WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Videos show China dropping humanitarian aid into Gaza.
OUR VERDICT
False. China was not responsible for the airdrops shown in the videos.
AAP FACTCHECK - Videos of parcels being airdropped into Gaza, as well as a military flyby over the Egyptian pyramids, are being misrepresented online, with posts falsely claiming they show deliveries of aid from China.
The clips, however, are unrelated footage or are being used out of context.
The claim began to spread on social media in May 2025 while the Israeli government maintained an 11-week blockade on Gaza, preventing all supplies from entering the area.
The UN reported on May 19, 2025, that aid deliveries were temporarily allowed to resume, with nine trucks entering Gaza.
On social media, multiple videos showing humanitarian aid drops from planes are being falsely described as action by China.
One clip circulating online, filmed from a car, shows dark grey parachutes floating to the ground as groups of people run towards them.
"Thank you CHINA for bringing aid to Gaza …what a world we live in," a Facebook post on May 13, 2025, is captioned.
Visible on the video is the username of TikTok account @ahmedhasant8__6 and a reverse image search shows it was originally posted as a plea for help on the platform on September 16, 2024.
Text overlaying the video reads: "We are dying of hunger to get aid, help us" .
Reuters reports the clip was filmed on April 28, 2024, on Al-Bahr Street in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip.
The US Central Command, a unit of the department of defence, and Royal Jordanian Air Force conducted a humanitarian aid drop into northern Gaza on April 28, 2024, according to a press release.
Another clip being shared on social media shows a formation of jets flying over the pyramids in Cairo, Egypt.
Tourists are filming the scene as buses drive past.
"China had recently promised to provide food aid to 60,000 families, and now it has fulfilled that promise," the caption of a Facebook post from May 17, 2025, reads.
"You can see the cargo plane carrying aid for Gaza, escorted by smaller aircraft for protection. The plane is entering Gaza through Egypt."
However, the video actually captures a joint military exercise between China and Egypt.
No aid was delivered to Gaza as part of the operation.
The same video was posted on TikTok several days prior, on May 11, 2025, with a Chinese language caption.
"From the first perspective, the Chinese Air Force flew over the Egyptian pyramids, transporting 20/J-10C, which was a stunning and beautiful scene!" TikTok's English translation reads.
A spokesman for the Egyptian military issued a statement on social media on May 6, 2025, confirming the exercise, dubbed "Eagles of Civilization 2025".
"A joint aerial formation conducted by participating fighter jets over the Giza Pyramids, showcasing the exceptional precision and professionalism of the pilots from both sides," it reads.
Chinese state-owned broadcaster CCTV uploaded a YouTube video featuring footage of the military drills, noting two weeks of training took place from April 19, 2025.
The false claim about Chinese aid is repeated in another clip that shows people running towards parachuted deliveries of aid packages.
Damaged shipping containers are visible in the background among piles of rubble.
"China has fulfilled its recent promise of providing food aid to 60,000 families in Gaza," the caption of a Facebook post from May 18, 2025, reads.
A reverse image search shows the video was posted by Al Jazeera journalist Ibrahim Al-khalili on Instagram on April 20, 2024.
News reports and press releases from April 2024 show that the US, UK, France, Jordan, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza from aircraft.
There are no reports China was involved in any operations.
Another Facebook video from May 18, 2025, features several different clips including one with a man in a dark T-shirt gesturing skyward with his hands, before running downhill towards parachuted airdrops.
"A heartfelt thank you to the people and government of China for their humanitarian aid to Gaza during this difficult time," the post's caption reads.
The clip, however, dates back to October 20, 2024, when it was shared on Instagram by creator Hasan Almalaha.
A CNN news report from October 22, 2024, reveals the US, UK, Jordan and the UAE carried out aid airdrops, with no mention of China's participation.
A different clip included in a Facebook post on May 17, 2025, claims to show two Chinese planes dropping aid packages.
The video's location tag pinpoints it to Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip.
A reverse image search reveals the footage was posted on Instagram by Turkish news organisation Anadolu Agency on October 17, 2024.
Footage published by Emirates News Agency shows the UAE's Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defence conducting a humanitarian aid drop in Gaza on the same day.
Features of the UAE aircraft, including its four engines and what appears to be the nation's flag on its tail, match the plane in the Anadolu Agency video.
Additionally, a man is filmed carrying a white bag printed with the UAE flag, which closely resembles a bag featured in the Emirates News Agency clip (timestamp 52 seconds).
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the government media office in the Gaza Strip, told Reuters on May 19, 2025, that China has not sent any humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through any relief airlifts and that China was not among the countries that participated in aerial delivery operations for aid.
On May 17, 2025, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on X that no humanitarian aid or supplies had entered the Gaza Strip for more than 10 weeks, since the Israeli authorities imposed a siege on March 2, 2025.
China provided a shipment of humanitarian aid via Jordan through a land port on February 18, 2025, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Previous announcements of aid shipments from the Chinese government from February and March 2024 do not mention that supplies were delivered by plane.
The claim has also been debunked by Reuters, AFP, Logically Facts and France 24.
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