Misinformation in the Gaza war#Gaza Health Ministry casualty reports

{{See also|Denial of the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel}}

On 7 October 2023, deputy head of Hamas's political bureau, Saleh al-Arouri (based in Lebanon), claimed the Qassam Brigades had "captured senior officers from the occupation army" in the October 7 attacks.{{cite news |last=Diver |first=Tony |date=7 October 2023 |title=Israeli commander among at least 50 people captured by Hamas |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/07/israel-palestine-war-commander-captured-by-hamas/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007160757/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/07/israel-palestine-war-commander-captured-by-hamas/ |archive-date=7 October 2023 |access-date=7 October 2023 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}} A rumour circulated on social media that one of these officers was Major General Nimrod Aloni, the commander of the Israeli Depth Corps, based on a photograph of a man who resembled him being detained by unidentified armed men. A Persian language post by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) quoted a post about his capture from Tasnim News Agency and wrote "Tasnim: Distributors of fake news of IRGC" without either denying or confirming the capture of Aloni.{{cite tweet |number=1710621593905373503 |user=IDFFarsi |date=7 October 2023 |access-date=8 October 2023 |language=fa |script-title=fa:تسنیم: توزیع کنندگان اخبار جعلی سپاه پاسداران |trans-title=Tasnim: Distributors of fake news of IRGC}}{{Cite news |title=Hamas claims to have captured Israeli commander |url=https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/hamas-claims-to-have-captured-israeli-commander-1eFJtqR70ytSrXHrCUtHpF |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008000236/https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/hamas-claims-to-have-captured-israeli-commander-1eFJtqR70ytSrXHrCUtHpF |archive-date=8 October 2023 |access-date=7 October 2023 |work=The Jewish Chronicle |quote=An IDF source told the JC the Hamas claim about Commander Aloni was "unclear and unconfirmed".}} Aloni was subsequently seen on 8 October attending a meeting of top Israeli military officials.{{Cite news |title=Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is flooding social media. Here are the facts |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-misinformation-fact-check-e58f9ab8696309305c3ea2bfb269258e |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010233459/https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-misinformation-fact-check-e58f9ab8696309305c3ea2bfb269258e |archive-date=10 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |work=Associated Press}}

An Israeli boy and his sisters killed during Hamas's attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on 7 October have been falsely accused of being "crisis actors".{{Cite news |last=Spring |first=Marianna |date=2023-10-25 |title=Omer and Omar: How two 4-year-olds were killed and social media denied it |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67206277 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025235108/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67206277 |archive-date=2023-10-25 |access-date=2023-10-26 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

A photo shared by Israel allegedly showing the charred corpse of a baby was claimed by many on social media to have been AI-generated, based on AI detector "AI or Not". The claim was repeated by Al Jazeera Arabic. The company behind "AI or Not" later said that the result was a false positive caused by the image's compression and blurred name tag; several experts who looked at the photo found it to be genuine. Other social media users claimed, based on a 4chan post, that the image had been altered from a similar photo of a dog, though researcher Tina Nikoukhah found that it was actually the dog picture which has been likely "falsified using generative methods".{{Cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=Was this photo of a dead Israeli baby AI-generated? When AI-detection errors muddle public debate |url=https://observers.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231018-was-this-photo-of-a-dead-israeli-baby-ai-generated-when-ai-detection-errors-muddle-public-debate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031191829/https://observers.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231018-was-this-photo-of-a-dead-israeli-baby-ai-generated-when-ai-detection-errors-muddle-public-debate |archive-date=2023-10-31 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=The Observers - France 24 |language=en}}{{Cite magazine |last=Bedingfield |first=Will |title=Generative AI Is Playing a Surprising Role in Israel-Hamas Disinformation |url=https://www.wired.com/story/israel-hamas-war-generative-artificial-intelligence-disinformation/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105161905/https://www.wired.com/story/israel-hamas-war-generative-artificial-intelligence-disinformation/ |archive-date=2023-11-05 |access-date=2023-11-06 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web |last=Maiberg |first=Emanuel |date=2023-10-14 |title=AI Images Detectors Are Being Used to Discredit the Real Horrors of War |url=https://www.404media.co/ai-images-detectors-are-being-used-to-discredit-the-real-horrors-of-war/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105093745/https://www.404media.co/ai-images-detectors-are-being-used-to-discredit-the-real-horrors-of-war/ |archive-date=2023-11-05 |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=404 Media |language=en}}

