FACT CHECK: Image Claims To Show Israeli Tank Modified Into A Fruit Stand In Gaza

An image shared on X claims to show an Israeli Merkava tank modified into a fruit stand in Gaza.

The Merkava tank is the most famous Israeli military industry. In Gaza, they made it into a Gazan fruit and vegetable stall. Hahahahahaha. pic.twitter.com/E0CmdPisE1

— Benarab Arabi (@ArabiBenarab) January 26, 2025

Verdict: False

The tank is a Syrian T-55, not an Israeli Merkava tank. It was taken in Syria.

Fact Check:

Social media users are claiming to show an Israeli Merkava tank in Gaza, modified into a fruit stand. One user wrote, “The Merkava tank is the most famous Israeli military industry. In Gaza, they made it into a Gazan fruit and vegetable stall. Hahahahahaha.”

This claim is false. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image was taken in Syria. Accounts have identified the location as Damascus. (RELATED: No, Firefighters In LA Are Not Fighting Wildfires Using ‘Handbags’)

Russia Today published a longer video of the tank and stated that it was taken in Homs. A video published by Viory identifies the vendor as Ali Youssef. It also identifies the location as Homs, not Damascus.

“The army left a tank… for almost three days, I brought the goods, but no one saw the shop,” Youssef says in the video.

Furthermore, the tank is a T-54/55, not a Merkava tank. A Merkava tank has a flatter turret than the Soviet-era tank, which was widely used by the Syrian Arab Army.