The Israel Police announced on Saturday night that a man who disseminated a video containing false rumors about hostages being released has been found and detained for questioning.
"The Israel Police opened an investigation into an incident involving the spreading of false information about the release of hostages. The detectives of the cyber unit at Lahav 433 located the suspect and detained him for questioning," it said.
The suspect is a resident of Kfar Saba, born in 1991, originally from Tayibe. His TikTok account, where his nickname is "theshadow7000", has more than 50,000 followers. Earlier, TikTok stated that the suspect's account had been blocked.
The rumor mill surrounding the rescue of hostages continued on Saturday, when many groups on social media referred to a list of five hostages who were allegedly freed from Hamas captivity. According to the messages that were distributed, some of the hostages were found alive and taken to a hospital for treatment - and some were found dead.
One of the hostages whose name was mentioned is IDF lookout Liri Albag. Her family commented on the rumors in an official statement, saying, "Dear people, please stop spreading rumors that only hurt us, the families of the hostages. Our beloved Liri has not been rescued. When there is good news, everyone will know about it. May we receive good news soon."
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit commented, for the third time, on the rumors that are being spread and clarified, "No hostages were rescued. The spreading of false rumors hurts the families of the hostages and we ask the public to refrain from doing it."