Israeli public diplomacy in the Gaza war#72 Virgins

File:99857 the empty beds performance - habima square PikiWiki Israel.jpg in Habima Square (Culture Square) in Tel Aviv, where empty beds are displayed, and in particular children's beds and cribs, which represent the abductees.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}} ]]

Israeli public diplomacy, sometimes referred to as "hasbara" ({{langx|he|הסברה|Hasbará}}, roughly translating to "explaining"){{Cite news |last=Hamad |first=Sam |date=2023-11-18 |title=Understanding Hasbara: Israel's propaganda machine |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/understanding-hasbara-israels-propaganda-machine |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=The New Arab}}{{Cite journal |last=Aouragh |first=Miriyam |title=Hasbara 2.0: Israel's Public Diplomacy in the Digital Age |date=2016-07-02 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19436149.2016.1179432 |doi=10.1080/19436149.2016.1179432 |issn=1943-6149 |journal=Middle East Critique|volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=271–297 }} though in recent times, Israel has shifted away from this terminology toward calling its efforts "public diplomacy",{{Cite web |last=Hirschberger |first=Bernd |year=2021 |title=External Communication in Social Media During Asymmetric Conflicts |url=https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5509-4/external-communication-in-social-media-during-asymmetric-conflicts/ |access-date=2021-07-31 |website=transcript Verlag |language=en |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005318/https://www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-5509-4/external-communication-in-social-media-during-asymmetric-conflicts/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite journal |last1=Shenhav |first1=Shaul R. |last2=Sheafer |first2=Tamir |last3=Gabay |first3=Itay |year=2010 |title=Incoherent Narrator: Israeli Public Diplomacy During the Disengagement and the Elections in the Palestinian Authority |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |journal=Israel Studies |volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=143–162 |doi=10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |jstor=10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |s2cid=143966369 |issn=1084-9513 |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005316/https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/isr.2010.15.3.143 |url-status=live|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last=Kretschmer |first=Lisa-Maria |date=2017-07-25 |title=Imagine there is war and it is tweeted live: an analysis of digital diplomacy in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict |url=https://www.db-thueringen.de/receive/dbt_mods_00032677 |journal=Global Media Journal - German Edition |language=en |volume=7(2017) |issue=1 |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005318/https://www.db-thueringen.de/receive/dbt_mods_00032677 |url-status=live}}{{Cite journal |last=Gilboa |first=Eytan |date=2006-10-01 |title=Public Diplomacy: The Missing Component in Israel's Foreign Policy |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/13533310600890067 |journal=Israel Affairs |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=715–747 |doi=10.1080/13533310600890067 |s2cid=143245560 |issn=1353-7121|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/abouttheministry/pages/what%20hasbara%20is%20really%20all%20about%20-%20may%202005.aspx |title=What "Hasbara" Is Really All About |publisher=Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs |date=2005-05-25 |access-date=2021-08-01 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005319/https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/abouttheministry/pages/what%20hasbara%20is%20really%20all%20about%20-%20may%202005.aspx |url-status=live}} faces a number of difficulties.

Even before the war, there were groups of anti-Zionists in the United States and Europe, more commonly found among progressive and more radical left-wing organizations and activists.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} Through activism focusing on intersectionality, uniting struggles across disparate races, ethnicities, genders, and sexualities, the Palestinian struggle has been frequently linked to other struggles such as that of the LGBTQ+ community and African-Americans in the United States. These associations gave legitimacy to Palestinians as a persecuted group requiring public activism for support, which in turn caused pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel bodies in United States universities to grow in size and influence.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=Yn4p0bDZpk7QzJmQ&v=69piWourRF4&feature=youtu.be |title=על הכוונת העולמית: כך הפכו הקמפוסים בארה"ב למקום מסוכן ליהודים |date=16 November 2023 |last=כאן {{!}} חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}} Examples of these groups include the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). Several elite universities, such as Harvard University, have also supported Palestinians, often with rhetoric regarding colonialism and imperialism. Instances of antisemitism have occurred within anti-Zionist activism despite efforts among some groups to prevent this.{{Cite news |last=אקמן |first=ביל |date=2023-12-05 |title=הרווארד שאהבתי איבדה את דרכה |url=https://mida.org.il/2023/12/05/%d7%94%d7%a8%d7%95%d7%95%d7%90%d7%a8%d7%93-%d7%a9%d7%90%d7%94%d7%91%d7%aa%d7%99-%d7%90%d7%99%d7%91%d7%93%d7%94-%d7%90%d7%aa-%d7%93%d7%a8%d7%9b%d7%94/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=מידה |language=he-IL}}

The 7 October attack on Israel and the subsequent Gaza war posed new challenges to Israeli public diplomacy:{{Cite web |date=2023-11-19 |title=N12 - התעמולה הכי טובה של תומכי חמאס יוצאת מישראל |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-columns/2023_q4/Article-41170015c96eb81027.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=N12}}{{Cite web |date= |title=למה דרום אפריקה תובעת את ישראל - כל השאלות והתשובות |url=https://www.idi.org.il/articles/52288 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idi.org.il |language=he}}{{Cite web |date=4 January 2024 |title=מבנימין נתניהו עד ינון מגל, מאליהו יוסיאן עד לאייל גולן: התלונה לביה"ד הבינלאומי מפרטת התבטאויות לביצוע רצח עם בעזה |url=https://www.the7eye.org.il/507066 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=העין השביעית |language=he-IL}}{{Cite web |date=3 January 2024 |title=ואטורי, גוטליב ואיל גולן: ה"ראיות" של דרום אפריקה בתביעה נגד ישראל בהאג |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1065086 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.maariv.co.il |language=he}}{{Cite web |last=Scahill |first=Jeremy |date=7 February 2024 |title=Israel's Ruthless Propaganda Campaign to Dehumanize Palestinians |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}

• Bringing awareness of massacres and kidnappings that occurred in the surprise attack, carried out by fighters involved with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, to the world public.
• Justification for the extensive damage caused in the Gaza Strip during the war, which in addition to harming Hamas infrastructure and troops, included killing tens of thousands of civilians, extensive destruction of homes and infrastructure, turning hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into refugees, and creating mass starvation. The images of widespread damage in Gaza increased sympathy for Palestinians.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024|reason=Specifically, a source stating this is an important issue among public officials}}
• Bringing to the public's attention the fate of the abductees from Israel to the Gaza Strip, both those who were released and those who've remained within alleged terrorist networks.
• Dealing with both resent & past statements by Israeli politicians that are seen to permit widespread harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip and in cases, judged as genocidal by several governments and organizations. Such statements include:
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described the war as "a war between the sons of light and the sons of darkness" and said that "the memory of Amalek must be wiped out";
• President Isaac Herzog, who stated that "it is an entire nation there that is responsible. The talk about unaware and involved citizens is not true";
• Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who said that "Gaza will not return to what it was. Everything will be eliminated […] I released all restraints";
• Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said: "When we say we want to destroy Hamas, we also mean those who celebrated, supported and distributed sweets - they are all terrorists and they too must be destroyed";
• Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, who announced "This is Nakba Gaza 2023".
• Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, in his remarks regarding the dropping of an atomic bomb on Gaza,
• The statement made by some politicians according to which there are "no non-involved" in Gaza.

{{further| Media coverage of the Gaza war | Media coverage of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict }}

Foreign media outlets such as the BBC have been accused by Israel and Israel-supportive figures of pro-Palestinian bias,{{Cite news |last=Brink |first=Yaron Ten |date=15 November 2023 |trans-title=We are done with BBC News. There are mistakes that cannot be forgiven |script-title=he: אנחנו עם בי.בי.סי ניוז סיימנו. יש טעויות שאי אפשר לסלוח עליהן |title=anachanu im BBC niyoz siyamnu. yesh tauyot sh'i efsher lisloch alehen

|url=https://timeout.co.il/bbc-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%AA/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website={{ill| Time Out Tel Aviv |he|Time Out תל אביב}} (טיים אאוט) |language=he-IL}} with sources outside Israel reporting a pro-Israel bias in Western media.{{cite news |last1=Johnson |first1=Adam |last2=Ali |first2=Othman |title=Coverage of Gaza War in the New York Times and Other Major Newspapers Heavily Favored Israel, Analysis Shows |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/01/09/newspapers-israel-palestine-bias-new-york-times/ |work=The Intercept |date=9 January 2024}}

About a week after the outbreak of the war, the Israeli Ministry of Information was closed. The minister heading it, Galit Distel-Atbarian, was quoted as saying that "the Ministry of Information has been emptied of powers and is a waste of public money, and cannot make a significant contribution to the country".{{Cite web |date=12 October 2023 |trans-title=Galit Distal is resigning from the public servant: 'Waste Public Finance' {{{!}} Calcalist |script-title=he: גלית דיסטל מתפטרת מתפקיד שרת ההסברה: "בזבוז כספי ציבור" {{!}} כלכליסט |title= |url=https://www.calcalist.co.il/local_news/article/s1e24crb6 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=calcalist |language=he}}

By October 20, more than a billion exposures to content released by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs were registered, some of them in Arabic and Persian.{{Cite news |last=Kahan |first=Raphael |date=20 October 2023 |script-title=he:משרד החוץ מציג ברשתות תמונות מדממות כדי לנצח במלחמת ההסברה |title=misrad hachutz metzig barshtot tmonot midmamot kadi lentzch bemilchamet hahasavra |trans-title=The Foreign Ministry is posting bloody images online to win the propaganda war. |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/digital/technews/article/bk1vf3cbt |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{additional citation needed| reason = Ynet has an English edition, please find the corresponding article in English, but do not remove the originals because sometimes the English version is an incomplete summary |date=November 2024 }} The IDF also has a partnership in the effort, when a video of horrors "through the eyes of Hamas " published by an IDF spokesperson received six million views on its first day of posting.{{Cite news |last=אלבז-אלוש |first=קורין |date=2023-10-19 |title=6 מיליון צפיות ביום אחד: צה"ל פרסם ביוטיוב סרטון זוועות "מהעיניים של חמאס" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sjplekjg6 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}} The IDF published many additional videos and many terrorist investigations. Both the IDF and the Foreign Ministry censored very little in order to cause shock to global viewers in order to prompt them to support Israel.{{Cite news |date=23 October 2023 |title=מחזק את הלגיטימציה לפעולות בהמשך: המהלך ההסברתי המטורף של דובר צה״ל {{!}} צפו |url=https://www.0404.co.il/?p=925409 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=www.0404.co.il}}{{Cite web |title=כל האמת בפנים: הקרב על ההסברה העולמית בצה"ל עולה שלב |url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/news/685831/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.makorrishon.co.il}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-23 |title=N12 - צה"ל במסע הסברה: הציג סרט של 40 דקות של הזוועות שחוללו... |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-world/2023_q4/Article-04663507c7c5b81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=N12}} The Ministry of Foreign Affairs screened the film documenting the atrocities of Hamas in dozens of Israeli embassies around the world, and continues to do so.{{Cite news |last=חדשות |date=2023-10-29 |title=תיעוד מעשי הטבח של חמאס יוצג לעיתונאים בעשרות נציגויות ישראל בעולם |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/ryfjh72ma |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{additional citation needed| reason = Ynet has an English edition, please find the corresponding articles in English, but do not remove the originals because sometimes the English version is an incomplete summary |date=November 2024 }}

IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari held a daily briefing for the media, usually in Hebrew and sometimes in English when he presented important information. As the war progressed, the IDF spokesman disclosed intelligence information and evidence obtained by the fighters and the operational documentation unit in the field that included several reports and claims of Hamas using civilians and civilian infrastructure as human shields. This included videos purporting to show Hamas' use of hospitals for military purposes, and in particular the Shifa Hospital, including Israeli statements of it hosting underground headquarters.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vabTMfiNJg |title=תיעוד מפשיטת שייטת 13 וצוות הקרב של חטיבה 401 על בית החולים "רנתיסי" {{!}} את"צ |date=2023-11-13 |last=עדכוני צה"ל |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite news |last1=קוטב |first1=אדם |last2=קימון |first2=אלישע בן |date=2023-11-13 |title=צה"ל חשף ממצאים מבית חולים בעזה: "יש מידע מודיעיני שהוחזקו שם חטופים" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/by3inggvp |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-13 |title=חשיפה דרמטית: "ישראלים הוחזקו מתחת לבית חולים ברצועה" {{!}} אלו ההוכחות |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/news/military/Article-1051982 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.maariv.co.il |language=he}}{{Cite web |title=דובר צה"ל: "סימנים מעידים לכך שחמאס החזיק חטופים בבית חולים רנטיסי - נמצא בקבוק של תינוק" |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/defense/article/14819933 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.israelhayom.co.il}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-13 |title=N12 - דובר צה"ל: חשד שחטופים ישראלים הוחזקו בבית החולים... |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/6361323ddea5a810/Article-03cf42ee22acb81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=N12}}{{additional citation needed| reason = Two or more of these sources have an English edition, please find the corresponding articles in English, but do not remove the originals because often the English version is an incomplete summary or presents a different perspective from a different writer. |date=November 2024 }}

The supervisor of the international department in Dover was Lt. Col. Richard Hecht. Under him, Lt. Col. Peter Lerner served in the reserves for many months of the war. After his release from the reserves, Lerner criticized the performance of the Israeli government in the matter of how it presented information.{{Cite news |date=5 July 2024 |title=דובר צה"ל לשעבר לתקשורת הזרה מאשים: הממשלה הכשילה את ההסברה הישראלית |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/00000190-7cbb-d835-a9fb-ffbb9dcd0000 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Haaretz}}{{additional citation needed| reason = Haaretz has an English edition, please find the corresponding article in English, but do not remove the original because often the English version includes different details that would be relevant to different audiences. |date=November 2024 }}

