CLAIM

Viral video of the first electrocution of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli prison

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and a keyword search to trace the original video.

Multiple people were sharing a video across social media platforms since March 31, 2026, claiming that it shows the first electrocution of a Palestinian prisoner inside an Israeli jail after the passage of a new death penalty law. However, the clip dates back to September 2017 and shows visuals from a museum in London.

On March 30, 2026, Israel’s parliament approved a bill allowing the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks, a move that has been criticised as discriminatory and immediately drew a court challenge.

According to an Al Jazeera report, more than 9,500 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, including 350 children and 73 women. Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups say detainees face torture, starvation and medical neglect, leading to dozens of deaths.

HOW IT STARTED

On March 31, an Israeli account shared a video on X, showing a man tied to a chair being electrocuted. “Israel, today marked the first execution by electrocution carried out by the Israeli government against a Palestinian prisoner in Israeli prisons,” reads the caption.

The post gained 790,100 views.

A pro-Palestinian user also shared the same clip with the following caption: “Trending: The first execution by electric shock against one of the Qassam leaders in the Gaza Strip during the occupation. Allah is sufficient for us and is the best disposer of affairs. Share the video so the world knows the truth about these Zionists.”

The post accumulated 670,000 views.

A pro-Iranian account shared the same video with a similar caption, gaining 556,899 views.

Another user posted the clip on Facebook with the following caption: “The first execution by electrocution of a Palestinian civilian … May God have mercy on him and accept him and may God curse every traitor who stands with this illegitimate entity”.

The post was viewed by 189,000 people.

Multiple other users also shared the visuals on X, Facebook, and YouTube, as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here; accumulating about 360,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the Israel-Palestine conflict, along with the repercussions of the new death penalty law.

A reverse image search using keyframes from the viral clip yielded a YouTube video dated September 11, 2014, with the title: “The horror of the execution by electric chair”.

Its description reads: “One of the great things about the Believe It or Not! museum in London is that it contains many strange and wonderful things from around the world, amazing things made by humans that cannot be replicated, a world of horror, and also a wing on the horrific methods of torture that were practised on the British in the past.”

“As you can see, the process of electrocution is carried out, and much more. Of course, most of the things are wax models and not real. The museum is located in Piccadilly Circus in London,” it added.

The visuals in the YouTube video matched those in the viral video.

Multiple videos of the same electric chair execution from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum were also found on other YouTube accounts between July and November 2011, as can be seen here and here.

A keyword search yielded a review of the museum’s London site on the online American travel agency TripAdvisor where an image showing similar scenes to those in the viral clip was shared.

Further investigation revealed that the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum in London was permanently closed on September 29, 2017, after struggling financially for some time, according to British news outlet ITV News. It added that the museum lost almost £2.3 million in 2015.

According to information on its official website, the museum is currently moving to a new site.

Lastly, a keyword search was conducted to check whether any mainstream international or Israeli media outlets had reported on any such first execution, but yielded no results.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows the first electrocution of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli prison after the passage of a death penalty law is false.

The clip shows visuals from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum in London, which was permanently closed in September 2017.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

Sep 11, 2014, YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdpYRcgFy2A

Jun 9, 2011, YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ome4CEsOdI4

Nov 9, 2011, YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_QLZdT2Luw

Tripadvisor website:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g186338-d1426059-i136047167-Ripley_s_Believe_It_or_Not-London_England.html

Oct 17, 2017 ITV News report:
https://www.itv.com/news/london/2017-10-17/ripleys-believe-it-or-not-closes-suddenly-in-piccadilly-circus