The claim: Video shows device used by Israeli soldiers to 'bury terrorists in their tunnels'

A Dec. 12 post (direct link, archive link) on X, formerly Twitter, shows a spinning device being lowered down a chimney.

"Another method by the IDF to bury terrorists in their tunnels,' read the video's caption.

The post was reposted more than 3,000 times in nine days. Similar posts were shared on Facebook.

Our rating: False

The video predates the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. It shows a tool used to remove old tiles inside chimneys.

Video posted online before Israel-Hamas war

The Israeli military said it destroyed a "vast network of tunnels" beneath Gaza that included command and control positions, meeting rooms and hideout apartments for leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, USA TODAY reported in December.

Hamas has used the tunnels to transport supplies and carry out attacks, including the Oct. 7 surprise attack that brought about the current conflict.

The video, though, is not related to the latest war between Israel and Hamas. It appeared in several places online before the conflict began in early October. The video was posted on X and Reddit in August with captions that say it shows a tool used to remove old tile from inside chimneys. It was also posted on YouTube and TikTok in September with the caption, "Interesting device that gets used to remove old tile layers from chimneys."

A description of a similar tool sold by Rockford Chimney Supply, an internet-based chimney supply company, says it "spins and effectively breaks up clay flue tiles so they can be removed."

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"Many homeowners find that their chimney flue is too small to fit down the appropriate size stainless steel chimney liner," the company's website says. "In order to make room for the new efficient liner, breaking the clay flue tiles often resolves the issue."

While the video has nothing to do with the conflict, the Israeli military has been taking steps to destroy Hamas' network of tunnels, including by flooding them with seawater, The Wall Street Journal reported in December.

The social media user who shared the post could not be reached.

Post recycles, mischaracterizes old video of man confronting Israeli troops | Fact check.

The claim: Video of falling Palestinian man is staged, from 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict

A Dec. 13 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a man in a headscarf yelling at soldiers before falling to the ground and being carried to an ambulance by onlookers.

"The Palestinian Theater," reads the on-screen caption. "Grab you (sic) popcorn and enjoy the show!"

The post was liked more than 300 times in nine days. A similar post on X, formerly Twitter, was reposted more than 500 times in nine days.

Our rating: False

There's no evidence the incident here is staged, and it also predates the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. It was shot in 2015 and shows a confrontation that happened in the West Bank, not the Gaza Strip.

Video shows 2015 encounter in West Bank, not Gaza Strip

The video shows a Palestinian man confronting Israeli troops in 2015 in the West Bank, where the soldiers had been clashing with Palestinian youths, The Independent reported. It did not happen during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Independent's report from Oct. 12, 2015, includes more footage of the encounter taken from a different angle. It says the man yelled at the troops and asked, "How do you fire your weapon on kids?" before ultimately falling backward to the ground.

He was carried to an ambulance by onlookers and later released from a hospital with minor bruises, the newspaper reported.

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Channel 4 News in the U.K. also posted a video of the encounter on Twitter, now X, on Oct. 12, 2015, noting the incident happened in Hebron, a city in the southern West Bank.

The footage has been misused over the years as a purported example of Palestinians feigning injury to gain media attention. USA TODAY has debunked previous claims of Palestinian war casualties being staged.

The Instagram user who shared the video did not immediately respond to a request for comment.