On October 15, in an interview with CNN, President Isaac Herzog showcased the document "The Captive Kidnapping Plan", stated to have been found on the body of a Hamas fighter, which details instructions on how to act when kidnapping the hostages. The writing describes that the kidnappers should create chaos, to intimidate captives through coercion, blindfolds, and electric shocks, and to execute anyone who may pose a threat or distraction. Kidnappers were also instructed to use the captives as human shields if necessary. Herzog also said that fighters were required to document their actions live, and to execute the captives during IDF attacks, comparing these methods to the UN-designated terrorist organization, ISIS.{{Cite news |last=אייכנר |first=איתמר |date=2023-10-15 |title=מכות חשמל והוצאה להורג בשידור חי: הרצוג חשף ב-CNN את "תוכנית חטיפת השבויים" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rk3egifwa |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite web |title=מכות חשמל והוצאה להורג בשידור חי: הרצוג חושף ל-CNN מסמך "תוכנית |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopolitics/article/14713952 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.israelhayom.co.il}}

Israeli security forces described a detained fighter's confession, saying that the Hamas leadership had promised them an apartment and ten thousand dollars to whoever would bring a hostage from Gaza, including the elderly, women, and children.{{Cite web |title=הזוועה הבלתי נתפסת {{!}} הודאות המחבלים: ערפנו ראשים, הצתנו בתים על יושביהם |url=https://www.inn.co.il/news/617702 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.inn.co.il}}

In an interview with the BBC on November 11, President Herzog said they'd obtained an Arabic copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf from Gaza. IDF soldiers reported finding it in a children's room in Gaza, used as a base by Hamas fighters. The contents of the book included notes in Arabic written in marker.{{Cite news |last=אייכנר |first=איתמר |date=2023-11-12 |title=הרצוג חשף: ספרו של היטלר נמצא בחדר ילדים ששימש כבסיס טרור בעזה {{!}} צפו |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/bj0kvfaq6 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-12 |title=N12 - הרצוג חשף בריאיון ל-BBC:: ספרו של היטלר נמצא בחדר ילדים... |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/6361323ddea5a810/Article-21609be03e2cb81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=N12}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-12 |title=הרצוג חושף ב-BBC: "'מיין קאמפף' נמצא בחדר ילדים ששימש כבסיס טרור בעזה" |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/news/politics/Article-1051550 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.maariv.co.il |language=he}}

On November 14, President Herzog gave a speech at the Western Wall that was broadcast live to a pro-Israel demonstration in Washington, D.C., where about half a million people participated.{{Cite news |date=14 November 2023 |title=כמעט חצי מיליון משתתפים בעצרת תמיכה בישראל בוושינגטון {{!}} הרצוג נאם בכותל: "בואו נצעק: לעולם לא עוד!" |url=https://www.0404.co.il/?p=932690 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=www.0404.co.il}}

On November 27, President Herzog took German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on a tour of Kibbutz Bari, which was severely damaged in the initial attack by Hamas. Steinmeier promised that his country would contribute 7 million euros to the restoration of the Bari Gallery.{{Cite web |title=נשיא גרמניה סייר עם הרצוג בבארי והכריז כי מדינתו תתרום 7 מיליון יורו לשיקום הקיבוץ |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/breaking-news/Article-1055300 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.maariv.co.il |language=he}}{{Cite web |title=נשיא גרמניה סייר בבארי והחליט לתרום 7 מיליון יורו |url=https://www.srugim.co.il/?p=869061-%D7%92%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%AA%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9D-7-%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9F-%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95-%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%95%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%94-%D7%91?di=1 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=סרוגים |language=HE}}

On October 26, in a speech to the UN General Assembly, Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN, presented a photo of a paramedic's burned body who was murdered in Kibbutz Ari. In his speech, he said: "It's not Auschwitz, it's Hamas". In addition, members of the Israeli delegation distributed to those present in the hall pages with a QR code to scan where they could view the atrocities that occurred on October 7.{{Cite news | last=חדשות | date= 2023-10-26 | title= Arden presented A colleague's burnt body in Awan: 'It's not Auschwitz, it's Hamas' | script-title= he: ארדן הציג באו"ם את תמונת גופתה השרופה של עמית מן: "זה לא אושוויץ, זה חמאס" | url= https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rktp0xofp | access-date= 24 August 2024 | work= Ynet |language=he}}

On October 27, the Israeli Consulate in New York screened a film documenting the atrocities committed by Hamas in front of more than 20 presidents of media organizations, presenters, and senior journalists from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal in addition to the media networks ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN. At the end of the screening, Ambassador Gilad Erdan gave a briefing to the journalists.{{Cite news |last=חדשות |date=2023-10-27 |title=לראשונה יוקרן מחוץ לישראל סרט של דובר צה"ל שמציג את הזוועות שביצע חמאס |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1b11lbkzt |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}

On October 31, Ambassador Erdan and members of his delegation wore yellow badge to the United Nations Security Council to protest the discourse against Israel.{{Cite news |date=31 October 2023 |title=כדי לשמר את התמיכה בעולם, ישראל שינתה גישה ומבליטה את הסיוע ההומניטרי לעזה |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-10-31/ty-article/.premium/0000018b-85d4-df47-a3df-ffddea2e0000 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Haaretz}} Senior officials at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Yad Vashem chairman, Dani Dayan condemned the action, with Dayan stating: "This act humiliates both the victims of the Holocaust and the State of Israel."{{Cite news |last=אייכנר |first=איתמר |date=2023-10-31 |title=במשרד החוץ תוקפים את ארדן: "הטלאי הצהוב - גימיק זול שלא משרת אותנו" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hjlnf9afa |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}

On November 20, a screening was held at the UN headquarters in New York showing footage of the attack on October 7. The film was shown to UN ambassadors, senior UN officials, and representatives of the New York Jewish community. The UN Secretary General was not present at the screening, despite his presence being ordered by Erdan personally.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} At the beginning of the screening, Erdan said: "What is the point of the existence of the United Nations if, on International Children's Day, all discussions do not open with condemnation of Hamas, which is committing one of the most serious war crimes in history?".{{Cite news |date=16 November 2023 |script-title=he:ארדן יקרין את "סרט הזוועות" לשגרירים מכל העולם: "הגיע הזמן שהאו"ם המעוות יראה במו עיניו למי הוא דואג" |url=https://www.0404.co.il/?p=933451 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=www.0404.co.il}}{{Cite news |last=חדשות |date=2023-11-20 |script-title=he:ארדן הקרין את סרט הזוועות מהטבח למאות דיפלומטים |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/rylbqvtvp |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Failed verification|date=December 2024}}

On December 4, an event was held at the UN headquarters in New York, protesting the UN's response to allegations of rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas. Testimonies, video evidence of the attack, and speeches, including a video speech by Hillary Clinton were shown. Ambassador Erdan condemned the neglect shown towards Jewish women by the UN and women's organizations around the world. The event was organized by Israel's ambassador to the United Nations in partnership with the National Council of Jewish Women in the United States (NCJW), the World Zionist Organization, the Hadassah Zionist Organization, and the Shusterman Foundation.

{{see also|#Hamas is ISIS|Yonatan Netanyahu}}

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with many world leaders to mobilize international support for Israel and was in frequent contact with United States President Joe Biden. In addition, Netanyahu often gave interviews to foreign media networks to explain Israel's position and justify conflict and severe actions in the Gaza Strip. On November 27, Netanyahu hosted Elon Musk - one of the richest people in the world and the owner of the social network X (Twitter) - and gave him a tour of Gaza City, which was severely damaged following October 7, and showed him the horror film documenting the war crimes committed by Hamas. Afterwards, Musk met with President Isaac Herzog, Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana, and Minister Benny Gantz.{{Cite web | date= 2023-11-27 | title= N12 - Netanyahu and Elon Musk visited Kfar Gaza | script-title= he: N12 - רה"מ נתניהו ואילון מאסק ביקרו בכפר עזה | url= https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel/2023_q4/Article-e3817a795501c81026.htm | access-date= 24 August 2024 |website=N12}}{{Cite web | date= 2023-11-27 | title= Accompanied by Netanyahu: Elon Musk on a visit to the Gaza Envelope | script-title= he: בליווי נתניהו: אילון מאסק בביקור בעוטף עזה | url= https://www.mako.co.il/entertainment-celebs/local-2023/Article-4a118ae98401c81027.htm | access-date= 24 August 2024 | website= www.mako.co.il Mako }}

{{see also|Trial of Benjamin Netanyahu}}

"The Poison Machine" was the name given to Netanyahu's (unauthorised) personal propaganda team by Israeli media,{{cite web | url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-08-15/ty-article-opinion/.premium/israels-army-chief-is-now-in-the-crosshairs-of-netanyahus-poison-machine/00000189-fa9a-d2eb-ab9d-fffa5b160000 | title=Israel's army chief is now in the crosshairs of Netanyahu's poison machine | Opinion | last1=Peretz | first1=Sami }}{{cite web | url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-07-31/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-only-stands-to-gain-from-the-agents-of-chaos-who-stormed-two-idf-bases/00000191-0531-df85-a399-ed37094d0000 | title=Netanyahu only stands to gain from the agents of chaos who stormed two IDF bases | last1=Harel | first1=Amos }}{{cite web | url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2434036/amp | title=Netanyahu will use his 'poison machine' to cling to power }}{{cite web | url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-816140 | title=Netanyahu's cousin: Bibi is destroying the country - opinion | date=24 August 2024 }}{{cite web | url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/10/netanyahu-war-israeli-media-corruption-trial/ | title=Netanyahu's War on the Israeli Media }} and the opposition.{{cite web | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/former-minister-and-netanyahu-loyalist-says-she-has-burning-anger-against-pm/ | title=Former minister and Netanyahu loyalist says she has 'burning anger' against PM | website=The Times of Israel }}{{cite web | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-government-faces-a-machine-of-poison-and-lies/ | title=Bennett: Government faces 'a machine of poison and lies' | website=The Times of Israel }} Their efforts targeted Israeli audiences as well as the outside world.https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-11-02/ty-article/.premium/leaked-hamas-documents-suggest-netanyahu-ran-influence-operation-target-israelis/00000192-ee9c-d6ee-ab9a-effe9d770000

{{anchor|72 Virgins}}{{see also|Psychological warfare|Trope (politics) }}

A public diplomacy effort by the Israeli military, the "72 Virgins – Uncensored" Telegram channel, starting on October 9, 2023, shared graphic images and videos of Palestinians taken in Gaza.{{cite news |title=Roaches to Be Exterminated : Israel Military Admits Running Racist Telegram Group Against Palestinians |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/world/roaches-to-be-exterminated-israel-military-admits-running-racist-telegram-group-against-palestinians/amp |work=thewire.in |date=8 February 2024 |location=India}} The name is a reference to the Islamophobic trope of Muslim combatants being motivated primarily by rewards in the afterlife, including "72 virgins" in heaven.{{cite book |last1=El-Ali |first1=Leena |chapter=Virgins: There Are No 72 Virgins Waiting for Anyone in Paradise |title=No Truth Without Beauty: God, the Qur'an, and Women's Rights |series=Sustainable Development Goals Series |date=2022 |pages=273–282 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-83582-8_21 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-83582-8_21 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3-030-83581-1 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Warraq |first1=Ibn |title=Virgins? What virgins? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/jan/12/books.guardianreview5 |work=The Guardian |date=12 January 2002}} The channel originally presented itself as independent, but due to its privileged access to videos and images taken by soldiers, it was discovered to be run by the psychological warfare division of the IDF. The channel was shut down for operating against policy by targeting Israelis, with the unit's usual role being to target enemy and other international audiences.{{cite news |title=Roaches to Be Exterminated : Israel Military Admits Running Racist Telegram Group Against Palestinians |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/world/roaches-to-be-exterminated-israel-military-admits-running-racist-telegram-group-against-palestinians/amp |work=The Wire |date=8 February 2024 |location=India}}{{cite news |title=Israeli Army Admits Running Unauthorized Graphic Gaza Influence Op: An IDF psychological warfare unit ran a Telegram channel targeting Israeli audience without approval. |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-02-04/ty-article/.premium/israeli-army-its-admits-staff-was-behind-graphic-gaza-telegram-channel/0000018d-70b4-dd6e-a98d-f4b6a9c00000 |access-date=5 December 2024}}{{cite news |title=Gaza war: Israel army behind inflammatory '72 Virgins' Telegram channel |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/gaza-israel-army-behind-inflammatory-72-virgins-telegram}}{{cite news |title=IDF says it ran unauthorized '72 Virgins - Uncensored' Telegram channel |url=https://m.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-785378 |work=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=6 February 2024 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=How an Israeli Telegram channel is used to incite violence against Palestinians |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-telegram-incite-violence-psychological-warfare-palestinians |work=Middle East Eye |language=en}} The Wire described the channel as "racist", for using language like, "Roaches to Be Exterminated".

Gideon Saar, Israel's Foreign Minister, released a statement in December 2024, that highlighted a planned emphasis on American college campuses, which have experienced significant pro-Palestinian protests since the war began following Hamas-led attack on Israel. The statement emphasized that this initiative will be undertaken in collaboration with American Jewish groups and in coordination with similar efforts by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry.

“Israel’s hasbara efforts and consciousness warfare have for decades not received the critical and life-saving resources and tools they require,” Saar told the Israeli newspaper Maariv. “I am determined to make a change. Every shekel devoted to this cause is an investment, not an expense, and will strengthen Israel and its standing in the world.”

