Photos show a photojournalist crying while capturing pictures of the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
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No, these aren’t photos of a photographer crying at the Aqsa Mosque
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- Photos of a crying photographer were taken at a 2019 soccer game, not at the Aqsa Mosque in May 2021.
The Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem sits on a site that is sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians, and it was the backdrop for recent violence between Israeli police and Palestinians.
A photo of Israeli security forces at the mosque is among four images included in a May 10 Facebook post. The other three are of a man crying behind a camera.
"A photojournalist rolls down tears while capturing pictures of Masjid Al-Aqsa," the post says.
It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The image of the mosque is authentic and was taken on May 7 by Anadolu Agency photographer Mostafa Alkharouf.
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It was published on Anadolu Agency’s website with this caption: "Israeli security forces are seen as they enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, intervene Muslim worshippers with stun grenade during prayer."
But Alkharouf was not joined by the crying photographer featured in the Facebook post.
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A reverse image search shows that those photos have been online since early 2019. On Jan. 24 of that year, the verified Twitter account of soccer’s AFC Asian Cup tweeted one of the images and wrote: "Passionate. Emotional moment for an Iraqi photographer during the Round of 16 clash."
The tweet includes an emoji of Qatar’s flag. Iraq played Qatar in the Round 16 of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and lost 0-1.
The verified Twitter account of Sports360 Arabiya tweeted the same image that day. The caption, translated by Google from Arabic to English, says: "An Iraqi photographer cries while performing his work as he watches his country’s national team exit from the Asian Cup."
We rate this Facebook post False.
Our Sources
Facebook post, May 10, 2021
The New York Times, Why Jerusalem’s mosque is an Arab-Israeli fuse, May 10, 2021
The New York Times, After raid on Aqsa Mosque, rockets from Gaza and Isareli airstrikes, May 10, 2021
Anadolu Agency, Israeli police enter Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, May 7, 2021
AFC Asian Cup tweet, Jan. 24, 2019
ESPN, Qatar vs. Iraq football match summary, Jan. 22, 2019
Sports360 Arabiya tweet, Jan. 24, 2019
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No, these aren’t photos of a photographer crying at the Aqsa Mosque
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