dates back to 1187 when he recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Rather than destroy or desecrate the church, Salahuddin protected it and allowed Christian pilgrims to continue visiting.

HOW IT STARTED

The iVerify Pakistan team was alerted on April 21 about an X post and requested authentication for the content.

On April 21, a user on X, who appeared to be a PML-N supporter, according to her past posts and X bio, shared a video showing a man unlocking the door to the Church with the caption, “The locks set by Salahuddin Ayubi are being opened after 800 years. Muslims just watched, while the Palestinians continued to fight alone.”

The post insinuating that the video was linked to the ongoing Israeli offensive was viewed over 43,000 times.

The same claim was also shared by another X user who appeared to be a PTI supporter, according to his past posts and profile picture. His post was seen by more than 54,000 people.

The same video, accompanied by similar captions, also circulated on Facebook here and here and on Instagram.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality, to satisfy the public’s request for authentication and because of keen interest in the issue of Gaza and Israel.

A reverse image search led to a TikTok video uploaded by an account named Stefanos Jerusalem on April 18, 2025. The video features on-screen text stating: “The opening of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem.”

On April 15, thousands of worshippers gathered at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to witness the Holy Fire ceremony, a centuries-old Orthodox Christian tradition celebrated annually on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter.

To further verify the claim, a keyword search was conducted with the help of relevant keywords such as “opening”, “Church of the Holy Sepulchre” and “Jerusalem” which led to a BBC article published on February 25, 2022, titled “A 1,000-year-old promise of peace”.

According to the article, for centuries, the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s holiest sites, has been entrusted to the Muslim Al Husseini family, while the Nuseibeh family is responsible for physically opening and closing the door. This longstanding tradition, dating back to Sultan Salahuddin’s reclaiming of Jerusalem in 1187, was introduced to maintain peace and neutrality between competing Christian denominations.

Further supporting evidence was found in an article published on March 14, 2014, by JerusalemExperience.com, a website dedicated to religious and historical content from Jerusalem.

The article describes the ceremony as a symbol of religious coexistence, stating: “The opening of the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest place on earth for Christians is conducted by two Muslim families. Only in Jerusalem can such religious coexistence happen.”

On the other hand, no evidence or report was found on any Israeli official or citizen opening the locks amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding a viral video that it shows Israelis unlocking the door to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after 800 years amid the Gaza conflict is false.

Muslim families have traditionally held the keys and unlocked the door during special Christian events, as the viral video also shows.