Amidst the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, a video of people scaling a mountain has gone viral on social media with the claim that it shows people in Israel running away from their homes.
The caption of the post states, “Israel right now, people are running away from their homes.”
Let’s check the truth
Fact Check-
We started our investigation by running a reverse image search on Google, and the results led us to a similar video uploaded on an Instagram account on 2 June, 2025, by an account called MadeInNepal. The description of the post states that, every year, Dolpa’s highlands, particularly Rupa Patan, attract many individuals seeking to harvest yarsagumba, a highly valued medicinal fungus known as “Himalayan Gold.” This fungus grows at elevations of 3,000 to 5,000 meters and is sought for its health benefits. Villagers from Dolpa and nearby districts undertake challenging journeys to collect yarsagumba, setting up temporary camps and enduring harsh conditions for weeks. The income from this collection is crucial for families, often sustaining them for a year, but they also face risks such as altitude sickness and unpredictable weather during the process.
This Instagram account MadeInNepal, credited an account called Nedo Soch for this video, and we conducted further searches and found the same viral video on the TikTok account of Nedo Yatri, and it was uploaded on 29 May 2025. According to the post, this footage was from the Rup-Patan region in Nepal’s Dolpa district.
Yarsagumba in Nepal is a rare fungus, and it has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for 2000 years, this caterpillar fungus is a highly prized tonic, touted for its ability to increase energy and vitality. The harvest of Yarsagumba is a critical annual trek for Nepali communities, providing the main source of cash income from a rare fungus highly valued in traditional medicine.
The war has resulted in significant displacement across the region. Millions of people in Israel have been forced to flee their homes due to escalating hostilities and evacuation orders. But based on all this evidence, we can understand that this video is from Nepal and it has no link to Israel.
Conclusion-
Fact Crescendo found the claim made along with the viral video to be False. This is an old video from Nepal, and it has no link to Israel.
Title: Video from Nepal falsely shared as people fleeing Israel amid the ongoing conflict
Fact Check By: Usha Manoj
Result: False