According to Jewish Insider, Saar and his team have been conducting brainstorming sessions with a diverse range of individuals and groups engaged in pro-Israel advocacy worldwide. These participants include social media influencers, cultural figures, professional hasbara advocates, and representatives of various Jewish organizations.{{cite news |last1=Harkov |first1=Lahav |title=Israel's foreign minister is looking for a way to spend $150 million on hasbara |url=https://jewishinsider.com/2024/12/israels-foreign-minister-is-looking-for-a-way-to-spend-150-million-on-hasbara/ |work=Jewish Insider |date=26 December 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Elia-Shalev |first1=Asaf |title=Israel has spent millions trying win hearts and minds abroad. It's about to spend 20 times more. |url=https://forward.com/fast-forward/685456/israel-has-spent-millions-trying-win-hearts-and-minds-abroad-its-about-to-spend-20-times-more/ |work=The Forward |date=28 December 2024 |language=en}}

{{anchor|October 7}}{{7 October attacks}}{{see also | October 7 attacks | Pallywood | Hamas red triangle }}

{{Main| Bearing Witness (2023 film) }}

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit created a 47-minute film collecting raw footage of the surprise attack on Israel, including clips taken from body cameras worn by Hamas fighters that contained scenes of torture, murder, and mutilation of bodies. The film states that it does not include documentation of rape cases in order not to harm the families' dignity, except "only the parts after which it is very clear that there was rape".{{Cite web |trans-title=Despite the expectations: few reactions from the screening of the horror film in Hollywood |date=11 November 2023 |script-title=he: למרות הציפיות: מעט תגובות מהקרנת סרט הזוועות בהוליווד |url=https://www.mako.co.il/culture-articles/Article-7a33051099fbb81027.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=mako |language=he}} The official name of the film is Bearing Witness to the October 7th Massacre but it was called "The Film of Horrors" by Israeli media and the public. Its viewing was restricted and was not distributed among the general public reportedly due to the film's distressing content and potential harm to viewer's mental health. Official representatives of Israel (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, IDF Spokesman, Israel's Ambassador to the UN) conducted closed screenings for leaders in Israel and the world, including members of parliament, journalists, and media editors among others.{{Cite news |last1=אדלסון |first1=דניאל |last2=יורק |first2=ניו |last3=אייכנר |first3=איתמר |date=14 November 2023 |trans-title=Tears, leaving after 5 minutes and "feeling like Auschwitz": the horror film was screened in Congress |script-title=he: דמעות, יציאה אחרי 5 דקות ו"הרגשה כמו באושוויץ": סרט הזוועות הוקרן בקונגרס |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hjuuar11e6 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{additional citation needed| reason = Ynet has an English edition, please find the corresponding articles in English, but do not remove the originals because often the English version is an incomplete summary, or presents a different perspective from a different writer, or provides different details that are relevant to different audiences. |date=November 2024 }}

The raw footage from the IDF film focused on the attacks on Israeli civilians and foreign workers.{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Owen |author1-link=Owen Jones |title=I Watched The Hamas Massacre Film. Here Are My Thoughts. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc5iG3DX7ho |access-date=26 November 2024 |date=27 November 2023 |location=UK |language=en}} This was substantially different from the heavily edited videos that the Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the Hamas movement) officially published on their website and telegram channel with the watermark of their military media unit, and which has been re-published by many international news outlets, particularly in Arabic. The official edited videos from the Brigades focused almost entirely on the attacks on military infrastructure and killings of Israeli soldiers, and killings of other armed adult men. The Israeli women shown by the Qassam Brigades in their official videos were alive and fully clothed. Karina Ariev, a 19-year-old {{ill|Observers' Warnings|he|אזהרות התצפיתניות (2023)|lt =IDF military surveillance worker}} taken hostage at Nahal Oz military outpost, was also wrapped in a bedsheet, showing only her face. These photos were also included in the Jerusalem Post Israeli papers, but the stories with them speculated at length about possible sexual violence{{cite news |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-790886 |title=Remembering those the world has forgotten on Int. Women's Day - comment |date=8 March 2024 |work=The Jerusalem Post}}

Al Jazeera English produced their own video covering the October 7 attacks.{{cite news |title=October 7 |url=https://www.ajiunit.com/investigation/october-7/ |work=Al Jazeera Investigative Unit}} The documentary condemned the proven attacks on civilians, such as the mass shooting at the Nova music festival, grenades thrown into air raid shelters, and the taking of civilian hostages, while also criticizing Israel's public diplomacy, particularly ZAKA for ignoring crimes with indisputable evidence, and instead "focusing on the crimes that Hamas didn't commit".{{cite news |title="October 7" |url=https://network.aljazeera.net/en/press-releases/%E2%80%9Coctober-7%E2%80%9D |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Al Jazeera Media Network |language=en}}{{cite news |title=October 7 |publisher=Al Jazeera Investigations |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0atzea-mPY |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Al Jazeera Investigations English |date=20 March 2024}}{{cite news |title=The Take – October 7: Al Jazeera investigates |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/2024/3/28/the-take-october-7-al-jazeera-investigates |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Al Jazeera |date=28 March 2024 |language=en}}

One counter narrative from some Israelis was that several families released photos and videos to the media that were published by the Palestinian militant groups.{{cite web |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/hostage-families-to-release-photos-of-5-female-soldiers-from-early-days-of-captivity/ |title=Hostage families release photos of 5 female soldiers from early days of captivity |work=The Times of Israel}}

{{Main|Do you condemn Hamas?}}

It became a common question in both Israeli and international media to ask for condemnation of Hamas and the October 7 attacks.{{Cite web |date=16 November 2023 |title='Do you condemn Hamas?' |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231116-do-you-condemn-hamas/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Middle East Monitor}} Pro-Palestinian activists described the question to The Forward as a tactic to start the narrative on October 7, omitting the events of preceding years, and is "meant to shut down discussion".{{Cite news |last=Silverstein |first=Andrew |date=2023-11-10 |title='Do you condemn Hamas?' — why a seemingly legitimate question has become controversial |url=https://forward.com/culture/569204/why-do-you-condemn-hamas-has-become-controversial/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=The Forward |language=en}} Mondoweiss writer James Ray suggested that it "muddles" expressions of solidarity and is meant to obscure what they call a "colonial context" of the events.{{Cite news |first1=James |last1=Ray|date=2024-06-05 |title=Do you condemn Hamas? |url=https://mondoweiss.net/2024/06/do-you-condemn-hamas/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Mondoweiss |language=en-US}}

Governments,{{Cite web |title=Condemning Hamas' terrorism should not be controversial: UK at the UN General Assembly |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/condemning-hamas-terrorism-should-not-be-controversial-uk-at-the-un-general-assembly |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Rep. Owens |first=Burgess [R-UT-4 |date=2023-11-02 |title=Text - H.Res.798 - 118th Congress (2023-2024): Condemning the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff. |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/798/text |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=www.congress.gov}}{{Cite web |title=France and partners voice |url=https://uk.ambafrance.org/France-and-partners-voice-unequivocal-condemnation-of-Hamas |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=France in the UK |language=en}} corporations,{{Cite web |title=List of Companies That Have Condemned Hamas' Terrorist Attack on Israel {{!}} Yale School of Management |url=https://som.yale.edu/story/2023/list-companies-have-condemned-hamas-terrorist-attack-israel |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=som.yale.edu |language=en}} and public figures{{Cite news |last=Wagmeister |first=Elizabeth |date=2023-10-12 |title=Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and 700 Hollywood Figures Condemn Hamas, Demand Return of Hostages: 'This Is Terrorism. This Is Evil' |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/hollywood-open-letter-israel-support-hamas-war-1235753904/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Variety}} from around the world have issued condemnations. The Yale School of Management's Chief Executive Leadership Institute published a "List of Companies That Have Condemned Hamas' Terrorist Attack on Israel", including over 200 companies, mostly from the North America and Europe.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/hollywood-studios-israel-palestine-hamas-attacks-1235753540/ |title=Paramount Global, Skydance, David Zaslav and Hollywood Leaders Condemn Hamas Terrorist Attacks: 'We Stand with the People of Israel' |date=12 October 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rbc.com/newsroom/news/article.html?article=125839 |title=Article - RBC }} Around half of the list was German, including Volkswagen, and Bayer, among others.https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7117258917411241985-3-ly/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop In October 2023, more than 100 leading German corporations jointly released a statement in major newspapers condemning the attack.

ISIS have previously condemned Hamas, viewing them as apostates.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-21 |title=Hamas Is Not ISIS — and the Comparison Itself Is Counterproductive |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/21/hamas-isis-are-not-the-same-00128107 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=POLITICO |language=en}} In September 2024 Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom said that ISIS had condemned Hamas, based on their statement that "The Palestinians are being sacrificed for Iran", though Hamas was not mentioned by name.https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/world-news/middle-east/article/15071129 Israeli leaders have regularly equated Hamas with ISIS, a conflation that has been described by subject matter expert Monica Marks as an attempt to "muffle criticism of the country’s treatment of Palestinians".{{Cite magazine |last=Marks |first=Monica |date=30 October 2023 |title=Hamas Is Not ISIS. Here's Why That Matters |url=https://time.com/6329776/hamas-isis-gaza/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}

{{anchor|Holocaust}}{{further| Gaza genocide | Palestinian genocide accusation | Allegations of genocide in the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel | Comparisons between Israel and Nazi Germany }}

{{tone|date=December 2024}}

{{anchor|never again}} The phrases 'Never again' and 'Never again is now' have primarily been used in reference to preventing a repeat of The Holocaust, but has also been used to advocate genocide prevention more broadly. In an interview with NPR, author and journalist Masha Gessen said "I believe that to deliver on the promise of 'Never again', we have to constantly be checking to see if we are once again sliding into the darkness, which I believe is something that's happening in Gaza today…" and "… we can say that it really resembles the situation not only of ghettos, but of the liquidation of ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe. And this is the moment for the world to say if we're going to make good on the promise of 'Never Again', we have to step in now".{{cite interview |title=Despite backlash, Masha Gessen says comparing Gaza to a Nazi-era ghetto is necessary |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/12/22/1221128897/masha-gessen-essay-israel-gaza-germany-hannah-arendt-prize |date=22 December 2023}}

A full-page ad was published in several major newspapers with the title "Never again is now." The ad was undersigned by over 100 German companies, with the message, "We all condemn Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel and we see with horror the suffering of civilians in Israel and Gaza … As German companies, we stand against all forms of hatred and antisemitism".{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/never-again-is-now-german-companies-condemn-hamas-terror-stand-with-israel/ |quote=In a full-page ad published in major Sunday newspapers in Germany with the headline "Never again is now", the 106 undersigned companies, representing the bulk of the country’s economy employing millions of workers, denounced antisemitism and Jew hatred. |title='Never again is now': German companies condemn Hamas terror, stand with Israel |work=Times of Israel}}

File:Hamas = ISIS Graffiti.jpg, Tel Aviv that states "Hamas = ISIS". ]]

The phrase "Hamas is ISIS" was first used by the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu near the end of the 2014 Gaza War.{{cite news |last1=Derfner |first1=Larry |author1-link=Larry Derfner |date=24 August 2014 |title=No, Hamas isn't ISIS, ISIS isn't Hamas |url=https://www.972mag.com/no-hamas-isnt-isis-isis-isnt-hamas/ |access-date=9 October 2024 |work=+972 Magazine |quote= …if anybody accuses me of defending Hamas in what I'm about to write, I accuse them in turn of supporting the war in Gaza because they enjoy seeing Palestinian children killed. One claim is as fair as the other.}} Israeli journalists criticized the comparison and his sharing of real ISIS propaganda in social media posts, including photos of James Foley from an ISIS beheading video.{{Cite news |last=Reider |first=Dimi |date=21 August 2014 |title=Netanyahu tweets Foley execution shot to score points against Hamas |url=https://www.972mag.com/netanyahu-tweets-foley-execution-video-to-score-points-against-hamas/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=+972 Magazine |language=en-US}}{{cite news |url=https://www.france24.com/en/mediawatch/20140822-isis-netanyahu-james-foley |title=MediaWatch - Netanyahu deletes tweet featuring photo of James Foley |work=France 24 |date=22 August 2014}}{{cite news |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-update/netanyahus-twitter-account-deletes-controversial-james-foley-tweet |title=Netanyahu's Twitter account deletes controversial James Foley tweet |work=Middle East Eye}} Neyanyahu followed this by saying, "Hamas is ISIS and ISIS is Hamas", in a 2014 speech at the United Nations.{{cite web |url=https://al-shabaka.org/briefs/why-its-dangerous-to-conflate-hamas-and-daesh/ |title=Why It's Dangerous to Conflate Hamas and Daesh |date=22 February 2016}}{{Cite web |title=Belal Shobaki |url=https://al-shabaka.org/authors/belal-shobaki/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Al-Shabaka |language=en-US}} In 2016, the head of the Department of Political Science at Hebron University,{{Cite web |title=Belal Shobaki |url=https://al-shabaka.org/authors/belal-shobaki/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Al-Shabaka |language=en-US}} said it was dangerous to conflate Hamas and ISIS. It was argued by some Israeli journalists that Hamas more closely resembled the Irgun and Lehi{{cite news |first=B. |last=Michael |date=2 May 2016 |title=Hamas and the Irgun? How Dare I Compare the Two... |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2016-05-02/ty-article/.premium/hamas-and-the-irgun-how-dare-i-compare-the-two/0000017f-f73b-d318-afff-f77bf9ca0000 |work=Haaretz}} than ISIS.

