Tal Hagin Profile picture
Mis/disinformation researcher and media literacy lecturer, specializing in information warfare. Research Fellow @FakeReporter
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Jul 1 11 tweets 6 min read
A viral claim alleges that over 1,000 Israeli deaths—military and civilian - were exposed via a hack of the Israeli "Hess" website, due to Iranian strikes.

But is there any truth to it—and can we even know, given Israel’s military censorship?

A🧵 The official numbers, per Israeli/Palestinian media (TOI/Maariv/Palestine Chronicle/MOH), cite 29 deaths (28 civilians / 1 off-duty soldier) and 3,000+ injured, but the death toll could rise as there are still several in critical condition (As of June 24th).

Sources:
TOI (They are missing 1 name: Yelena Zadovsky)
timesofisrael.com/these-are-the-…
Maariv:
maariv.co.il/economy/israel…
Palestine Chronicle:
palestinechronicle.com/israeli-media-…
MOH:
gov.il/he/pages/24062…Image
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Jun 30 5 tweets 2 min read
1. The Times of Israel headline is misleading. If you actually read the article, it's clear they're referring to Iranian casualties.

2. I couldn’t find any Israeli outlet named “Hess,” let alone one reporting those numbers. Image “Iranian strikes” clearly means Israeli strikes on Iran — just read one sentence past the headline.

Tip: Read articles before you share them. Image
Jun 25 7 tweets 5 min read
As news broke of a young child being violently slammed into the ground at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, so did speculation about the attacker’s identity.

What isn’t confirmed:
Claims that the attacker is Jewish or a Zionist have circulated online without ANY evidence. The only official reference appears in Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, where Ambassador Kazem Jalali stated: “Some have claimed the attacker is Jewish, but I cannot confirm that.”

What we know:
The perpetrator is Vladimir Vitkov, 31, a Belarusian national, returning from Egypt, where he had been working on a construction project. He was reportedly under the influence of whisky and cannabis at the time of the assault.Image
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This is a good time to remind everyone of the Ben Cohen case - which led to an innocent man being harassed for a crime he didn't commit because people were desperate to paint a narrative that fit their agendas - trying to claim the perpetrator was either Israeli/Jewish/Illegal Immigrant/Muslim:
Jun 19 10 tweets 5 min read
In a renewed attempt to claim that Soroka Hospital wasn’t directly hit—but was instead damaged by a shockwave after targeting two alleged military facilities—a new video has been released.
Just like previous “evidence,” it’s wrong: The roof of Soroka’s Surgical Ward was directly struck, and the supposed military sites are not located where the video claims.

Thread 2.0:Image The Claim:
This video repeats the same narrative, but instead of a fake map, it now shows a 3d image of Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva —while still insisting the location is in Tel Aviv.

The translated claims are:
1. “Central Command of Communications, Control and Intelligence of the Israeli Army”
2. “Central Intelligence Building – Israeli Army Operations in Tel Aviv's Gav Yam Technology Park”

This is false.
Jun 19 15 tweets 7 min read
After the blast at Soroka Hospital, Fars News claimed it was just shockwave damage from nearby military targets. This is False.

The hospital was directly hit, and the map they shared to back up their claims was completely fabricated.

An OSINT Analysis by @FakeReporter :Image Be aware that this analysis uses open-source tools, including geolocation, blast triangulation and publicly available information online - Nothing said here is confidential.
Jun 19 5 tweets 2 min read
The entire city is blurred on Google Maps: Image
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Source: Google Maps
Jun 13 94 tweets 44 min read
Mis/Disinformation Thread - Iran/Israel 2025

This thread is for you to be aware of what reports/photos/videos are verified Fake News (with sources).

1. This video is from Kyiv, Ukraine - 2022 (Source: ).Image 2. This video is from a fire in Iran on June 11th, 2025 (Source: ). Image
Apr 23 7 tweets 4 min read
This photo wasn't taken in Ramallah - It was taken in Cairo, Egypt.

Specifically: Here in Talaat Harb Square (30°02'52.1"N 31°14'18.7"E).

How did I figure it? A simple Geolocation thread: Image The first step is to try and find out where else this image was used.
Maybe a different caption included a specific place in Ramallah I could then compare with the image to match.
Tool used: Google Lens
Apr 6 48 tweets 30 min read
Preliminary OSINT Summary: Medical Convoy under IDF fire in Tal al-Sultan, Rafah – March 23, 2025

This thread provides a detailed overview of the incident involving the PRCS and Civil Defense convoy in Rafah. It examines the available evidence, outlines conflicting narratives, and highlights key findings as well as unresolved questions.Image This thread draws on eyewitness testimony from the sole known PRCS survivor, official statements by the IDF, PRCS, Civil Defense, and OCHA, as well as OSINT findings.
It's intended as a resource for journalists, researchers, commentators, and activists.
All sources are listed below.
Mar 18 13 tweets 4 min read
I've noticed a recurring issue—people want to fact-check and ensure the content they see is verified, but due to a lack of awareness about Google Lens and its limitations, they often end up spreading fake news themselves.

