Verifying The News From Gaza To AI Fakes

Welcome to a breakdown of today's key stories, where our verification specialists, data journalists, and fact-checkers dig deeper into the headlines.

Today, we are examining a wide range of topics, including a major Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine, the Israeli military's buildup on the outskirts of Gaza City, and the release of new UK immigration data. We are also investigating a potentially AI-generated image that has been circulating online.

Tracking the Military Buildup in Gaza

Our team is currently reviewing new satellite imagery from Gaza City captured by Planet Labs. Following the Israeli military's announcement that 60,000 reservists were being called up for an operation to capture and occupy Gaza City, we are assessing the military buildup and verifying video from the ground.

Initial analysis shows continued activity in south-eastern areas of the city, with evidence of Israeli military vehicles, the dismantling of camps for displaced people, and further demolition of buildings.

As part of these efforts, we have identified what appears to be a new Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base south of the Sabra neighbourhood, surrounded by armoured vehicles and heavy digging equipment. The image below shows the site on 9 August (left) compared to 19 August (right), revealing fortifications and damage to nearby buildings.

Furthermore, displacement camps in parts of Gaza City under Israeli military control have been gradually dismantled over the past two weeks. The satellite images below show that between 9 and 19 August, almost all tents in one camp disappeared. We have also confirmed that footage of an air strike was filmed from this same location.

A video, analysed by BBC Verify, also shows the moment a strike hits southern Gaza City, causing an explosion near the Sabra neighbourhood.

Fact-Checking the War in Ukraine

We are verifying videos and photos following a wave of strikes in both Ukraine and Russia. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched more than 600 drones and missiles overnight, hitting 11 locations. This assault was the heaviest since mid-July.

We have verified a photo from Mukachevo, showing smoke above a complex belonging to a US electronics manufacturer. In Lviv, verified video shows damage to an office block where an attack reportedly killed one person and injured three. Russia also reported Ukrainian drone attacks, and we are monitoring videos of a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery, where NASA's satellite system is detecting hotspots.

We've plotted the total number of missile and drone launches since 1 June to show how the scale of Russian bombardments has changed over time.

Analysing UK Immigration and Asylum Data

Our data team is analysing new immigration statistics from the UK government. As of June 2025, 32,059 asylum seekers were in hotels, a slight decrease from March but 8% higher than in June 2024.

When Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp claimed the government was spending “several billion pounds a year” on the asylum system, he was correct. Home Office figures show £4.76bn was spent in 2024-25. However, this is a 12% decrease from the record £5.38bn spent in 2023-24 under the previous government. The amount spent on hotels also decreased from £3bn to £2.1bn, according to the Home Office's annual report.

Philp also correctly stated that the number of asylum hotels roughly halved in the last nine months of the Conservative government. The number fell from a peak of 398 in September 2023 to 213 in June 2024. However, the use of hotels had risen sharply after the Covid pandemic, from just 10 in March 2020.

Meanwhile, returns of small boat arrivals fell by 7% in the last year, with 2,330 returns in the year to June 2025. Since 2018, only 4% of total small boat arrivals have been returned.

A Closer Look at UK Exam Results

We’ve also been analysing today’s exam results. There is a growing "resit crisis," with the number of 18-year-olds in England re-taking their maths and English GCSEs at an all-time high. This year, the number of 18-year-olds taking English language GCSE increased by 36%, while those taking maths went up by 19%.

Debunking a Viral AI Fake

Did Cristiano Ronaldo finally get married? A black and white photo appearing to show the football star marrying his partner Georgina Rodriquez has gone viral, gathering over 5 million views on X. However, a closer look reveals it's an AI fake.

The tell-tale sign is in the hands. Their fingers appear deformed and seem to melt into each other, a common flaw in current AI image generators that struggle with complex geometry like intertwined hands.

While the technology is evolving rapidly, checking the hands is a good first step if you suspect an image might be an AI fake.

Get in Touch

BBC Verify is dedicated to examining the facts behind a story. If there is something you think we should investigate, from a political statement to a video shared on social media, you can send your suggestions to the team here.