In the first days of the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post published an article describing the similarities between the groups' influences, as identified by Dr. Harel Chorev from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, as well as a quote from Benjamin Netanyahu saying, "They are savages. Hamas is ISIS".{{Cite news |date=10 October 2023 |title='Hamas is ISIS': Here's how we know |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-767627 |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}} In a public address made alongside Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Netanyahu said, "Hamas is ISIS, and just as ISIS was crushed, so too will Hamas be crushed".{{Cite web |title=Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu After Their Meeting |url=https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-and-israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-after-their-meeting-2/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=United States Department of State |language=en}}

Several differences between the two groups have been described by international military experts and mainstream media organizations. Where ISIS seek a theocratic system of government that rejects democracy and persecutes Christians, Hamas participated in the 2006 Palestinian legislative election, with the Hamas-led electoral list that won including a Palestinian Christian running for the Christian reserved seat in Gaza City.{{Cite news |title=Christian candidate on Hamas ticket |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2006/1/25/christian-candidate-on-hamas-ticket |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=Al Jazeera |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=24 January 2006 |title=Hamas boosts image by backing Christian candidate |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/hamas-boosts-image-by-backing-christian-candidate |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=The Jerusalem Post |language=en}} Other differences include their positions on nationalism, Shia Islam, and the destruction of cultural heritage.{{cite news |first=Dino |last=Krause |title=The importance of understanding the differences between Hamas, IS and al-Qaeda |url=https://www.diis.dk/en/research/the-importance-of-understanding-the-differences-between-hamas-is-and-al-qaeda |work=www.diis.dk |publisher=Danish Institute for International Studies |date=27 October 2023 }}{{cite journal |first1=Christopher |last1=Anzalone |date=December 2023 |title=Excommunicating Hamas Why Differences between Globalist and Nationalist Armed Islamist Groups Matter |url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/MES-Publications/MES-Insights/Excommunicating-Hamas/ |journal=MES Insights |publisher=Marine Corps University - Middle East Studies |volume=14 |issue=6 |issn=2831-2872 |access-date=25 November 2024}}{{Cite news |date=29 November 2023 |title=Israel likens Hamas to the Islamic State group. But the comparison misses the mark in key ways |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-war-islamic-state-group-29e59446a42d077323a3a216127c4978 |access-date=2024-11-20 |work=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite magazine |last=Marks |first=Monica |date=30 October 2023 |title=Hamas Is Not ISIS. Here's Why That Matters |url=https://time.com/6329776/hamas-isis-gaza/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/11/21/hamas-isis-are-not-the-same-00128107 |title=Hamas is Not ISIS — and the Comparison Itself is Counterproductive |work=Politico |date=21 November 2023}} Talal Abu Zarifa, a leader from the DFLP (a secular faction allied to Hamas), said Israel was using the comparison to "justify its annihilation of Palestinian people and bloodshed".{{Cite news |title=Israel likens Hamas to Daesh/ISIS to justify its crimes: Left-wing Palestinian leader |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-likens-hamas-to-daesh-isis-to-justify-its-crimes-left-wing-palestinian-leader/3032556 |access-date=20 November 2024 |work=Anadolu Agency}} Among the commonalities described is their shared status as designated terrorist groups by the United States and the United Kingdom.{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Brian Glyn |date=14 December 2023 |title=Is Hamas the same as ISIS, the Islamic State group? No − and yes |url=https://theconversation.com/is-hamas-the-same-as-isis-the-islamic-state-group-no-and-yes-219454 |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=#HamasisISIS?: Assessing the campaign comparing proscribed groups |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/hamasisisis-assessing-the-campaign-comparing-proscribed-groups/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=ISD |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Zinman |first=Dr Galit Truman |date=31 October 2023 |title=Hamas Is ISIS |url=https://besacenter.org/is-hamas-equal-to-isis/ |access-date=20 November 2024 |website=Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies |language=en-US}}

The hashtag "#HamasIsISIS" went viral on social media early in the war. Ella Kenan, who works as a travel blogger, promoted the hashtag near the beginning of the Gaza war, asking her 200,000 followers to spread it.{{Cite news |last=ארץ |first=עידן |date=10 October 2023 |trans-title=The travel blogger who set the Israeli hasbara narrative |script-title= he: בלוגרית הטיולים שקבעה את נרטיב ההסברה הישראלי |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001459806 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Globes}} The hashtag became one of the most popular in Israel on Twitter/X and had been used in posts containing graphic material.{{Cite news |last= מרלין-רוזנצוייג |first= אורית |date=25 October 2023 |trans-title=The travel blogger who invented the hashtag #HamasIsISIS: "Anger motivated me to action" |script-title=he: בלוגרית הטיולים שהמציאה את ההאשטג HamasIsISIS#: "הכעס הניע אותי לפעולה" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/laisha/article/bj0hzebmp |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}

These tweets reached, among others, Ahmed Taha, an influencer from the United Arab Emirates with close to half a million followers, as well as the founding partner of Salesforce and the owner of Time magazine, Marc Benioff. The message was also included in speeches by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the President of the United States, Joe Biden.{{Cite news |last=שאולוב |first=רוני גרין |date=29 October 2023 |trans-title="Israeli government, give us money": the fighters on the front lines of Israeli hasbara |script-title=he: "ממשלת ישראל, תנו לנו כסף": הלוחמים בחזית ההסברה הישראלית |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/r19fsmhgp |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=שפיר |first=ניצן |date=19 December 2023 |trans-title=Hasbara stars revealed: Sinwar watches Israeli TV, and here is the proof |script-title=he: כוכבי ההסברה חשפו: סינוואר צופה בטלוויזיה הישראלית, וזו ההוכחה |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001465619 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Globes}}{{Cite web |trans-title=We want to echo the human angle of our disaster to the world |script-title=he: "רוצים להדהד לעולם את הזווית האנושית מהאסון שלנו" |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/local/article/14726171 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Israel Hayom}}

Another common hashtag used early on in the war was "#TheWestIsNext", a message directed towards the Western world implying that Hamas is a threat, not only to Israel, but to the entire Western world.

Several actors, directors, and online influencers defended Israel's actions during the war and advocated for their support.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8-A8dWKo-8 |script-title= he: הקרב בזירת ההסברה: השחקנים ומשפיעני הרשת מתגייסים |date=2023-10-11 |last=כאן {{!}} חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |date=11 October 2023 |title=הבמאי גיא נתיב: "אין הסברה ישראלית. אני רואה במעשיי עבודת קודש" {{!}} כלכליסט |url=https://www.calcalist.co.il/style/article/hyfsdgmwt |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=calcalist |language=he}}{{Additional citation needed|date=December 2024|reason=There should be more notable examples to cite}}

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was often interviewed by foreign media networks, where he argued Israel's military response was justified due to the brutality of Hamas, which he compared to Nazis.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb51udzHM9M |title='We're fighting Nazis': Former Israeli prime minister defends cutting off energy to Gaza Strip |date=2023-10-12 |last=Sky News |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejpJhwFF0w8 |title=Bennett to Erin Burnett: "Hamas burned babies. All Israelis are united to destroy Hamas". |date=2023-10-14 |last=נפתלי בנט {{!}} Naftali Bennett |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV62K66q44M |title=No, CNN, there aren't two "narratives" to the Gaza hospital blast. Go do your goddamn job. |date=2023-10-18 |last=נפתלי בנט {{!}} Naftali Bennett |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |title=בנט למגישת BBC: "תתביישו לכם!" |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopolitics/article/14739415 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.israelhayom.co.il}} Bennett also worked to raise the morale of Israeli soldiers and civilians, coining the phrase "We have a nation of lions".{{Cite web |title=ראש הממשלה לשעבר נפתלי בנט התייחס למתרחש במהלך ביקור פצועי מלחמה בבית החולים סורוקה בבאר שבע |url=https://www.inn.co.il/news/615999 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.inn.co.il}}

Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli journalist and advocacy activist, had given several interviews to foreign media organizations. He published several videos online describing the crimes committed by Hamas and what he saw as the world's hypocrisy in its attitude towards Israel. Haddad also addressed Palestinians directly in Arabic, calling on them to rebel against Hamas and overthrow it.{{Cite news |last=Barak |first=Tia |date=2023-11-20 |title=How Yoseph Haddad and Emily Schrader became a hasbara power couple |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/syuu3kgn6 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynetnews |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Israeli Arab activist Yoseph Haddad: 'My message to the world - you guys are next' |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/en/news/378908 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.israelnationalnews.com|date=21 October 2023 }}

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a co-founder to Hamas and a spy for the Shin Bet during the Second Intifada, has repeatedly condemned Hamas and its jihadist ideology in interviews.{{Cite web |date=2024-06-07 |title=Why the son of the Hamas co-founder stands firmly with Israel - editorial |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-805288 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-04-05 |title=Son of Hamas: 'There is no difference between Hamas and Palestinian people' |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-795507 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title="The Green Prince" and "Son of Hamas" |url=https://jewishcurrents.org/green-prince-son-hamas |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Jewish Currents |language=en}}

In interviews, British author and journalist Douglas Murray has rejected attempts to blame Israel for the situation in Gaza, saying that "Proportion during a conflict is a joke. Only Israelis are expected to respond proportionately." and that in a war, the losing side usually has more casualties and that does not mean that they are the victim. Murray also came out against pro-Palestinian and progressive protesters and activists who denied atrocities committed by Hamas, and called it "real-time Holocaust denial".{{Cite news |last1=לוקש |first1=אלכסנדרה |last2=כידון |first2=שרון |date=2023-10-24 |title=דאגלס מאריי: "מאז הטבח אני מזכיר למערב מי התוקפים כאן" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/bjwndnmf6#autoplay |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite news |last=ynet |date=2023-10-15 |title="ישראל היא המדינה היחידה בעולם שאסור לה לנצח במלחמות" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/sy3wexk11t |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiSkqDYKj3o |title="They Hate ISRAEL Defending Itself" {{!}} Douglas Murray Slams Pro-Palestine Protesters |date=2023-11-23 |last=TalkTV |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F2y84I7Dqk |title=Douglas Murray condemns Hamas in spectacular tirade |date=2024-01-12 |last=Sky News Australia |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}

Actor and founder of the advocacy organization Act for Israel, Noa Tishby expanded her activism's target audience, mainly in the United States.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-02 |title=נועה תשבי מככבת בעיתון הניו יורק טיימס: "'מסבירת ישראל'" |url=https://www.mako.co.il/entertainment-celebs/local-2023/Article-053be582a2f8b81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=mako}}{{Cite web |title=למרות שפוטרה: איזה מזל שיש לנו עדיין את נועה תשבי |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/culture/tv/article/14736942 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.israelhayom.co.il}}{{Cite web |date=2023-11-05 |title="הקול של הדור היהודי": נועה תשבי מככבת ב-"ניו יורק טיימס" - אחד העיתונים המובילים בארצות הברית {{!}} TMI |url=https://tmi.maariv.co.il/celebs-news/Article-1049856 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=tmi.maariv.co.il |language=he}} Political commentator and media host Ben Shapiro has regularly commented on the war during his regular programs, defending Israel while participating in several public debates. In a debate University of Oxford in Great Britain, Shapiro confronted pro-Palestinian students by asserting the cruelty of Hamas and refused to follow "Palestinian propaganda".{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqD-bwXzWV4 |title=Epic Exchange: Ben Shapiro vs. Anti-Israel Activist |date=2023-10-31 |last=Ben Shapiro |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |title=צפו: כוכב הרשת הגיע לעימות באוניברסיטת אוקספורד - ונדהם |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/culture/internet-culture/article/14775399 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.israelhayom.co.il}}

Nathaniel Buzolic, an Australian actor best known for portraying the character of Cole Michaelson in the series "The Vampire Diaries" and its spin-off series, "The Originals", has also been a public proponent of Israel. Since the beginning of the war he has raised awareness on behalf of the State of Israel, having flown there to show the world what is happening in the country.{{Cite web |title=Nathaniel Buzolic |url=https://www.instagram.com/natebuzz/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.instagram.com}}

Gal Gadot, an Israeli model, actress, and producer, best known for portraying the characters Gisele Yashar in the "Fast and Furious" movie series and Wonder Woman in the movie of the same name, made several efforts to show Hollywood the "Horror Movie" of the October 7 attacks.{{Cite web |title=Gal Gadot |url=https://www.instagram.com/gal_gadot/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.instagram.com}}{{Better source needed|date=December 2024}}

President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has openly expressed himself as an enthusiastic supporter of Israel, having visited the nation several times since the beginning of the war and planted a tree in Jerusalem. As a sign of support for Israel, he's said he's converting to Judaism.{{Cite web |title=נשיא ארגנטינה החל בתהליך גיור |url=https://www.inn.co.il/news/621457 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.inn.co.il}}

{{anchor|Eretz Nehederet sketches}}

{{further|Eretz Nehederet}}

{{see also

| Queers for Palestine

| Pinkwashing (LGBTQ) #Israel

| LGBTQ rights in Israel }}

On November 5, 2023, "Eretz Nehederet" aired a skit mocking Progressivism at United States university campuses. The skit depicted stereotypes of two queer activists from the Queers for Palestine movement, supportively talking with a Hamas militant.{{Cite web |date=6 November 2023 |script-title=he: 6 מיליון בחצי יממה: יונית שיתפה את המערכון של "ארץ נהדרת" - ופוצצה את הרשת - וואלה תרבות |url=https://e.walla.co.il/item/3620780 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=וואלה |language=he}}{{Additional citation needed|date=December 2024}}

The militant speaks openly about wanting to kill Jews and LGBTQ people, saying "we will throw you from the roof, you homosexual dirt!" with the activists continuing to praise and support him.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbfccVBo9tE |title=Welcome to Columbia Untisemity |date=2023-11-05 |last=ארץ נהדרת |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Self-published source|date=December 2024}}

