Talks between the US and Iran collapsed because both sides refused to compromise on core demands—Washington pushed for limits on Iran’s nuclear program, missiles, and regional influence, while Iran insisted on lifting sanctions and keeping its strategic capabilities. The situation worsened after the US imposed a naval blockade and seized an Iranian ship, which Iran called a ceasefire violation, leading it to withdraw from further negotiations.
In the current context, a video is widely being shared on social media in which a huge crowd is seen gathered on the street with vehicles slowly moving in the centre of the street.
The video is shared with a caption claiming that it shows Israelis getting out of Israel after the peace negotiation between the US and Iran failed.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “The exodus of hundreds of thousands of settlers from Israhell reflects a genuine state of panic following the collapse of US-Iran negotiations. Everyone is on edge, and the Israhell government is paralysed due to fear of a major confrontation they cannot face.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The video is from 2024 and shows Pope Francis’s visit to East Timor.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by a Facebook page on September 12, 2024, with a caption that reads, “Over 600,000 people attended the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Taci Tolu, Timor-Leste on the afternoon of September 10, 2024. A long line of people waved to greet the Pope. #ProudToBeCatholic.”
Taking a hint, we searched with relevant keywords and found a video report of Pope Francis visiting East Timor published by Reuters on September 10, 2024. The video was shared by the caption that reads, “Hundreds of thousands of Catholics in East Timor braved the scorching heat to join a Mass with Pope Francis.”
In the video shared by Reuters, we can see two posters on the wall of the street. We found that the same posters were also visible in the Facebook video at around 15 seconds.
The incident was also reported by The New York Post on September 10, 2024. According to the report, Pope Francis drew an extraordinary crowd of around 600,000 people—nearly half of East Timor’s population—during an open-air Mass in Dili, highlighting the country’s deep Catholic faith. Many attendees travelled long distances and waited for hours in intense heat to see him. The event, held at a historic site tied to the nation’s independence struggle, also featured traditional performances and emphasised themes of youth, culture, and resilience.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.
