Debunked: Chinese aircraft flying over the pyramids in Egypt were not delivering aid to Gaza

A VIDEO SHOWING aircraft flying over the pyramids in Egypt has been mis-captioned and shared widely across social media, alongside claims that it shows a Chinese cargo plane on its way to delivering aid to Gaza.

One post on Facebook from 17 May has received over 850 reactions and was shared over 200 times. It contains a video which shows several planes flying over the pyramids as people and traffic move about below.

The caption accompanying the video states: “China had recently promised to provide food aid to 60,000 families, and now it has fulfilled that promise. You can see the cargo plane carrying aid for Gaza, escorted by smaller aircraft for protection. The plane is entering Gaza through Egypt.”

However, there is no evidence that China has been dropping food aid into Gaza, and the video does not show the planes en route to the war-torn territory.

According to multiple sources, the video shows a joint military exercise by China and Egypt that took place between April and May. This exercise involved aircraft from both countries’ armies flying over the Sahara desert.

On the same day that the claim about aid being dropped to Gaza was made on Facebook, the same video of aircraft over the pyramids was shared on Instagram by an account called “aviationdiary_”.

The accompanying caption read:

For the first time ever, Chinese and Egyptian fighter jets took to the skies in a powerful display of military cooperation during the joint exercise Eagles of Civilization 2025. Held in Egypt from April 19 to May 4, this landmark drill featured China’s cutting-edge J-10C jets, KJ-500 surveillance aircraft, and YU-20 refuelers in full force. The exercises included air combat, rescue missions, and stunning flyovers of the Pyramids—signaling a new era of strategic alignment between Beijing and Cairo. Don’t miss this deep dive into a rising military partnership reshaping the balance of power in the region.

China has committed to providing aid to Gaza, though much of it has been destroyed by Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas.

The Foreign Ministry said in February that it would provide 60,000 food parcels, which would be delivered via Jordan. However, according to Chinese media reports, this was to be delivered over land channels, not by air.

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