{{See also| Media coverage of the Gaza war}}

Eretz Nehederet (Wonderful Land in English) also released two skits mocking the BBC news channel for what it expressed as one-sided coverage against Israel and in particular for their report on the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in which they blamed Israel, which resonated with several viewers in Britain and went viral.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-27 |title="זו רק דוגמה לכמה הדיווחים של ה-BBC מגוחכים" |url=https://www.mako.co.il/tvbee-tv-news/Article-498492b39217b81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=tvbee}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-27 |title="לעג ללא רחמים": בבריטניה חוגגים על המערכון של ארץ נהדרת על ה-BBC - וואלה תרבות |url=https://e.walla.co.il/item/3618881 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=וואלה |language=he}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-27 |title=ארץ נהדרת באנגלית: בבריטניה לא נשארו אדישים למערכון על ה-BBC |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/culture/tv/Article-1048015 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.maariv.co.il |language=he}} On November 14, "Eretz Nehederet" published another skit mocking the BBC, in which the presenter Rachel interviews Yahya Sanwar in a very sympathetic manner and, among other things, accuses an Israeli baby who was kidnapped by Hamas and cries in the background of sleep deprivation torture against Sinwar, who is holding him. At the end of the interview, Rachel turns to the BBC's "Moment in History" corner and there, next to pictures from World War II, the narration is heard: "In 1944 Winston Churchill refused a cease-fire and continued the genocide of Nazi Germany - which turned the Germans into victims - and Britain into a war criminal".{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYUL1R4pupU |title=Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar׳s exclusive interview on BBC |date=2023-11-17 |last=ארץ נהדרת |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite web |date=15 November 2023 |title=N12 - מערכון של "ארץ נהדרת" באנגלית הופך לוויראלי פעם נוספת |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-entertainment/2023_q4/Article-5de2ed695b1db81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=N12}}{{Cite web |date=15 November 2023 |title=שוב: מערכון של "ארץ נהדרת" התפוצץ ברשת |url=https://www.mako.co.il/tvbee-tv-news/Article-cebdbdb3582db81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=tvbee}} Churchill has been accused of a genocide during World War II, but it occurred in Bengal,Bengal famine of 1943 and there was a baby kidnapped on October 7 but the only actual baby (child under two years old) was kidnapped by the Lions of the Wilderness and held in Khan Yunis, above ground by the Mujahideen Brigades.Mujahideen Brigades

In December 2023, "Eretz Nehederet" aired a skit in English with the participation of Michael Rapaport mocking the presidents of the elite universities by hearing that Albus Dumbledore conducts for three professors at Hogwarts who expressed support for the "genocide of Botshams" and after being told that it was because of a lot of money from the Qatari state, he also joins. In the second skit, a video clip was shown in which the leaders of Hamas sing as they spend millions of dollars in Qatar on luxury following the skit opening where a crying Palestinian actress asks for donations to Gaza, with all the money goes to the leaders of Hamas in Qatar.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-14 |title=בתוך 48 שעות: "ארץ נהדרת" מתפוצצת ברחבי הרשת |url=https://www.mako.co.il/tvbee-tv-news/Article-72bc58208e86c81027.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=tvbee}}

Universities often do not follow mainstream thought. Universities within Israel also have a long track record of being critical of the Israeli government than most establishments, during the 2023 Israeli judicial reform controversy, a prominent historian at an Israeli university said, "It Really Does Recall Germany in 1933" (an overt analogy to Nazi Germany).{{cite news |date=10 February 2023 |title='Israel's Government Has neo-Nazi Ministers. It Really Does Recall Germany in 1933' |newspaper=Haaretz |last=Blatman |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Blatman |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-02-10/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/israels-government-has-neo-nazi-ministers-it-really-does-recall-germany-in-1933/00000186-3a49-d80f-abff-7ac9c7ff0000}}{{efn|name=when}}

{{anchor|international media}}{{see also

| Media coverage of the Gaza war

| Screams Before Silence

| List of The New York Times controversies

| #Do you condemn Hamas? }}

{{expand section|date=November 2024}}

File:Bring Them Home demonstration on Parliament Square 04.jpg and a call for the return of the abductees at Parliament Square in London.]]

Many Israelis worked during the war to explain and justify Israel's actions, especially on social networks.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-12 |title="ב-72 שעות עשינו מה שמשרד ממשלתי לא עשה בשנה" |url=https://www.mako.co.il/nexter-news/Article-844cd3f75e32b81027.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=mako}} They spread war crimes and civilian attacks committed by Hamas, with many establishing civilian headquarters for the sake of disseminating Israeli hasbara. Israeli media outlets publish content in foreign languages to promote Israeli advocacy. Kan 11 published a series of videos in English, Spanish, Persian, and Arabic.{{Cite news |title=שכל העולם יראה |url=https://kan.org.il/content/dig/digital/p-583302/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Kan 11}} Israeli news site Mako worked online on the outreach effort on its Instagram account.{{Cite web |title=Mako |url=https://www.instagram.com/mako.il/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.instagram.com}} Videos have been circulated around the internet encouraging and explaining how to join this front,{{Cite news |date=11 October 2023 |title=איך מסבירים את המלחמה ברשת? |url=https://www.kan.org.il/564773 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Kan 11}} with many private individuals taking responsibility to spread pro-Israel hasbara while publicly criticizing the contrasting discourse.{{Cite news |last=טרבלסי |first=נבו |date=2023-10-19 |title=ההסברה במדינת ישראל מתעוררת מתרדמת קשה |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001460618 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Globes}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_PgYfihiYI |title=כאן דוקו {{!}} באין מדינה יש אזרחים - צבא ההסברה |date=2023-11-08 |last=כאן 11 - תאגיד השידור הישראלי |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}

Following the war, a number of civilian information headquarters were established. The Civil Information Headquarters headed by Eliav Batito conducted many hasbara activities that include, among other things, documentation, distribution, translation, fact-checking, and positive news. Veteran organizations also joined the informational struggle.{{Cite news |last=טרבלסי |first=נבו |date=2023-10-22 |title=כולנו שגרירים: כך תהפכו לפעילי הסברה ברשתות |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001460578 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Globes}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-12 |title=״מטה ההסברה האזרחי״: ממחיש בפני העולם את הזוועות שהתחוללו בארץ |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/news/israel/Article-1044479 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.maariv.co.il |language=he}} StandWithUs is an international pro-Israel advocacy organization that created several videos, infographics, and other content for distribution on social networks.{{Cite web |title=לוחמי מקלדת: הישראלים שלקחו על עצמם את הסברת המלחמה |url=https://www.makorrishon.co.il/news/680571/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.makorrishon.co.il}} The Israelize association held online seminars designed to train the public for advocacy. The Deployact organization began training programs for the student population and reservists to participate in hasbara missions around the world. A delegation from the organization, which visited the International Court of Justice in The Hague, was widely covered in the Israeli and international media.{{Cite news |last=אייכנר |first=איתמר |date=2024-01-27 |title=לוחמים הפגינו בהאג: "יצאנו מעזה כדי להשמיע את הקול של מי שמונע רצח עם" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sjkccqwc6 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite web |date=2024-02-13 |title=ICJ ruling: UN top court orders Israel to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza but not to end war |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-68097640 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=BBC News |language=en-gb}}

The argument raised against the effectiveness of the private initiatives is that the algorithms of the social networks result in the majority of the target audience exposed to the content being Israelis themselves, with only a few percent of the viewers of the content living outside of Israel.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-19 |title=ההסברה ברשת עובדת? המדינה ש-85% מגולשיה תומכים בישראל |url=https://www.mako.co.il/nexter-news/Article-e79a7a95d08eb81027.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=mako}}

File:מטה ההסברה האזרחי. צילום עומר מור7.jpg

The Civil Advocacy Headquarters (in English: Israeli Spirit') is a non-profit pro-Israel advocacy organization that was established in Israel after the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The organization was established by a group of volunteers with the aim of creating broad awareness of Israel in Israel and around the world, while fighting the increasing rates of antisemitism around the world.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-10 |title=עקב אי הסברה ממשלתית: מטה הסברה אזרחי הוקם |url=https://www.ice.co.il/local-news/news/article/983560 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Ice |language=he}}

Within a few hours of the spontaneously created organization's beginning, close to 30,000 members joined the distribution pool. As a result, the need arose for content in a variety of languages that would be adapted to a variety of platforms. About three thousand volunteers joined to operate the array in various roles: interpreters, creative and content creators, video editors and graphic artists, research and production workers, psychologists, and social workers. In addition, about 30 technological collaborations with start-up and high-tech companies were mobilized for the organization.

Hanania Naftali posted a video on Facebook and on X (Twitter) in Malay / Indonesian in his character and voice on a background of photographs that correspond to his ideas, with a written translation in English.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.facebook.com/hnaftali/videos/pesan-dari-seorang-warga-israel-ke-indonesia-dan-malaysia-a-message-from-an-isra/758635409438130/ |title=Pesan dari seorang warga Israel ke Indonesia dan Malaysia 🇲🇾🇮🇱🇮🇩 A message from an Israeli to Indonesia and Malaysia >> {{!}} By Hananya NaftaliFacebook |language=en |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=www.Facebook.com}} The film was watched in Malacca by Kenny Ong who asked an Israeli friend who spoke the language, who became aware of the matter at about the same time: "Does Hananya Naftali understand Malay?" It turns out that the language is ringing in Hanania Naftali's mouth, and the video is a successful propaganda, and the video was also distributed by the Israeli listener. Another video by Hanania Naftali addresses the residents of Malaysia in English.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.facebook.com/hnaftali/videos/169854878456129/ |title=Important Message from Israel to Malaysia {{!}} Important Message from Israel to Malaysia 🇮🇱🇲🇾 {{!}} By Hananya NaftaliFacebook |language=en |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=www.facebook.com}}

{{Main|Kidnapped from Israel}}

File:Posters of hostages taken by Hamas during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war, taken in Los Angeles.jpg, taken in Los Angeles.]]

The "Kidnapped from Israel" campaign began as an initiative of the duo of artists "Deda" and Nitzan Mintz together in a residency program in New York and in collaboration with the Israeli designer Tal Hoover. The campaign, which shows the faces of several dozen of the civilians and soldiers kidnapped by Hamas is based on the missing persons notice format known to the public in the United States. The signs were initially distributed by the artists themselves and the Israeli community in New York, but in a short period of time, it became an outdoor campaign distributed around the world. The signs were placed mainly on walls, barriers, fences, and railings. Each sign refers to one of many abductees who were currently being held in the Gaza Strip. At the top of the sign is written "Kidnapped", in the center is a large photo of the abductee and at the bottom is his name and age, and below them is the hashtag "#NeverJustified" and "Never Justified" (referring to the kidnapping of civilians).{{Cite news |last=גרטי |first=יעל |date=2023-10-22 |title=אמני הגרפיטי שיצרו פוסטרים של החטופים: "יש לנו חמ"ל בכל מדינה, והכול בהתנדבות" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/laisha/article/rk8q9q211p |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}

The distribution and hanging of the signs led to lively discussion and uproar around the world. More than once, pro-Palestinian activists around the world were seen ripping off the ads, which also led to many verbal confrontations captured on video and shared through social media and news platforms.{{Cite web |last=Grant |first=Katie |title=Israeli hostages: 50% of posters in London ripped down within 48 hours |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/half-of-all-israeli-hostage-posters-in-london-are-ripped-down-within-48-hours-j8qbe4ei |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.thejc.com |language=en}}

{{Main|Hostages and Missing Families Forum}}

The evening after the surprise attack, the families of the abductees and the missing held a press conference, in which they demanded that the Israeli government open a regular dialogue with the families, appoint a person responsible for these affairs, hold an operation aimed at returning the missing to Israel, and push for the immediate involvement of Arab leaders in the world with the aim of freeing the captives. The government appointed Gal Hirsch to be responsible for the matter.{{Cite web |title="אין מצב שלא מחזירים את כולם הביתה!": משפחות השבויים בהצהרה משותפת לתקשורת |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/defense/article/14685911 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.israelhayom.co.il}}{{Cite web |title=נתניהו מינה את גל הירש לממונה על נושא החטופים והנעדרים |url=https://www.srugim.co.il/848823-%d7%a0%d7%aa%d7%a0%d7%99%d7%94%d7%95-%d7%9e%d7%99%d7%a0%d7%94-%d7%90%d7%aa-%d7%92%d7%9c-%d7%94%d7%99%d7%a8%d7%a9-%d7%9c%d7%9e%d7%9e%d7%95%d7%a0%d7%94-%d7%a2%d7%9c-%d7%a0%d7%95%d7%a9%d7%90-%d7%94%d7%97 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=סרוגים |language=HE}}

Later, the headquarters published three demands:{{Cite web |title=המטה להחזרת החטופים והנעדרים הציג את דרישותיו |url=https://www.srugim.co.il/850706-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%98%d7%94-%d7%9c%d7%94%d7%97%d7%96%d7%a8%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%97%d7%98%d7%95%d7%a4%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%95%d7%94%d7%a0%d7%a2%d7%93%d7%a8%d7%99%d7%9d-%d7%94%d7%a6%d7%99%d7%92-%d7%90%d7%aa-%d7%93 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=סרוגים |language=HE}}

1. Immediate release of all the hostages, since their holding is contrary to international law, in which it is defined as a war crime and a crime against humanity.
2. Immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor to supply medicine and necessary equipment to the chronically ill and injured hostages, as well as arranging an examination of all hostages by a doctor.
3. Intervention and assistance of the leaders of the neighboring countries in favor of the immediate release of the kidnapped hostages.