The community volunteer paramedic and rescue group ZAKA began collecting bodies immediately after the Hamas attacks, while the IDF avoided assigning soldiers from Home Front Command who have been trained to carefully retrieve and document human remains in post-terrorism situations.{{cite news |last1=Rabinowitz |first1=Aaron |date=31 January 2024 |title=Death and Donations: Did the Israeli Volunteer Group Handling the Dead of October 7 Exploit Its Role? |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/death-and-donations-did-the-volunteer-group-handling-the-october-7-dead-exploit-its-role/0000018d-5a73-d997-adff-df7bdb670000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223105136/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-01-31/ty-article-magazine/.premium/death-and-donations-did-the-volunteer-group-handling-the-october-7-dead-exploit-its-role/0000018d-5a73-d997-adff-df7bdb670000 |archive-date=2024-02-23 |access-date=2024-02-19 |work=Haaretz |language=en |quote=In the meantime, Zaka volunteers were there. Most of them worked at the sites of murder and destruction from morning to night. However, according to witness accounts, it becomes clear that others were engaged in other activities entirely. As part of the effort to get media exposure, Zaka spread accounts of atrocities that never happened, released sensitive and graphic photos, and acted unprofessionally on the ground.}} Home Front Command soldiers and volunteers from other organizations accused ZAKA volunteers of spreading horror stories of atrocities that did not happen for self-promotion as well as "releasing sensitive and graphic photos to shock people into donating" and other unprofessional behavior.{{cite news |date=6 February 2024 |title=ZAKA exploited Hamas's October 7 attack to campaign for donations – report Volunteers who worked alongside ZAKA accuse members of creating |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/zaka-exploited-hamass-october-7-attack-to-campaign-for-donations-report/#:~:text=The%20unit%27s%20soldiers%2C%20as%20well,a%20bid%20for%20screen%20time. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302133310/https://www.timesofisrael.com/zaka-exploited-hamass-october-7-attack-to-campaign-for-donations-report/#:~:text=The%20unit%27s%20soldiers%2C%20as%20well,a%20bid%20for%20screen%20time. |archive-date=2 March 2024 |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=Times of Israel |quote=The unit's soldiers, as well as volunteers from other organizations, accused ZAKA volunteers of spreading stories of horrors that didn't happen, releasing sensitive and graphic photos to shock people into donating, and being unprofessional in a bid for screen time.}} The Times of Israel reported that "A volunteer from a different organization told Haaretz that ZAKA also double-wrapped bodies in its own bags after they had already been placed in IDF or other organizations’ bags, creating a mess at headquarters when bodies were placed in the wrong sections." Haaretz reported this double-bagging was done for self-promotion purposes: "At the attack scenes, the question was not only what to photograph but also what exactly to show. In some cases, volunteers from Zaka were seen wrapping bodies already wrapped in IDF bags. The new bag prominently displayed the Zaka logo."

{{See also|Hamas baby beheading hoax}}

In the aftermath of the initial Hamas assault, witnesses from the 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}} During US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Israel, he said he was shown photos of the massacre by Hamas of Israeli civilians and soldiers, and specifically that he saw beheaded IDF soldiers.{{Cite web |last=Norman |first=Greg |date=12 October 2023 |title=Israeli PM's office releases graphic photos purporting to show Hamas 'murdered and burned' babies |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/israeli-pms-office-releases-graphic-photos-purporting-show-hamas-murdered-burned-babies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018232637/https://www.foxnews.com/world/israeli-pms-office-releases-graphic-photos-purporting-show-hamas-murdered-burned-babies |archive-date=18 October 2023 |access-date=19 October 2023 |work=Fox News |language=en-US}} U.S. President Joe Biden separately said that he had seen photographic evidence of terrorists beheading children, but the White House later clarified that Biden was alluding to news reports of beheadings, which have not contained or referred to photographic evidence.{{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}} NBC News called reports of "40 beheaded babies" unverified allegations, adding that they appeared "to have originated from Israeli soldiers and people affiliated with the Israel Defense Force". They also added 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. As of 12 October, CNN had extensively reviewed online media content to verify Hamas-related atrocities but found no evidence to support claims of decapitated children.{{Cite news |last1=Chance |first1=Matthew |last2=Greene |first2=Richard Allen |last3=Berlinger |first3=Joshua |date=12 October 2023 |title=Israeli official says government cannot confirm babies were beheaded in Hamas attack |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/israel-hamas-beheading-claims-intl/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012144119/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/israel-hamas-beheading-claims-intl/index.html |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |publisher=CNN |language=en}}

{{Main|Sexual and gender-based violence in the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel|}}

The AP reported that two ZAKA volunteers 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 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074342/https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-sexual-violence-zaka-ca7905bf9520b1e646f86d72cdf03244 |archive-date=2024-09-10 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=AP News |language=en}} Chaim Otmazgin, a ZAKA commander, 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, it was found out later that the body was laying as it was due to being dragged around by Israeli soldiers to check if it was booby-trapped. Otmazgin said he publicly corrected himself after learning what had happened.

