Last updated on September 29th, 2025
Editor’s Note
In July 2025, Israel launched a new round of military operations in Gaza, sparking a surge of online rumors. A recurring rumor claiming “China called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu” emerged. This rumor resurfaced and spread widely on the eve of China’s military parade, drawing significant attention. Against this backdrop, we conducted an in-depth fact-check to clarify the truth, expose the pattern of the rumor’s spread, and provide the public with accurate information.
Claim：
In mid-to-late July 2025, a false claim emerged and spread on platforms such as X and Facebook: “China demands the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on charges of genocide in Gaza.” Most posts also included old photos of leaders from the two countries. During China’s military parade in early September, this claim resurfaced and sparked extensive dissemination and attention.
Fact Check：
1、Analysis of Communication Characteristics
- Communication characteristics:
First wave peak: Starting from July 20, centered on X and spreading to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit, with a total readership exceeding 1.25 million.
Second wave peak: During the Chinese military parade,it once again spread intensively on X, with a single post approaching 500,000 views.
This shows that the rumor was not posted sporadically, but rather at specific time points, forming an obvious pattern of manipulation and amplification effect.
- Analysis of the potential intentions of forgers: Secondary dissemination aims to expand the reach by leveraging the attention on China’s military parade, deviate from China’s objective stance to mislead international audiences, and intensify the tension of public opinion on geopolitical conflicts.
- Transmission Path
- Early stage of rumor spread (July 23): the comment section was polarized (47% in support, 43% in opposition, 10% neutral), with 1,626 interactions. Mostly critical English comments, some refutation.
- Mid-stage of dissemination (after China’s statements on August 8 and 10): 40% in support, 39% in opposition, 21% neutral; debate calmer, negative views on Israel dominant.
- Before and after China’s military parade: Support 36% , opposition 52% , neutral 12% , with 754 interactions. During this stage, the focus shifted, with China becoming a hot topic in public opinion and criticism turning towards China.
2、China’s Stance and International Judicial Developments
- International Judicial Progress
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a press release on November 21, 2024, announcing the issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
China is not a state party to the ICC, so it has neither participated in this process nor has the right to initiate relevant judicial actions.
- Statements from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
In August 2025, Chinese officials at the Foreign Ministry and UN urged an immediate ceasefire, more humanitarian aid, and the revival of the two-state solution.
The core content is all focused on calling for a ceasefire, promoting humanitarian aid, and advancing the “two-state solution,” with no remarks related to “arresting Netanyahu” emerging.
3、Verification of accompanying images
The photos of the leaders of the two countries that were released have been frequently used on various platforms for all types of news events. After a reverse image search on Google, it was found that all the accompanying photos were misused old images.
4、Source credibility
@affidavitlucika and @hehe_samir are both ordinary social media accounts without institutional endorsement or valid certification.
Analysis of the Global Affairs account:
- Introduction：Paid Blue V on X, mimics official style, large following, but identity unclear and misleading.
- Content：Posts 5–10 times daily, mostly sensational, unsourced geopolitical “BREAKING” updates; moderate engagement, higher on controversy.
- Risk：Low credibility, high risk; spreads false or exaggerated news, disrupting information space.
Verdict：
This claim is false. China has never called for or demanded the arrest of Netanyahu on any occasion. The rumor was fabricated by We Media through piecing together old images and inventing facts, and was spread by leveraging the hot topic of the Israel-Palestine conflict and China’s military parade, misleading users and disrupting public opinion.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to Fact Hunter’s investigation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com].
Primary Fact Checker: Sun Fei
Secondary Fact Checker: Ma Xianzhi