On October 18, representatives of the families of the abductees met with the President of the United States Joe Biden, who made a special visit to Israel in the midst of the war. Biden stated that the United States fully supports Israel and is working for the release of the abductees, and that it will contribute as much of its resources as is required to accomplish this goal. On October 24, a delegation from the headquarters of the families of the abductees arrived at the UN Security Council discussion regarding the Gaza war. The parents of Omar Neutra, who was abducted to Gaza, spoke at the Security Council hearing and demanded that the UN act to return the abductees following them stating that the UN refused to act against Hamas. The next day, after Queen Rania of Jordan denied the beheading of civilians by the fighters of the military wing of Hamas. In response, headquarters sent her a link to a coded website that includes videos of beheadings, burning of bodies and abuse of civilians by troops.{{Cite web |title=ביידן למשפחות החטופים: נעשה הכל כדי שיחזרו הביתה במהרה |url=https://www.inn.co.il/news/617180 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.inn.co.il}}

{{further|Human shields in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict|Use of human shields by Hamas|al-Shifa Hospital massacre}}

{{Main|Alleged military use of al-Shifa hospital}}

On October 27, 2023, in a briefing to the foreign media, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari presented intelligence information that reportedly proved that Hamas had located its main headquarters and many other pieces of military infrastructure — including an additional central headquarters, a network of tunnels for military operations, shelters for senior Hamas officials, IML warehouses, and Management centers of rocket fire— under al-Shifa Hospital in the heart of Gaza City in order to use the hospital as a human shield and to prevent IDF attacks on infrastructure and senior Hamas officials. The information was also passed on to the intelligence organizations of Israel's allies.{{Cite web |date=27 October 2023 |title=מפקדת טרור של חמאס ממוקמת מתחת לביה"ח המרכזי בעזה. |url=https://www.idf.il/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94/%D7%9B%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%93%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A8-%D7%A6%D7%94%D7%9C-%D7%97%D7%A9%D7%A3-%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%9B%D7%96%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%A1-%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%90%D7%90-%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%9C%D7%98%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%9F// |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite web |date=27 October 2023 |title=Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari Regarding Gaza's Shifa Hospital, October 27th |url=https://www.idf.il/en/mini-sites/hamas-israel-war-24/briefings-by-idf-spokesperson-rear-admiral-daniel-hagari/october-press-briefings/press-briefing-by-idf-spokesperson-rear-admiral-daniel-hagari-regarding-gaza-s-shifa-hospital-october-27th/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ggBF9rnBe0 |title=Hamas HQ Hidden Under Gaza's Largest Hospital |date=2023-10-27 |last=Israel Defense Forces |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}

On November 6, 2023, a commentator on the Saudi Al-Arabiya network said that the command center of Hamas was located under Shifa Hospital, thereby accepting or confirming the words of the IDF.{{Cite web |title=הפרשן הסעודי: מרכז הפיקוד של חמאס - מתחת לבית החולים שיפא |url=https://www.inn.co.il/news/619233 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.inn.co.il}} On November 15, 2023, IDF special forces raided Shifa Hospital and stated that they had uncovered weapons, technological equipment, and Hamas command rooms.{{Cite web |title=מפקדה מבצעית, אמצעי לחימה וציוד טכנולוגי בבית החולים שיפאא' |url=https://www.idf.il/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94/%D7%9B%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%9C-%D7%97-%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%A7%D7%93%D7%94-%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%A1-%D7%91%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%90%D7%90-%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%94// |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite news |last=חדשות |date=15 November 2023 |title=אמצעי לחימה בבניין ה-MRI: כוחות צה"ל איתרו מפקדה מבצעית בביה"ח שיפא |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hkk3ttg46 |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}} They further asserted that photos of the Israeli abductees were found on computers seized in the raid.{{Cite news |last1=זיתון |first1=יואב |last2=חלבי |first2=עינב |date=16 November 2023 |title=סרטוני חטופים, בלפטופים בשיפא: "שלדג סורק קומה-קומה"; מנהל ביה"ח: "שלפו גופות" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hkzlioqva |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}} On November 16, an IDF spokesman claimed that a Hamas van full of weapons and intended for the attack on October 7 was located in the Shifa Hospital complex. Tunnel shafts, underground infrastructure, weapons and intelligence information were also said to have been located in the hospital.{{Cite web |title=Terrorist infrastructure, an operational tunnel shaft and a trapped vehicle prepared for a massacre on 10/7 were exposed |url=https://www.idf.il/152065/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svaZQL28XDM |title=הפיר המבצעי שנמצא במרחב ביה"ח שיפאא' {{!}} את"צ |date=16 November 2023 |last=עדכוני צה"ל |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkPHxoeMyFU |title=איתור הרכב ובו אמצעי לחימה בביה"ח שיפאא' {{!}} את"צ |date=16 November 2023 |last=עדכוני צה"ל |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}} On November 19, combat engineering forces, Yahalom and Oketz uncovered a Hamas tunnel under Shifa Hospital. One of the tunnels was 10 meters deep and 55 meters long, where one of the entrances was blocked by an armored door with a bullet hole.{{Cite web |title=A terrorist tunnel was uncovered under the Shifa hospital - documentation from the inside |url=https://www.idf.il/153299/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite news |last=זיתון |first=יואב |date=2023-11-19 |title=מנהרה תת-קרקעית, חדר פיקוד של חמאס ואמל"ח במחלקת הלב: תיעוד הגילויים החדשים בשיפא |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/syhh00ov4a#autoplay |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}} That evening, the IDF spokesman presented photos from security cameras from Shifa Hospital that showed armed Hamas troops taking civilians who were kidnapped on October 7 into there.{{Cite web |title=Shifa Hospital was used as a terrorist infrastructure to which Hamas terrorists led hostages on October 7 |url=https://www.idf.il/%D7%90%D7%AA%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%9F-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%94/%D7%9B%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%91%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%94%D7%A4%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%9E%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%90%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%A9%D7%91-%D7%9B-%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%94-%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9B%D7%99-%D7%91%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%A4%D7%90%D7%90-%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%A9-%D7%9B%D7%AA%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%AA-%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A8-%D7%9E%D7%97%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%97%D7%98%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9D-7-%D7%91%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%98%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A8-%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%97%D7%93%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%90%D7%A0%D7%95-%D7%96%D7%9C-%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D// |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite news |last=זיתון |first=יואב |date=2023-11-19 |title=מצלמות האבטחה חשפו: מחבלי חמאס הובילו בכוח חטופים בתוך שיפא {{!}} התיעוד |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sjrgb0wep |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}} He also claimed that Hamas fighter murdered the abductee Noa Marciano inside Shifa Hospital.{{Cite news |last=חדשות |date=2023-11-19 |title=דובר צה"ל: "נועה מרציאנו נרצחה על ידי מחבל חמאס בתוך בית החולים שיפא" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1mkfcdep |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}} On November 22, the IDF spokesman published documentation of the tunnels and basements that were uncovered under the Qatari building at Shifa Hospital.{{Cite web |title=Dozens of meters of the route of a branching terror tunnel were exposed under Shifa Hospital |url=https://www.idf.il/155087/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}} In addition, he let the media accompany them on a tour, photograph them themselves and report them to the public.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mODBSKrGs4 |title=סנדלי שורש וציוד צה"ל – במנהרת חמאס: כתב כאן חדשות בתיעוד מתחת לשיפא |date=2023-11-22 |last=כאן {{!}} חדשות - תאגיד השידור הישראלי |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiPDdPclUoI |title=תיעוד דרמטי מבטן האדמה: כתבנו אריאל עידן נכנס למנהרות הטרור מתחת לביה"ח שיפא' |date=2023-11-22 |last=עכשיו 14 |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ61c1EMdUo |title=צפו: מנהרות הענק מתחת בית החולים שיפא |date=2023-11-22 |last=ערוץ 7 |access-date=24 August 2024 |via=YouTube}}

File:SoI-War 23-10-27 IDF 07-03.jpg aerial photograph of Shifa Hospital and Hamas headquarters it claims are below it, marked in red]]

On November 13, 2023, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, together with Shayetet 13 and accompanied by foreign reporters with cameras, raided the Rantisi hospital in Gaza, which was evacuated before the raid. He presented photographs from the hospital that showed Hamas use for militant purposes stated that it was possible that hostage children were held there. The photographs showed tunnel shafts, a motorcycle used by the kidnappers, documents with Hamas guard duty records, a basement with equipment for a long stay, including electricity (stolen from the hospital), ventilation, a kitchen and toilets, weapons, an explosive belt, and ammunition found among the patients. In December 2023, the forces of Yahalom, Shayetet 13, and TKS 14 uncovered a long and branching network of tunnels under the Al-Rantisi hospital, containing many strategic Hamas infrastructure and shafts. The tunnel connected the hospital to several areas throughout Gaza. On December 27, 2023, after the mapping of the tunnels by the Yehalom fighters, the forces of the Combat Engineering Corps blew up the tunnels.{{Cite web |title=הושמדו 3 פירי מנהרת טרור של חמאס שהובילו לעיר עזה |url=https://www.idf.il/167124/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite news |last=זיתון |first=יואב |date=2023-12-27 |title=בפיצוץ אדיר: כוחות הנדסה השמידו רשת מנהרות מתחת לביה"ח רנתיסי {{!}} תיעוד |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hjue8j5vp |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}

On November 14, John Kirby, head of the National Security Council of the United States, said that the United States had intelligence that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were using hospitals for military purposes and held and, at the time, likely still held hostages kidnapped in the October 7th attack.{{Cite news |last=חדשות |date=14 November 2023 |title=הבית הלבן: "יש לנו מידע שחמאס משתמש בבתי החולים, גם להחזקת חטופים" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/hydtorbet |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}

On November 1, 2023, the IDF published a conversation which purportedly recorded how Hamas stole 1,000 liters of fuel from a hospital.{{Cite web |title=This is how Hamas takes fuel from hospitals in the Gaza Strip |script-title=he: כך לוקח חמאס דלק מבתי החולים ברצועת |url=https://www.idf.il/144534/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.idf.il}}{{Cite news |last=חדשות |date=1 November 2023 |script-title=he:צה"ל חשף שיחה בין מפקד בחמאס למנהל בית חולים בעזה בנוגע להעברת דלק למטרותיו |title= |trans-title= |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1pbmmg7p |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite web |date=1 November 2023 |trans-title="Fill the gas tank, or they'll shoot at us": This is how Hamas takes fuel from hospitals in the Gaza Strip |title= |script-title=he: "תמלא את מכל הדלק, אם לא - יירו עלינו": כך לוקח חמאס דלק מבתי החולים ברצועה {{!}} האזינו |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/news/military/Article-1049188 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=www.maariv.co.il |language=he}} The IDF also shared a video of two IDF soldiers removing large amounts of cash from the hospital's safe and putting it into bags, two small stacks of envelopes had the political party logo of Gaza's government, they soldiers described this as "terror funds" and appeared to be emptying the entire contents of the safe.{{cite web |title=Hamas Terrorist Funds Found Inside Shifa Hospital |url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FmJ-SZlWuzk&pp=ygUfSWRmIHNoaWZhIGhvc3BpdGFsIHRlcnJvciBmdW5kcw%3D%3D |publisher=IDF YouTube |access-date=5 December 2024 |date=18 March 2024}}

During the fighting in the Gaza Strip, IDF forces stated numerous times that they found many weapons and ammunition, including artillery rockets, which they alleged were stored or hidden in educational institutions, schools, and kindergartens. The allegations were documented by fighters of the IDF, the IDF's spokesperson and also by media outlets that accompanied the fighters.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-10 |title=N12 - עזה, סרט מלחמה: דני קושמרו בלב הקרבות, הכי קרוב לבית... |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-military/6361323ddea5a810/Article-0623499d69abb81026.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=N12}} On December 2, IDF forces stated that they had uncovered thirty Grad rockets along with anti-aircraft guns and large amounts of ammunition, hidden under UNRWA boxes.{{Cite web |date=2 December 2023 |trans-title=Dozens of missiles were hidden under UNRWA boxes: Documentation from the operation in Gaza |language=he |title= |script-title=he: עשרות טילים הוסתרו מתחת לארגזים של אונר"א: תיעוד מהפעילות בעזה |url=https://www.mako.co.il/pzm-soldiers/Article-b3b05439b5a2c81027.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=mako}}

{{See also|Sexual and gender-based violence in the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel| #condemn }}

In the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Hamas militants are alleged to have carried out sexual assaults and sexual abuse on a large scale against Israeli women, girls and men. Some international organizations refused to condemn the alleged actions, with some groups saying that these claims were not proven.{{Cite magazine |last=Cohen |first=Michael A. |date=17 April 2024 |title=The Rape Denialists |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/october-7-hamas-sexual-assault/678091/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |magazine=The Atlantic |language=en}}{{Cite magazine |last=Gessen |first=Masha |author-link=Masha Gessen |date=20 July 2024 |title=What We Know About the Weaponization of Sexual Violence on October 7th |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-weekend-essay/what-we-know-about-the-weaponization-of-sexual-violence-on-october-7th |access-date=24 August 2024 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}

The British journalist who made the Al Jazeera documentary about October 7 attacks,{{cite news |url=https://network.aljazeera.net/en/press-releases/%E2%80%9Coctober-7%E2%80%9D |title="October 7" |work=Al Jazeera Media Network}} opined that allegations of sexual assault are a common form of incitement in racist violence.

