SHAH ALAM - A viral social media claim alleging that North Korea threatened to launch a nuclear strike on Tel Aviv if Israel harmed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been debunked with fact-checkers confirming the story was satirical.
According to The New Arab, Arab fact-checking platform Misbar investigated the claim, which spread widely on X last week and found no credible evidence to support it.
The claim alleged that Pyongyang had vowed to send troops from Ukraine to attack Israel should Thunberg be harmed while aboard the Gaza Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian convoy set to "Break the Siege" recently intercepted by Israeli forces.
However, Misbar’s team found no such reports in any credible media outlets or from official sources. The investigation traced the claim back to a website called Pamphlets, which identifies itself as “a communist news media project” aimed at countering what it describes as “lies about communism.”
Pamphlets first published the fabricated story and later reposted it on X, where it quickly went viral, reaching around 20 million users.
The outlet later clarified that the piece was intended as satire, claiming it was meant to highlight how “Western mainstream media lies about North Korea.”
Pamphlets has a history of publishing exaggerated and satirical content framed as commentary rather than factual reporting.
Following the viral post, the platform even released mock videos depicting North Korean leader Kim Hung Uh “crying after hearing that Israeli drones frightened Greta.”
The viral hoax emerged amid mounting international outrage over Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday, which saw Israeli forces detain dozens of activists including Greta Thunberg and 23 Malaysian citizens namely sisters Nur Heliza Helmi and Nur Hazwani Afiqah Helmi, Nurfarahin Romli or popularly known as Farah Lee, and singer Zizi Kirana whose real name is Nur Fazelah Mad Tahil.
The flotilla, comprising 44 vessels and around 500 passengers, had set sail to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver supplies of food, baby formula and medicine.
The raid has sparked strong condemnation worldwide with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accusing Israel of showing “utter contempt for the conscience of the world.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa denounced it as a “grave offence against global solidarity”, while Turkey labelled the attack “an act of terrorism”.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro announced the expulsion of Israeli diplomats, describing the raid as “a new international crime by Netanyahu.” Meanwhile, Ireland, Pakistan and the Palestinian foreign ministry issued strong rebukes, while the United Kingdom confirmed that British nationals were on board and said it was “very concerned” over the incident.
Protests have since erupted across cities in Athens (Greece), Rome (Italy), Barcelona (Spain), Bogotá (Columbia), and Buenos Aires (Argentina) with Italy’s largest union even calling for a general strike in solidarity.
Before the interception, Thunberg had described Israel’s actions as “scare tactics.” This marks her second attempt this year to reach Gaza by sea, her previous voyage in June was also intercepted by Israeli forces roughly 185km off the Gaza coast, with all passengers detained and later deported.