Let’s fix this 🧵 Image Google Lens is an excellent tool for basic image verification—it's easy to use and allows anyone to quickly check whether a video is recent, old, or missing context.

There are many techniques to use Google Lens correctly, but one recurring mistake leads to bad results: how people interpret the initial search results.
Mar 15 9 tweets 2 min read
Be aware that there are several unrelated videos from previous strikes in Yemen over the past 2 years being wrongly labeled as recent.

This isn't new - it's happened after previous strikes as well.

Verify before you share! 1. Image
Mar 12 16 tweets 12 min read
Based on a OSINT review - The original post alleged to have been uploaded by CUAD is highly likely to have been real.

This is based not on trusting claims made by various activists or organizations, but the accumulation of publicly available data.

A Thread 🧵 The conclusion that this is real is based on 1 important piece of evidence: The link address.

Disclaimer:
I will provide sources for everything.

Lets begin:
Mar 10 10 tweets 3 min read
Fake News Thread 🧵

A summary of fake/misleading posts I handled or videos that could falsely be interpreted as related to the ongoing crisis in Syria: Note: THIS THREAD CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGERY
Feb 23 12 tweets 6 min read
Based on an OSINT analysis of the published footage - This highly likely showcases the suspect responsible for the explosion that occurred near the Wolfson Medical Center - (Or the additional unexploded package)

Analysis & Overview thread 🧵 What we know (1/2):
1. The first two explosions occurred around 20:30 in the parking lot next to the Bat Yam Municipal Stadium:
32°00'06.4"N 34°44'50.1"E
2. The third bus exploded around 21:40 (Based on initial reports on Telegram pages). Image
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Jan 30 8 tweets 5 min read
With the release of the five IDF observers—Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, and Agam Berger, the handover ceremony was meticulously staged. Yet, despite the effort, one significant and simple detail was missing: real IDF uniforms.Image
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Seven IDF observers were taken captive by the al-Qassam and al-Quds Brigades at the Nahal Oz surveillance base on October 7th. (Noa Marciano was killed in captivity under disputed circumstances, while Ori Megidish was rescued in an ISA-IDF operation.) The base was attacked less than 10 minutes after the initial rocket fire at 6:29 a.m.Image
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Jan 23 5 tweets 2 min read
It's extremely concerning how easily AI videos are already fooling the general public. Endless replies on the OPs post either unable to tell if it's real/fake or believe it to be genuine.
It won't be long until it'll be virtually impossible to tell the difference. 3 tips to help tell which videos are AI:
1. Look at the fine details of the video. For this one, the AI messes up when the penguin tries to eat the shrimp:
Jan 20 7 tweets 3 min read
The following image from the hostage exchange has gained significant attention, with commentators highlighting it as an example of disinformation.
In fact, there are two possible disinformation scenarios at play here.

Let me explain: Image This image was uploaded by QudsFeed at 20:17 local time, claiming to show the hostage exchange that had occurred earlier. Unfortunately, I couldn't determine the exact timing of the event from this image due to the absence of significantly visible shadows. Image
Jan 14 21 tweets 8 min read
There are several issues with this list including:
1. A missing name.
2. Unrelated names.
3. False/Missing data.

The stories told must be verified before they are shared - A thread🧵 Image On October 7th, 2023 the number of children (17 & younger) killed was 36 - NOT 40.

This thread provides a thorough correction to the OPs list. A more detailed list of the 36 children killed on Oct 7th will be published at a later date.
Jan 14 6 tweets 3 min read
This video has nothing to do with the fires in California.

This video was uploaded on Tiktok by @dodon_66, and showcases a fire at the "Badhütte Rorschach", a bathing house located in Rorschach, Switzerland that was burnt down in a fire on December 23, 2024.

Geolocation thread 🧵:Image
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Geolocation: 47.47961520941571, 9.486873095034133 Image
Jan 7 8 tweets 3 min read
Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of representing @FakeReporter at @Limmud 2024, where I discussed the critical challenges we face daily—from managing the spread of fake news during crises to understanding the severe repercussions of misinformation, such as digital or physical lynchings and even the denial of atrocities.Image A snippet from one of the lectures:
"The Power of Lies: Disinformation's Role in Sparking Chaos and Conflict."

In this section, I discussed how public WhatsApp groups, fueled by hatred, fake news, and lack of police oversight, contributed to the 2021 Bat Yam lynching.
Dec 31, 2024 6 tweets 3 min read
This video isn't from Gaza.

The video originates from a Facebook account called "Moin Fishing/Nomads Cooking".
It was likely filmed in Iran - Which I determined via a license plate that appears in 1 of their videos.

It's not 100% clear if the videos are scripted or genuine. Image
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The origin of the video is Iran, due to this license plate that appears in one of their videos: Image
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