In response, over 150 Israeli and international women's organizations published a letter in which they attacked the organizations in question: "It is unthinkable that a UN agency responsible for women's rights ignores the abduction of women, babies, girls, children and men from their homes, committing crimes war against women, children and girls, and the murder of over a thousand innocent civilians".{{Cite news |last= |date=2023-10-23 |title=קריאה לUNWOMEN לגינוי החמאס ולפעול לשחרור החטופות והחטופים |url=https://iwn.org.il/%D7%A7%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%90%D7%94-%D7%9Cunwomen/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=שדולת הנשים בישראל |language=he-IL |author1=Hadar }} They also organized a campaign against the United Nations Organization for the Advancement and Empowerment of Women, and the hashtag "#MeTooUnlessURaJew" was created (which is based on the MeToo campaign against sexual violence against women). Many women demonstrated in front of the UN headquarters, and prepared a performance that included women dressed in bloody leotards.{{Cite news |last=אייכנר |first=איתמר |date=2023-12-04 |title="החיים שלי לעולם לא יהיו אותו הדבר": עדויות על אונס ב-7 באוקטובר נחשפו באו"ם |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/b1gyfliba |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}}{{Cite web |date=2023-12-04 |title=N12 - ישראל תחשוף: מעשי אלימות מינית שביצע חמאס |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-world/2023_q4/Article-2310de564b53c81027.htm |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=N12}}

In December 2023, the United Nations Organization for the Advancement and Empowerment of Women published a condemnation of Hamas's actions,{{Cite news |last1=אייכנר |first1=איתמר |last2=אדלסון |first2=דניאל |last3=יורק |first3=ניו |date=2023-12-02 |title=ארגון הנשים של האו"ם גינה לראשונה את זוועות ה-7 באוקטובר: "מבוהלים מכמות הדיווחים על אלימות מינית" |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sk7jqrdbp |access-date=24 August 2024 |work=Ynet |language=he}} but it was criticized by (among others) Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan, who said that it was too weak and came too late for it to appear as anything but a mandatory, minimum concern statement.{{Cite web |title=Shock: "The world is silent because the rapes were Israeli" |url=https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/geopolitics/palestinians/article/14897686 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=Israel Hayom}}

On December 4, 2023, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, in cooperation with the World Zionist Organization, the Hadassah Zionist Organization, and other Jewish organizations, organized a protest event against the silence of the United Nations and the neglect of the women harmed by Hamas. Testimonies and evidence of alleged Hamas crimes were presented at the event with many diplomats participating.

{{Main|Misinformation in the Gaza war}}

Israel has released several pieces of incorrect or unverified information, leading to questions about its credibility.{{Cite news |date=18 November 2023 |title=Information missteps have led to questions about Israel's credibility |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/information-missteps-led-questions-israels-credibility-rcna125723 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119144311/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/information-missteps-led-questions-israels-credibility-rcna125723 |archive-date=2023-11-19 |access-date=23 November 2023 |work=NBC News |language=en}} Much of the content has been viral in nature, with tens of millions of posts in circulation on social media. A variety of sources, including government officials, media outlets, and social media influencers across different countries, have contributed to the spread of these inaccuracies.{{cite news |date=28 December 2023 |title=The war over fake content linked to Israel-Hamas conflict |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-online-information-war-over-fake-content-linked-to-israel-hamas-conflict |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229110049/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-online-information-war-over-fake-content-linked-to-israel-hamas-conflict |archive-date=29 December 2023 |access-date=29 December 2023 |work=PBS News Hour |publisher=PBS}}

Writing for openDemocracy, British academic Paul Rogers stated, "Israel must maintain the pretence of an orderly war with few civilians killed. Netanyahu's government is lying, but it would be naive to expect otherwise. Lying is what many powerful states routinely do, particularly in wartime".{{cite web |last1=Rogers |first1=Paul |title=Israeli government's lies about Gaza shouldn't be a surprise |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-palestine-conflict-gaza-netanyahu-lies-war/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217043805/https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-palestine-conflict-gaza-netanyahu-lies-war/ |archive-date=17 February 2024 |access-date=17 February 2024 |website=openDemocracy}} In The Intercept, investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill wrote, "At the center of Israel's information warfare campaign is a tactical mission to dehumanize Palestinians and to flood the public discourse with a stream of false, unsubstantiated, and unverifiable allegations".{{cite web |last1=Scahill |first1=Jeremy |date=7 February 2024 |title=Netanyahu's War on Truth |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208172324/https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/ |archive-date=8 February 2024 |access-date=19 February 2024 |website=The Intercept}}

According to the Press and Information Office of the Federal Government of Germany, some misinformation spread online about the conflict has been anti-Semitic in nature.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-03 |title=Anti-Semitism and fake news on the internet {{!}} Federal Government |url=https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-en/news/anti-semitism-and-fake-news-on-the-internet-2235118 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Website of the Federal Government {{!}} Bundesregierung |language=en}}

In December 2023, an analysis by The Washington Post confirmed reports by Human Rights Watch that Israel had used white phosphorus in an attack on Lebanon,{{cite news |last1=Christou |first1=William |last2=Horton |first2=Alex |last3=Kelly |first3=Meg |title=Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in Lebanon attack |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/12/11/israel-us-white-phosphorus-lebanon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210110114/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/12/11/israel-us-white-phosphorus-lebanon/ |archive-date=10 February 2024 |access-date=17 February 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{cite web |date=12 October 2023 |title=Israel: White Phosphorus Used in Gaza, Lebanon |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-used-gaza-lebanon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022011547/https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-used-gaza-lebanon |archive-date=22 October 2023 |access-date=17 February 2024 |website=Human Rights Watch}} directly contradicting the IDF.{{cite news |last1=Wintour |first1=Patrick |date=13 October 2023 |title=Israel denies using white phosphorus munitions in Gaza |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/13/israel-military-white-phosphorus-gaza-lebanon#:~:text=The%20Israel%20Defence%20Forces%20have,serious%20and%20long%2Dterm%20injury. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027052756/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/13/israel-military-white-phosphorus-gaza-lebanon#:~:text=The%20Israel%20Defence%20Forces%20have,serious%20and%20long%2Dterm%20injury. |archive-date=27 October 2023 |access-date=17 February 2024 |work=The Guardian}} In January 2024, after an Israeli airstrike killed journalist Hamza Dahdouh, the IDF called Dahdouh a "suspect" who was hit while driving with a "terrorist"; however, The Washington Post found "no indications that either man was operating as anything other than a journalist that day".{{cite news |last1=Loveluck |first1=Louisa |last2=Piper |first2=Imogen |last3=Cahlan |first3=Sara |last4=Harb |first4=Hajar |last5=Balousha |first5=Hazem |title=Drone footage raises questions about Israeli justification for deadly strike on Gaza journalists |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/03/19/gaza-journalists-killed-israel-al-jazeera-footage/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F3d1f246%2F65f9b858715ef2295fc7b79a%2F5c3c27c2ae7e8a02cd1193fc%2F8%2F52%2F65f9b858715ef2295fc7b79a |access-date=22 March 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

After reports spread that a mother and daughter were killed by Israeli snipers in December 2023 in a church where a number of Palestinian Christians sheltered, the Israeli army denied targerting the compound, but claimed instead there was Hamas activity in its vicinity and Israeli soldiers shot back.{{Cite news |date=21 December 2023 |title=IDF again denies killing mother and daughter at Gaza church, cites Hamas fire in area |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-again-denies-killing-mother-and-daughter-at-gaza-church-cites-hamas-fire-in-area/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425042729/https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-again-denies-killing-mother-and-daughter-at-gaza-church-cites-hamas-fire-in-area/ |archive-date=25 April 2024 |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=The Times of Israel}} Catholic officials and Member of British Parliament Layla Moran, who maintained contact with refugees in the church, stated, on the contrary, that no Palestinian belligerents were in the area and that the two women had been killed by the Israeli army, who were the ones preventing the refugees from leaving.{{Cite news |last1=Berger |first1=Miriam |last2=Bellware |first2=Kim |date=16 December 2023 |title=IDF kills two women taking shelter at Gaza church, Catholic authorities say |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/16/women-killed-at-holy-family-parish-gaza-israel |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217012816/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/16/women-killed-at-holy-family-parish-gaza-israel/ |archive-date=17 December 2023 |access-date=18 December 2023 |newspaper=The Washington Post |oclc=2269358}}{{Cite news |last1=Donnelly |first1=Dyllan |date=17 December 2023 |title=MP Layla Moran worried family trapped in Gaza church will not survive one week before Christmas |url=https://news.sky.com/story/mp-layla-moran-worried-family-trapped-in-gaza-church-will-not-survive-one-week-before-christmas-13033171 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240526144724/https://news.sky.com/story/mp-layla-moran-worried-family-trapped-in-gaza-church-will-not-survive-one-week-before-christmas-13033171 |archive-date=26 May 2024 |access-date=26 May 2024 |work=Sky News}}{{Cite news |last1=Ward |first1=EJ |date=18 December 2023 |title=Israeli official brands Gaza church attack 'rather strange' as MP's family shelter with 'snipers pointing guns at them' |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/layla-moran-gaza-church-idf-sniper/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117190655/https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/layla-moran-gaza-church-idf-sniper/ |archive-date=17 January 2024 |access-date=26 May 2024 |website=LBC}}

The Israeli army also denied responsibility for the killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab, her family and the Palestine Red Crescent Society paramedics sent to rescue her, saying that their forces were not in firing range on the day of the girl's death. However, both Al Jazeera and The Washington Post concluded, based on investigation of satellite imagery, that Israeli armored vehicles were indeed in the area at the time.{{cite news |date=26 February 2024 |title=Hind Rajab: Were Israeli troops around where the six-year-old was killed? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/hind-rajab-were-israeli-troops-in-the-area-where-6-year-old-was-killed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301005731/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/hind-rajab-were-israeli-troops-in-the-area-where-6-year-old-was-killed |archive-date=1 March 2024 |access-date=26 February 2024 |work=Al Jazeera}}{{Cite news |date=16 April 2024 |title=Palestinian paramedics said Israel gave them safe passage to save a 6-year-old girl in Gaza. They were all killed |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/hind-rajab-israel-gaza-killing-timeline/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzEzMjQwMDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzE0NjIyMzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MTMyNDAwMDAsImp0aSI6ImI4ZmI3YWY5LWVjNDctNDY2My04ZTA5LTAzZjZkMWU2YmJiNSIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS93b3JsZC9pbnRlcmFjdGl2ZS8yMDI0L2hpbmQtcmFqYWItaXNyYWVsLWdhemEta2lsbGluZy10aW1lbGluZS8ifQ.lx8Ajf7RaV4zrbKgiveU4LNj-auAw9sjBE6kYA6ZGW0&itid=gfta/ |access-date=16 April 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

In regards to the March 2024 Flour massacre, a CNN investigation said that "Mark Regev, the Israeli prime minister's special adviser, initially told CNN that Israeli forces had not been involved". However the IDF said soon after that "soldiers had not fired directly on Palestinians seeking aid, but rather fired “warning shots” in the air".{{Cite news |date=March 1, 2024 |title=What video and eyewitness accounts tell us about Gazans killed around aid convoy |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68445973 |work=BBC News}}

After bombing a tent camp in Rafah in an area that Israel had designated as a "safe zone" for civilians, killing 45 people, Israeli officials initially told their American counterparts that they believed their airstrike ignited a nearby fuel tank, creating a large fire.{{cite news |title=Israel strike hits fuel tank, causing large fire: US official |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/shrapnel-from-israeli-strike-may-have-ignited-fuel-tank-near-rafah-tents-report/}} James Cavanaugh, who worked at the ATF, said the fire did not indicate "some giant stash that exploded".{{cite news |date=11 June 2024 |title=Fire raging, blood everywhere: What really we know about Israeli strike on a tent camp in Rafah |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israeli-airstrike-gaza-family-rafah-wiped-out-rcna154877 |work=NBC News |language=en}} The New York Times viewed numerous videos and did not find evidence that a significant secondary explosion was ignited.{{cite news |date=14 June 2024 |title=Carnage and Contradiction: Examining a Deadly Strike in Rafah |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/world/europe/carnage-and-contradiction-examining-a-deadly-strike-in-rafah.html |access-date=16 June 2024 |work=The New York Times}}

In October 2023, shortly after the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, Israeli sources published audio purporting to show two Hamas militants in a phone call claiming responsibility for the act and blaming it on a malfunctioning rocket. Hamas claimed the recording was an "obvious fabrication", and the British Channel 4 interviewed two independent Arab journalists who expressed similar views.{{cite news |last1=McAlpin |first1=Nick |last2=Ambri |first2=Anas |date=20 October 2023 |title=Gaza Baptist Hospital massacre: Why Israeli Hamas 'audio evidence' is probably disinformation |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/gaza-hospital-strike-israeli-audio-proof-disinformation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523130457/https://www.newarab.com/news/gaza-hospital-strike-israeli-audio-proof-disinformation |archive-date=23 May 2024 |access-date=23 May 2024 |work=New Arab}}

In November 2023, a video posted by the IDF showed Daniel Hagari, inside the Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital, where he claimed that the IDF had found Hamas weapons and technology, as well as a "list of terrorist names" in Arabic with the title "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood", showing each agents' rota guarding the hostages. However, a translation of the document showed that it contained no names but instead a calendar of the days of the week.{{Cite web |date=16 November 2023 |title=Truth or Fake - IDF found a calendar in Arabic, not a Hamas 'names list' at hospital |url=https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/truth-or-fake/20231116-idf-claims-to-find-list-of-hamas-names-but-it-s-the-days-of-the-week-in-arabic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123033429/https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/truth-or-fake/20231116-idf-claims-to-find-list-of-hamas-names-but-it-s-the-days-of-the-week-in-arabic |archive-date=2023-11-23 |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=France 24 |language=en}} After the questioning of the veracity of the claim, an Israeli spokesperson backtracked, but CNN, while removing the segment, did not provide an editors' note acknowledging the change or the dispute over the initial video.{{Cite web |date=16 November 2023 |title=CNN Quietly Cut Disputed Israeli Military Claim From Some Video Reports |url=https://news.yahoo.com/cnn-quietly-cut-disputed-israeli-005939159.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120054221/https://news.yahoo.com/cnn-quietly-cut-disputed-israeli-005939159.html |archive-date=2023-11-20 |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}

