Image of fiery explosion near Rafah tent camp is AI generated | Fact check
The claim: Image shows fiery explosion near Rafah refugee camp
A May 29 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows fire and smoke rising over a mass of tents. The word "Rafah," a city in southern Gaza, is written in white letters on the image.
"Ya Allah, help them and protect them," reads part of the post's caption. "Amen. God suffices me and we act as an agent," it continues in Arabic, according to Google translate.
The post was liked more than 200,000 times in five days.
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Our rating: Altered
The image was generated by artificial intelligence, according to an expert and an AI-detection tool.
Image has 'cartoonish style' consistent with AI, expert says
A fire broke out at a temporary refugee camp near Rafah on May 26 following an Israeli airstrike in the area, killing at least 45 people. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, said the airstrike hit a "closed compound" about a mile away from the camp, and the fire was likely caused by a secondary explosion, Paste BN previously reported.
But the image isn't real – it includes elements consistent with AI-generated images, Walter Scheirer, a Notre Dame engineering professor whose area of research includes visual recognition, told Paste BN.
"The image is not photorealistic and has a cartoonish style, which is commonly observed in output from generative AI models," he said.
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Scheirer said the image "does not look plausible" when compared to real images of the camp, which have been published by multiple news outlets, including Paste BN.
"Further, the image has been edited to add various text overlays," he said.
Hive Moderation's AI detection tool determined the image is 99.9% likely to be AI-generated, and that it's 95% likely to have been created with the program Midjourney.
Paste BN reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
- Walter Scheirer, May 31, Email exchange with Paste BN
- Paste BN, May 28, Israel's deadly strike on Rafah doesn't appear to cross Biden administration's 'red line'
- Paste BN, May 28, After Israel's strike on Rafah ignites outrage, Netanyahu deflects blame, vows to fight on
- Paste BN, May 27, Israeli strike on Rafah tent camp kills dozens
- Reuters, May 27, Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp kills 45, prompts international outcry
- France24, May 27, ‘The sound was terrifying’: Witnesses recount chaotic scenes during deadly strikes on Rafah camp
- Hive Moderation (DocumentCloud), May 29, Hive Moderation Results
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