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 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074242/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68162920 |archive-date=2024-09-10 |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 web |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 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730051455/https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/un-finds-clear-convincing-information-hostages-raped-gaza-rcna141789 |archive-date=2024-07-30 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=NBC News |language=en}} However Patten's report concludes that even though the exact scope of sexual violence can not be determined, at least five rapes occurred on October 7.

Regarding claims that linked Palestinian militants to sexual assaults on Oct 7, The Times has remarked that investigations have been hampered by "false and misleading information" spread by "senior [Israeli] political figures and government-linked civil activists".{{cite web |last1=Philp |first1=Catherine |last2=Weiniger |first2=Gabrielle |date=7 June 2024 |title=Israel says Hamas weaponised rape. Does the evidence add up? |url=https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/the-times-magazine/article/israel-hamas-rape-investigation-evidence-october-7-6kzphszsj |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008030639/https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/the-times-magazine/article/israel-hamas-rape-investigation-evidence-october-7-6kzphszsj |archive-date=8 October 2024 |access-date=8 June 2024 |work=The Times}} A UN report on these allegations has stated that Israeli authorities have been unable to produce the evidence politicians said existed.

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 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074241/https://www.middleeasteye.net/big-story/gaza-war-lies-genocide-al-jazeera-shown-how |archive-date=2024-09-10 |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}

Shortly after October 7, Cochav Elkayam-Levy, a legal expert from the Davis Institute for International Relations at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, former Israeli government lawyer, former member of the military spokesperson's unit and close associate of Prime Minister Netanyahu's, established the "Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children", which aimed to give voice to the victims and their families. In June 2024, The Times reported that Elkayam-Levy spread a "debunked story" about a "pregnant woman and her slaughtered foetus", while also circulating "photographs of murdered female soldiers that turned out to be images of Kurdish fighters in Syria." The Times added: "Elkayam-Levy has nonetheless remained the most prominent public voice on the sexual violence of October 7, winning the country’s highest civilian honour, the Israel Prize, in April."

In a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition on 28 October, Eli Beer, founder of Israeli volunteer-based emergency medical services group United Hatzalah, claimed that Hamas had burned a baby alive in an oven.{{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}} He attributed the claim to a United Hatzalah volunteer; one of them, Asher Moskowitz, also publicly made the claim.{{cite web |last1=Gooding |first1=Dan |date=8 November 2023 |title=Israeli Rescue Worker Says Baby Found in Oven Was Burned Alive, Hits Back at Claims Story is Fake |url=https://themessenger.com/news/israel-baby-burned-alive-oven-evidence |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231226023633/https://themessenger.com/news/israel-baby-burned-alive-oven-evidence |archive-date=26 December 2023 |access-date=26 December 2023 |website=The Messenger News}} It was repeated by journalist Dovid Efune, commentator John Podhoretz and others, in tweets seen over 10 million times. 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}}

The October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel has become the subject of various conspiracy theories. These theories claim that the attack, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel, was a false flag operation conducted by Israel itself, despite the overwhelming evidence provided by multiple sources, including smartphone and GoPro footage capturing the breach of the border by Hamas forces.{{Cite news |last=Dwoskin |first=Elizabeth |date=2024-01-21 |title=Growing Oct. 7 'truther' groups say Hamas massacre was a false flag |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/01/21/hamas-attack-october-7-conspiracy-israel |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122064251/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/01/21/hamas-attack-october-7-conspiracy-israel/ |archive-date=2024-01-22 |access-date=2024-01-22 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{Cite web |last=O'Rourke |first=Ciara |date=2023-10-13 |title=False flag claims amid Israel-Hamas violence lack evidence |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/13/instagram-posts/false-flag-claims-amid-israel-hamas-violence-lack/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130065708/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/13/instagram-posts/false-flag-claims-amid-israel-hamas-violence-lack/ |archive-date=2023-11-30 |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=PolitiFact}}

This misinformation has been proliferating across various social media platforms, where hashtags linking Israel to "false flag" operations have seen a significant increase in usage. This spread of falsehoods was not limited to online spaces; it has manifested in real-world scenarios, including city council meetings and public protests, where individuals have publicly denied the facts of the attack.

Researchers and Jewish community leaders have expressed concern about the ties these conspiracy theories have to Holocaust denial and other antisemitic beliefs, with denial of the October 7 attacks described as part of a broader pattern of misinformation that seeks to distort historical events and promote antisemitic narratives.

