Question

Israeli actress Gal Gadot joined the Israeli army.

Answer 1

Gal Galot did serve in the war and the photo is accurate, except it was taken in 2006 not 2023. Jewishnews.co.uk states that this photo was taken when she served the required two-year period as a combat fitness instructor from 2005-2007.

This is a misleading claim because there is no context behind this link. All of the sources that I used to fact-check this clearly states that she has not joined the Israeli army again.

https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/life-magazine-simply-wonder-ful-gal-gadot/

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/gal-gadot-has-not-joined-army-during-2023-israel-hamas-war-2023-11-07/

Comments

This was a good fact check in my opinion. You presented the information clearly as well as your sources. You didn't just dismiss the article as wrong but you made it clear how the article was misleading and had some true information.

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The sources are correct and your wording is concise and clear in disputing the incorrect parts of the original claim, which made this fact check easy to read and digest. I think the extra context provided as to the position she was actually in in the IDF was good, and helped me understand the actual facts of the situation.

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This is a very good fact check and the articles seem to be correct. Marking the claim as misleading rather than disinformation is very crucial because although it is wrong in the sense of it being in 2024, it is still correct for when she did serve in the military.

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All though Gal Gadot did serve in the Israeli military, the information that is being presented is meant to deceive people. The post is intended to make people think that Gal Gadot is serving in the war now which is false. The account makes a lot of pro Israel posts with the information taken out of context.

Answer 2

While you are correct in that Gal Gadot had joined the Israel Army (IDF) the photo you have linked in your claim is from 2005. According to Wikipedia, Gadot was 20 years old when she joined the IDF- which is customary for all Israeli citizens to do when they reach a certain age. (Source One)

However, a basic Google search would reveal that Gadot has not joined the IDF again. There is no evidence to suggest that, and in an article I found by Reuters, a spokeswoman for the IDF even stated that she has not joined the Israeli army again. (Source two)

Comments

I like how your answer was simple and got straight to the point in your answer. I like how you chose sources that deliberate debunked the original and anyone reading your response would now believe that she never joined the Israeli army.

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I was just about to fact-check this myself! I knew she had previously joined the IDF, but it looked like she had rejoined by this picture and the lack of detail in the caption. However, there are multitudes of sources that correctly convey her past. Why did you choose Wikipedia? I appreciate your second source, it's similar to the one I was delving into (https://www.newsweek.com/has-gal-gadot-joined-israeli-army-fight-hamas-1840220), which also relays the information you explained. Thank you for taking the time to clarify this statement!

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You did a great job of fact-checking this claim. It was very simple and concise. The user who posted this picture, James J. Monroe, tweets "Israeli Actress Gal Gadot who played Wonder Woman in the Hollywood movie turns up for army service." This claim although not entirely false is misleading and has been taken out of context. You did a good job of mentioning how as an Israeli citizen Gal Gadot had to serve in the Israeli Army when she was 20. However, it is important to mention that the tweet itself doesn't mention a particular time frame and one should be able to see that this photo is old, yet it could easily be misinterpreted.

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Great fact-check. Gal Gadot did serve, but back when she had to because she is an Israeli citizen. She has not served since 2007 and you did a great job explaining why the claim is misleading.

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I appreciated your use of multiple sources and critical and concise analysis of the claim-- very well done! In the future, I would say to use sources beyond Wikipedia and maybe using it as a launching pad to find other more reputable sources that are the source of the content generated on Wiki (not just summary).

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Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source since it is user generated. It's best to check their citations and go directly to the source.

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I like how you found a source, even though wikipedia isn't always reliable there is some information that can be true. To back up your claim you could always use another source that perhaps is a bit more reliable.I do like how you found that the actress was formally in the military but not as of right now.

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Thank you! And yes, I agree I should have used a different source other than Wikipedia- that's my responsibility. At the time, Wikipedia had the most unbiased information about the subject, so in my mind that would have been the best one to use. Unfortunately, other sources I saw were largely biased for or against the Gaza occupation, but I agree that I could have done a little more digging.