Recently a photo of stray dogs sitting beside a dead body went viral on social media. Sharing the video users are claiming that the man was shot dead in the North of Gaza by the Israelis, but his dogs remained by his side.
Sharing the photo an X user wrote, “The israelis shot him and left him to die in north of Gaza, but his beloved dogs remained by his side while humanity, if it exists, abandoned him. A cowardly and hypocritical world”.
However, as we investigated, we came to know that the photo is old and unrelated to the Israel-Hamas war. Here’s the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by conducting a reverse image search and found the viral image published in a report by Al Jazeera on 20 October 2020.
According to the report, the dead man was a Yemeni citizen named Ismail Hadi who, despite being homeless, used to feed the stray dogs.
The report read, “Yemeni activists interacted with a photo showing a Yemeni citizen after his death, with a number of dogs that he was feeding next to him in a market in the Yemeni governorate of Ibb, considering it to represent the highest levels of loyalty.
The stray dogs did not leave the man they had taken care of when he died, refusing to let anyone near his body.
Citizen Ismail Hadi was constantly feeding these dogs, and passersby noticed that the dogs he had raised for years were surrounding him and clinging to his body, in a state of great sadness.
The photo showed the dogs surrounding him in a scene that reflects the extent of loyalty they showed to the one who took care of them for years. A number of Yemenis expressed their great sadness when they saw the picture of the Yemeni Ismail Mohammed Hadi, after his death, and saw the dogs that tried to protect him while people gathered around him.
Yemeni media figure, Abdul Salam Al-Sharahi, commented, saying, “There is great sadness on the faces of the dogs for those who were their companions and with them. The one who fed them died. This is not the whole story, as there is food on the street that they will live on. The story is about loyalty and not being ungrateful.”
Yemeni Abdul Karim Salam commented, “Goodness remains with a normal person, even if he lives miserable and homeless, as is the case with Ismail Muhammad Hadi.”
He added, “Despite his homelessness, misery, and perhaps the increase in his suffering due to the war, he was known in the Daleel market in Ibb Governorate as the man who used to feed the dogs, and when he breathed his last, the dogs returned the favor with loyalty, so they continued next to his body, clinging to his humanity and perhaps casting a farewell glance at him.”
He added that no matter how lonely a person is, homeless in the street, and no matter how miserable a person is, he can make those around him happy and leave a beautiful impression after his death”.
Please read here. Archived Link.
Moving forward, we found another similar report published on 20 October 2020. In the report, the name of the dead man was mentioned as Ismail Hadi, a Yemeni citizen.
Please read here. Archived Link.
Further, we found a video uploaded on Facebook on 20 October 2020. The video showed the dead body of the man while the dogs were sitting beside him. According to the caption, the name of the man was Ismail Mohammad Hadi, who used to feed the dogs regularly in the Daleel Market in Ibb Governorate and sleep in the street. After his death, the dogs were sitting beside the dead body.
Facebook Link | Archived Link.
Another similar report can be read here. Archived Link.
This makes it clear that the viral photo is old and from Yemen.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral photo is old. The dead man in the photo was a Yemeni citizen named Ismail Hadi. The photo is not related to the Israel-Hamas war.
