Gaza journalist falsely accused of 'fake reporting' by Israel following new X location feature

Palestinian journalist Motasem Dalloul has been subjected to a smear campaign by the Israeli foreign ministry following the rollout of a new feature on social media platform X, which shares user account origins. 

The "about this account" feature says it displays information about where accounts are based and when the user joined the app, among other things. This information is meant to help users identify potentially fraudulent accounts and foreign troll farms.

Yet the feature caused confusion and widespread controversy after reports of inaccurate information, as well as the alleged locations of a number of high-profile accounts.

In a tweet on X on Sunday, Israel's foreign ministry posted a screenshot from the feature of Dalloul's account, which indicated that the journalist's account was "based in" Poland.

"Reporting from Gaza is fake & not reliable. Makes you wonder how many more fake reports have you read?" the ministry said. 

196,900 followers being lied to by fake “journalist” claiming to be in Gaza. New @X feature reveals his actual location is Poland.

Reporting from Gaza is fake & not reliable. Makes you wonder how many more fake reports have you read? pic.twitter.com/sKjIDvLQbz

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) November 23, 2025

Dalloul is in the Gaza Strip. He lost is wife and two children in Israeli attacks last year. Another one of his sons was killed just hours after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire last month.

Yet the post by the ministry stirred a frenzy on X over the weekend as many pro-Israel accounts targeted the reporter.

One user posted a screenshot of one of Dalloul's tweets from this month in which he described the freezing temperatures in Gaza while displaced in tents. 

"No shit you were freezing," the user said, with an accompanying screenshot of Dalloul's location information from X.

Yeah no shit you were freezing. https://t.co/ol8grq0sMe pic.twitter.com/74he5pgtTQ

— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) November 22, 2025

Other pro-Israel users have gone as far as uploading doctored or AI-generated images of Dalloul appearing to be in the European country.

In response, Dalloul posted a video on Sunday morning in which he addressed those who "claim that I am tweeting and posting from Poland".

"Tell me if you can recognise such tents and buildings in Poland," he says, as he shows footage of Gaza's levelled buildings and tents.

For those who claim that I am posting from Poland.. pic.twitter.com/v2ZW4sXVXA

— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) November 23, 2025

The location feature is based on IP (internet provider) addresses, among other data. 

Some have explained that the anomaly for some Gaza-based accounts could be a result of the destruction of the internet infrastructure system in Gaza. People in the strip rely on donated eSIMs - some of which are routed through Europe - for internet connectivity.

Others mentioned that some accounts in Gaza are managed by family or friends abroad due to connectivity and other issues in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

X, too, has clarified in an information note that the data about account origins "may not be accurate".

Lebanese-Palestinian journalist Hala Jaber wrote: "VPNs, failovers, & network glitches only make misidentification easier. X itself said the feature isn't reliable & even paused its rollout.

"But these accounts aren't making a good-faith mistake. They're weaponising a known technical quirk to smear a Palestinian journalist & pro-Palestinian accounts because their reporting is inconvenient," she added.

All these accusations from accounts like @IsraelMFA, @StopAntisemites, @BillAckman, @NiohBerg @nicolelampert & the usual crowd all hinge on one glitch, X’s location label briefly showing Poland.

Anyone who actually understands how Gaza’s connectivity works knows exactly how… https://t.co/gg6F1iaECo

— Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) November 23, 2025

"You killed Motasem's family and now lie about him. Shame," said another user in response to the Israeli ministry's post. 

"People using X's new feature to deny the reality of Palestinians is another low in the propaganda war," posted media analytics expert Marc Owen Jones.

Location controversy in the US

Users also discovered that many MAGA-branded accounts that pose as American are - based on information from X - overseas in countries like Thailand, Turkey and Nigeria.

There was particular confusion about the origins of the official X account of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as screenshots and video recordings allegedly showing the department's account being located in Tel Aviv went viral on Friday.

https://t.co/32KUm3JeHL pic.twitter.com/mbFdamoqkb

— j! (@astrrals) November 21, 2025

"America is an occupied nation," said one user in response to the images.

The location feature was suspended on Friday night.

While the DHS initially responded with a confused Trump meme on Saturday, the next day, it issued an official denial. 

X's AI chatbot Grok said in response to a query about the situation: "X's new location feature briefly showed the DHSgov account as based in Tel Aviv, Israel, likely due to IP geolocation or a glitch. It sparked discussions, and X paused the feature for government accounts."