In December 2023, Israel stated there was a Hamas tunnel network connected to the Al-Shifa Hospital; however, a report by The Washington Post found "There is no evidence that the tunnels could be accessed from inside hospital wards".{{cite news |last1=Loveluck |first1=Louisa |last2=Hill |first2=Evan |last3=Baran |first3=Jonathan |last4=Nakashima |first4=Ellen |last5=Ley |first5=Jarrett |title=The case of al-Shifa: Investigating the assault on Gaza's largest hospital |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/21/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas-israel/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221174128/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/21/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas-israel/ |archive-date=21 December 2023 |access-date=17 February 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} That same month, Israel claimed 12 UNRWA staff members had participated in the 7 October attack on Israel; however, the Financial Times, Sky News, and Channel 4 all stated that Israel's claims were not proven by the intelligence documents they reviewed.{{cite web |last1=Bunkall |first1=Alistair |title=Israeli intelligence report claims four UNRWA staff in Gaza involved in Hamas kidnappings |url=https://news.sky.com/story/israeli-intelligence-report-claims-four-unrwa-staff-in-gaza-involved-in-hamas-kidnappings-13059967 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131024310/https://news.sky.com/story/israeli-intelligence-report-claims-four-unrwa-staff-in-gaza-involved-in-hamas-kidnappings-13059967 |archive-date=31 January 2024 |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=Sky News}}{{cite news |last1=Srivastava |first1=Mehul |last2=England |first2=Andrew |title=Head of UN agency for Palestinians defies Israeli calls to quit |url=https://www.ft.com/content/e326a1d3-7b45-4609-8179-dfb6a66abae9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204163701/https://www.ft.com/content/e326a1d3-7b45-4609-8179-dfb6a66abae9 |archive-date=4 February 2024 |access-date=5 February 2024 |work=Financial Times |date=3 February 2024}}{{Cite news |title='Unproven Allegations': U.K.'s Channel 4 Slams Israel's Charge Against UNRWA |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/7%20February%202024/ty-article/unproven-allegations-u-k-channel-4-slams-israels-charge-against-unrwa/0000018d-837c-d636-adef-cffe76790000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207172553/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/7 |archive-date=7 February 2024 |access-date=7 February 2024 |newspaper=Haaretz}} In February 2024, the IDF stated Hamas was stealing humanitarian aid, leading David M. Satterfield, a senior U.S. envoy, to say there was no evidence to support Israel's claims.{{cite news |last1=Shurafa |first1=Wafaa |last2=Magdy |first2=Samy |date=17 February 2024 |title=U.S. envoy says Israel has not shown evidence that Hamas is diverting UN aid in Gaza |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-envoy-says-israel-has-not-shown-evidence-that-hamas-is-diverting-un-aid-in-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218010130/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/u-s-envoy-says-israel-has-not-shown-evidence-that-hamas-is-diverting-un-aid-in-gaza |archive-date=18 February 2024 |access-date=18 February 2024 |work=PBS News Hour |agency=Associated Press}}

Members of ZAKA including Otmazgin and Simcha Greiniman claimed to have photos depicting genital mutilation, including nails and knives inserted into the groin and genitals.{{Cite news |date=2024-01-31 |title=Israelis tell British MPs of evidence of Hamas sexual violence |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68162920 |access-date=2024-07-30 |language=en-GB}} These were shared with the UN's Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten's fact-finding mission, as well as NBC News. Both concluded these claims could not be verified based on the provided photos.{{Cite news |date=2024-03-05 |title=U.N. finds 'clear and convincing' information that hostages have been raped in Gaza |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/un-finds-clear-convincing-information-hostages-raped-gaza-rcna141789 |access-date=2024-07-30 |work=NBC News |language=en}} Israeli soldiers, the Israeli Forces, and the first responder Israeli organization ZAKA said on French Israeli TV channel i24news that they had seen the bodies of beheaded infants at the site of the Kfar Aza massacre.{{cite news |last=Zedeck |first=Nicole |date=10 October 2023 |title='It smells of death here': Surveying the scenes of atrocities in Kfar Aza |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1696938010-it-smells-of-death-here-surveying-the-scenes-of-atrocities-in-kfar-aza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231012110035/https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/1696938010-it-smells-of-death-here-surveying-the-scenes-of-atrocities-in-kfar-aza |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |work=I24news |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Tuquero |first=Loreben |date=13 October 2023 |title=Reports of 260 Israeli music fest deaths aren't unsubstantiated |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/13/instagram-posts/reports-of-260-deaths-at-israeli-music-fest-are-no/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019033501/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/13/instagram-posts/reports-of-260-deaths-at-israeli-music-fest-are-no/ |archive-date=19 October 2023 |access-date=19 October 2023 |work=PolitiFact}}{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Holly |author1-link=Holly Williams (journalist) |last2=Lyall |first2=Erin |date=11 October 2023 |title=Israel kibbutz the scene of a Hamas "massacre", first responders say: "The depravity of it is haunting" |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-babies-killed-hamas-terror-attack-kibbutz-kfar-aza-first-responders-say/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011133214/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-babies-killed-hamas-terror-attack-kibbutz-kfar-aza-first-responders-say/ |archive-date=11 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |publisher=CBS News}} This claim was repeated by U.S. President Biden separately, who stated that he "had seen photographic evidence of terrorists beheading children". NBC News called reports of "40 beheaded babies" unverified allegations,{{Cite news |last1=Tenbarge |first1=Kat |last2=Chan |first2=Melissa |date=12 October 2023 |title=Unverified reports of '40 babies beheaded' in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/unverified-allegations-beheaded-babies-israel-hamas-war-inflame-social-rcna119902 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012182948/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/unverified-allegations-beheaded-babies-israel-hamas-war-inflame-social-rcna119902 |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |publisher=NBC News}} adding that they appeared "to have originated from Israeli soldiers and people affiliated with the Israel Defense Force" and that "an Israeli official told CNN the government had not confirmed claims of the beheadings". The allegation mainly "stemmed from a viral Israeli news broadcast clip" and the main X / Twitter accounts propagating the claims were i24NEWS and Israel's official account, even though Israeli Defense spokesperson Doron Spielman told NBC News that he could not confirm i24NEWS's report.

In a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition on 28 October, Eli Beer, founder of Israeli volunteer EMS group United Hatzalah, claimed that Hamas had burned a baby alive in an oven, with many journalists sharing the claim in tweets seen over 10 million times.{{Cite web |title=Attaque du Hamas : d'où vient l'affirmation selon laquelle un bébé israélien a été mis à mort dans un four ? |url=https://www.liberation.fr/checknews/attaque-du-hamas-dou-vient-laffirmation-selon-laquelle-un-bebe-israelien-a-ete-mis-a-mort-dans-un-four-20231030_ZQZKBBCZPFF7RETIH32V54GWGE/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030195634/https://www.liberation.fr/checknews/attaque-du-hamas-dou-vient-laffirmation-selon-laquelle-un-bebe-israelien-a-ete-mis-a-mort-dans-un-four-20231030_ZQZKBBCZPFF7RETIH32V54GWGE/ |archive-date=2023-10-30 |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Libération |language=fr}} Israeli journalists and police found no evidence for the claim, and a representative of ZAKA, a first responder organization, said the claim was "false".{{cite news |date=December 3, 2023 |title=טבח חמאס גרר הפצת סיפורי זוועות שלא כולם קרו במציאות. האמת קשה מספיק |url=https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-12-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-2036-d21c-abae-76be08fe0000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204140620/https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/2023-12-03/ty-article-magazine/.premium/0000018c-2036-d21c-abae-76be08fe0000 |archive-date=2023-12-04 |access-date=5 December 2023 |work=Haaretz |language=he}}{{cite news |title=Conspiracy Theories and Lies {{!}} Denial of Hamas' October 7 Massacre Is Gaining Pace Online |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-07/ty-article/.premium/denial-of-hamas-october-7-massacre-is-gaining-pace-online/0000018b-aa45-d5aa-a19f-afffabf10000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201224514/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-07/ty-article/.premium/denial-of-hamas-october-7-massacre-is-gaining-pace-online/0000018b-aa45-d5aa-a19f-afffabf10000 |archive-date=2023-12-01 |access-date=5 December 2023 |work=Haaretz |language=en}}

On 4 December 2023, Haaretz reported on Israeli claims about beheaded babies, stating that these "unverified stories [had been] disseminated by Israeli search and rescue groups, army officers and even Sara Netanyahu".{{cite news|date=4 December 2023|title=Hamas Committed Documented Atrocities. But a Few False Stories Feed the Deniers|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/hamas-committed-documented-atrocities-but-a-few-false-stories-feed-the-deniers/0000018c-34f3-da74-afce-b5fbe24f0000|access-date=4 December 2023|archive-url=https://archive.today/20231220010209/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-04/ty-article-magazine/.premium/hamas-committed-documented-atrocities-but-a-few-false-stories-feed-the-deniers/0000018c-34f3-da74-afce-b5fbe24f0000|archive-date=20 December 2023}}{{cite web|title=Israeli personnel gave false information about 7 October attack crimes – report|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-personnel-false-information-7-october-attack|access-date=8 December 2023|website=Middle East Eye}}{{efn|The false claims that babies were beheaded in the Hamas assault were not promoted only by Israeli civilians or rescue volunteers, but also by the government. Le Monde has stated: "Israel has done nothing to fight it and has more often tried to instrumentalize it than deny it, fueling accusations of media manipulation".{{cite web|date=3 April 2024|title='40 beheaded babies': Deconstructing the rumor at the heart of the information battle between Israel and Hamas|website=Le Monde|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/04/03/40-beheaded-babies-the-itinerary-of-a-rumor-at-the-heart-of-the-information-battle-between-israel-and-hamas_6667274_8.html|access-date=26 May 2024|archive-date=28 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240428205728/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/04/03/40-beheaded-babies-the-itinerary-of-a-rumor-at-the-heart-of-the-information-battle-between-israel-and-hamas_6667274_8.html|url-status=live}}}}

The AP reported that two ZAKA volunteers, including its commander Chaim Otmazgin, made false statements about sexual violence and rape on October 7.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-22 |title=How 2 debunked accounts of sexual violence on Oct. 7 fueled a global dispute over Israel-Hamas war |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-sexual-violence-zaka-ca7905bf9520b1e646f86d72cdf03244 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=AP News |language=en}} Otmazgin claimed he found a raped woman due to her pants having been pulled down below her waist. He showed photos to the AP as part of his testimony. However, this had been caused by her body being moved by a group of soldiers. Yossi Landau, another ZAKA volunteer, claimed he found a pregnant woman killed with a fetus removed from her womb. This was also proven to be false. When challenged, Landau offered to show Al Jazeera a photo on his phone of the stabbed foetus, but is filmed admitting he is unable to do so.{{Cite web |title=We were lied into the Gaza genocide. Al Jazeera has shown us how |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/gaza-war-lies-genocide-al-jazeera-shown-how |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}

United Nations (UN) Director-General Antonio Guterres has accused Israel of spreading misinformation about the war in Gaza in an attempt to lower the credibility of the UN.{{Cite web |title=Israel says current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/podcast-episode/israel-says-current-phase-of-fighting-against-hamas-in-gaza-is-winding-down/8q3dbo4m4 |access-date=24 August 2024 |website=SBS News |language=en}} Speaking about Israel's decision not to allow foreign journalists into Gaza, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres stated, "Denying international journalists entry into Gaza is allowing disinformation and false narratives to flourish".{{cite web |title=UN chief demands Israel allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza, says situation enables 'false narratives' to flourish |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/un-chief-demands-israel-allow-foreign-journalists-to-enter-gaza-says-situation-enables-false-narratives-to-flourish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240417015437/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/un-chief-demands-israel-allow-foreign-journalists-to-enter-gaza-says-situation-enables-false-narratives-to-flourish/ |archive-date=17 April 2024 |access-date=17 April 2024 |website=The Times of Israel}} The technology director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue stated, "The corrosion of the information landscape is undermining the ability of audiences to distinguish truth from falsehood on a terrible scale".{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=Bill |last2=Chopra |first2=Anuj |date=18 April 2024 |title=Digital 'sleuths' fuel misinformation after Iran strikes |url=https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.34PM28E#:~:text=%22The%20corrosion%20of%20the%20information,Iranian%20attack%20(archived%20here). |access-date=23 April 2024 |website=AFP}}

{{columns-start}}

Concepts

• Hasbara Fellowships
• Public diplomacy of Israel
• Media coverage of the Gaza war
• Media coverage of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict
• Pallywood

{{column}}

People

• Eylon Levy
• Daniel Hagari
• Mosab Hassan Yousef
• Hen Mazzig

{{column}}

Groups

• Middle East Media Research Institute
• HonestReporting
• Jewish Internet Defense Force

{{columns-end}}

{{notelist|

{{efn|name=when| This historian has reflected at length about when this analogy comparing Israel to Nazi Germany is and is not appropriate.{{cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2016-06-21/ty-article/.premium/the-rights-and-wrongs-of-comparing-israel-to-nazi-germany/0000017f-e011-db22-a17f-fcb179b60000 |title=The rights and wrongs of comparing Israel to Nazi Germany |newspaper=Haaretz |last1=Blatman |first1=Daniel}} }}

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{{portal bar|Israel|Palestine|Asia}}

Category:Misinformation in the Israel–Hamas war

Category:2023 controversies

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Category:2023 in Israel

Category:Violations of medical neutrality during the Israel–Hamas war

Category:Impacts of the Israel–Hamas war

Category:Media bias controversies involving Israel

Category:Media coverage of the Gaza–Israel conflict

Category:War propaganda

Category:Gaza–Israel conflict

Category:Public diplomacy

Category:Foreign relations of Israel

Category:Propaganda in the United States

Category:Politics of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict