A video has been shared on social media with captions alleging that it shows a group of Palestinian refugees arriving in Sweden by plane, supposedly fleeing the war in Gaza.
The posts tend to contain anti-immigrant and anti-Palestinian rhetoric. Some claim that the people in the video are wearing western attire, and that while they may appear willing to assimilate western customs, they will soon cast this attitude aside.
"Once their stomachs are full, they will wear knitted caps, build mosques and say 'this country belongs to our forefathers'," one of the most viral posts sharing the video on X reads.
Other posts sharing the video praise Sweden for accepting Palestinians and urge others to leave Gaza as soon as possible. This one has been shared by a self-proclaimed "Proud fierce Zionist" account.
Regardless of the captions shared with the video, the claim that the people depicted are refugees fleeing the war is false.
The video actually shows members of the Rawahel Charity Association's Under-14 football team, which is based in the West Bank, not Gaza.
It can be traced back to its original source through a reverse image search using stills from the videos. It leads us to the Rawahel Charity Association's social media accounts. For example, it posted the same video to its TikTok account on 10 July with the caption "To Sweden".
Its TikTok bio says that it's a Palestinian sports association that aims to foster talent and fulfil children's dreams of travelling. A browse of its posts across different social media channels, including TikTok and Instagram, shows that the team has been on an extensive tour of Europe.
Its first stop, for example, was in France, with photos showing members of the team posing in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Yet another video shows the team getting off a coach with the caption "First destination: Paris, France", with more posts also locating them in Paris.
Other posts put the team in Gothenburg in Sweden, and more reputable reports state that stops in Denmark and Norway are up next, as part of a tour that will last 46 days.
As the Israel-Hamas war continues, so too does the stream of disinformation targeting those most affected, which is often combined with an anti-immigration narrative for maximum exposure.
