Military drill footage misrepresented as China airdropping aid into Gaza
"CHINESE cargo plane, with full protection escort, bringing food aid to 60,000 families in Gaza - entering through Egypt," reads an X post published May 17, 2025.
The post shares a video of a large military aircraft flanked by fighter jets as the squadron passes over the Giza pyramids.
The video circulated online as Palestinians scrambled for basic supplies after Israel imposed a near-total blockade on March 2.
Israel resumed military operations in Gaza on March 18 after talks to prolong a ceasefire stalled. It briefly allowed nine trucks carrying basic aid into the besieged territory on May 19, but humanitarian groups have said the amount falls far short of what is required to ease the crisis (archived link).
The video purporting to show Chinese cargo planes delivering aid to Gaza spread widely on Facebook, X, and TikTok in Burmese and Chinese.
Although China delivered aid to Gaza through Egypt in March 2024, the footage shared online is unrelated (archived link).
The clip actually shows a joint military exercise between China and Egypt that ran from April to May 2025.
Reverse image and keyword searches on Google found a matching Instagram video published May 17 (archived link).
The footage was uploaded by an account that posts various clips related to military drills and air shows.
"For the first time ever, Chinese and Egyptian fighter jets took to the skies in a powerful display of military cooperation during the joint exercise Eagles of Civilization 2025. Held in Egypt from April 19 to May 4, this landmark drill featured China's cutting-edge J-10C jets, KJ-500 surveillance aircraft, and YU-20 refuelers in full force," the caption reads.
Subsequent keyword searches on Google found a Facebook post published May 17 by an account linked to Egypt's State Information Service (SIS) that details the joint exercise (archived link).
The post includes matching images of the squadron's flight over the Giza pyramids.
SIS said on their website that the military exercise occurred in April and continued for several days (archived link).
China's Ministry of National Defense also released a statement about the conclusion of the joint exercise on May 8, sharing a video of its aircraft flying over the pyramids (archived link).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Top 10 Trending Baby Names of 2025, According to Google
From Aria to Zion, expectant parents search from A-Z and every letter in between to find the perfect baby name. The first place they often turn? Google, of course. Google has released the top-searched baby names so far this year. The list is based on Google search data between Jan. 1 and May 27, 2025. 'What the list does represent is curiosity — names that intrigue us,' baby name consultant Sherri Suzanne tells noting that most-searched names don't always become the most popular names. 'Many times, the searches are triggered by names in popular culture. For example, Athena likely become more interesting when Princess Beatrice of England named her daughter Athena this year. In an instant, a name in the news or entertainment can pique interest.' Suzanne is the founder of My Name for Life and a New York-based baby name consultant who provides hand-picked name recommendations for parents-to-be around the world. Suzanne's clients have chosen names for their children that appear on Google's trending list. "One or two, such as Sutton, I have recommended myself to parents recently because it matched their style," she says. "Others have been on parents' lists for quite a while and are already very popular." Amelia and Theodore, both on Google's list, were among the top 10 most popular baby names of 2024. Here are the top 10 trending baby names of 2025: Sutton Theodore Sadie Amelia Athena Aria Violet Zion Milo Lincoln An expert predicts future name trends 'Cool' baby names for your little trendsetter 255 vintage baby names with timeless appeal Parents who Google these particular baby names, Suzanne said, are likely looking for different things. "Theodore, Sadie, Amelia, Violet and Milo are all vintage names that have returned in the 21st century. Parents who appreciate fine antique names might be looking up these." Names like Athena and Aria might appeal to "parents looking for feminine names that have been underused and feel a bit more 'original,'" Suzanne told TODAY. She points out, however that both Athena and Aria are now top 100 names, so "parents' curiosity is changing that." Names like Sutton and Lincoln, she said, "represent a modern trend toward surnames as first names. Surnames are a rich source of new first names in English-speaking countries." A name like Zion used to appeal mostly to "parents with strong spiritual ties," as Zion has relevance to multiple cultures and religions," Suzanne said. "However, in recent years, it also satisfies today's interest in lesser-used biblical names and terms. Ezekiel, Adriel and Zion have joined standards like Noah and Elijah." This article was originally published on
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
China's factory activity contracts in May, but there are signs of improvement
BEIJING (AP) — China's factory activity contracted in May, according to an official survey released on Saturday, although the decline slowed from April as the country reached a deal with the U.S. to slash President Donald Trump's sky-high tariffs. China's purchasing managers index rose from 49.0 in April to 49.5 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said. PMI is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, where 50 marks the cutoff between expansion and contraction. Meanwhile, the manufacturing index showed growth in the sector, although the index measuring new orders remained under 50 despite some improvement. National Bureau of Statistics senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said some companies with U.S. business reported accelerated resumption of foreign trade orders, and there was an improvement in import and export conditions. The U.S.-China deal, reached earlier this month, cuts Trump's tariffs from 145% to 30% for 90 days, creating time for negotiators from both sides to reach a more substantive agreement. China also reduced its taxes on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. But the remaining tariffs are still higher than they were before Trump took office, and businesses and investors face uncertainty about whether the truce will last. Trump said Friday that he will no longer be 'Mr. NICE GUY' with China on trade, declaring in a social media post that the country had broken an unspecified agreement with the United States. He later said in the Oval Office that he will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and 'hopefully we'll work that out,' while still insisting China had violated the agreement. Over the past week, tensions between Beijing and Washington also intensified after the U.S. said it would start revoking visas for Chinese students studying in the country. China has lodged a protest with the U.S. over the matter, calling the decision unreasonable.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
China's factory activity contracts in May, but there are signs of improvement
BEIJING (AP) — China's factory activity contracted in May, according to an official survey released on Saturday, although the decline slowed from April as the country reached a deal with the U.S. to slash President Donald Trump's sky-high tariffs. China's purchasing managers index rose from 49.0 in April to 49.5 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said. PMI is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, where 50 marks the cutoff between expansion and contraction. Meanwhile, the manufacturing index showed growth in the sector, although the index measuring new orders remained under 50 despite some improvement. National Bureau of Statistics senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said some companies with U.S. business reported accelerated resumption of foreign trade orders, and there was an improvement in import and export conditions. The U.S.-China deal, reached earlier this month, cuts Trump's tariffs from 145% to 30% for 90 days, creating time for negotiators from both sides to reach a more substantive agreement. China also reduced its taxes on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. But the remaining tariffs are still higher than they were before Trump took office, and businesses and investors face uncertainty about whether the truce will last. Trump said Friday that he will no longer be 'Mr. NICE GUY' with China on trade, declaring in a social media post that the country had broken an unspecified agreement with the United States. He later said in the Oval Office that he will speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and 'hopefully we'll work that out,' while still insisting China had violated the agreement. Over the past week, tensions between Beijing and Washington also intensified after the U.S. said it would start revoking visas for Chinese students studying in the country. China has lodged a protest with the U.S. over the matter, calling the decision unreasonable.