Another unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that emerged following the October 7 Hamas attack suggests that the Israeli government, specifically Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had prior knowledge of the attack. Some even claim that Netanyahu issued a "stand-down" order to the Israeli military. The genesis of this theory appears to be from Charlie Kirk, a far-right influencer and supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose comments on a podcast fueled these claims. However, these assertions hinge solely on Kirk's personal speculations. Despite a lack of evidence, the theory has been influential in certain circles, especially among those critical of Netanyahu's leadership and Israeli policies.{{Cite web |last=Novak |first=Matt |date=2023-10-16 |title=Conspiracy Theorists Go Viral With Unsubstantiated Claim About Israel-Hamas Conflict |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattnovak/2023/10/16/conspiracy-theorists-go-viral-with-unsubstantiated-claim-about-israel-hamas-conflict/?sh=83d328d6e98b |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122142251/https://gum.criteo.com/syncframe?origin=publishertag&topUrl=www.forbes.com |archive-date=2024-01-22 |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=Forbes}}

Social media accounts based in India have spread pro-Israeli disinformation, with influencers misrepresenting videos purported to show school girls taken as sex slaves, or Hamas kidnapping a Jewish baby. Indian Twitter accounts spread an out-of-context video claimed to represent "dozens of young girls taken as sex slaves by a 'Palestinian' fighter", which was instead showing probably a school trip to Jerusalem. Another clip primarily shared by Indian users was purported to depict a kidnapped baby; however, the video was taken a month earlier and had nothing to do with Gaza. Fact-checker Pratik Sinha said the "Indian right-wing has made India the disinformation capital of the world". The trend forms part of a wider pattern of fake news in India with an Islamophobic slant, including disinformation on Palestinians coming from the BJP IT Cell, a department of India's governing party, the BJP.{{Cite web |last=Owen Jones |first=Marc |date=October 16, 2023 |title=Analysis: Why is so much anti-Palestinian disinformation coming from India? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/16/analysis-why-is-so-much-anti-palestinian-disinformation-coming-from-india |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016033805/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/16/analysis-why-is-so-much-anti-palestinian-disinformation-coming-from-india |archive-date=2023-10-16 |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting published images of the capture of commanders of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Azerbaijani army in September 2023 as the capture of Israeli commanders by Hamas.{{Cite web |date=11 October 2023 |title=فیلم خنده دار سوتی شبکه خبر صدا و سیما: پخش تصاویر دستگیری فرماندهان جدائی طلبان قره باغ آذربایجان به جای ژنرال های اسرائیلی - پایگاه خبری تحلیلی انصاف نیوز |url=http://www.ensafnews.com/447574/%d9%81%db%8c%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%ae%d9%86%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%aa%db%8c-%d8%b4%d8%a8%da%a9%d9%87-%d8%ae%d8%a8%d8%b1-%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%a7-%d9%88-%d8%b3%db%8c%d9%85%d8%a7-%d9%be/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013183114/http://www.ensafnews.com/447574/%d9%81%db%8c%d9%84%d9%85-%d8%ae%d9%86%d8%af%d9%87-%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%aa%db%8c-%d8%b4%d8%a8%da%a9%d9%87-%d8%ae%d8%a8%d8%b1-%d8%b5%d8%af%d8%a7-%d9%88-%d8%b3%db%8c%d9%85%d8%a7-%d9%be/ |archive-date=13 October 2023 |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=انصاف نیوز |language=fa-IR}}{{Cite web |date=10 October 2023 |title=فیلم خنده دار سوتی شبکه خبر صدا و سیما: پخش تصاویر دستگیری فرماندهان جدائی طلبان قره باغ آذربایجان به جای ژنرال های اسرائیلی |url=https://saednews.com/.post/fylm-khndh-dar-soty-shbkh-khbr-sda-o-syma-pkhsh-tsaoyr-dstgyry-frmandhan-jdaey-tlban-grh-bagh-azrbayjan-bh-jay-zhnral-hay-asraeyly-bx10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013193519/https://saednews.com/.post/fylm-khndh-dar-soty-shbkh-khbr-sda-o-syma-pkhsh-tsaoyr-dstgyry-frmandhan-jdaey-tlban-grh-bagh-azrbayjan-bh-jay-zhnral-hay-asraeyly-bx10 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=saednews.com |language=fa}}{{Cite web |date=11 October 2023 |title=فیلم خنده دار سوتی شبکه خبر صدا و سیما: پخش تصاویر دستگیری فرماندهان جدائی طلبان قره باغ آذربایجان به جای ژنرال های اسرائیلی |url=http://sahebkhabar.ir/news/62851995/%D9%81%DB%8C%D9%84%D9%85-%D8%AE%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%B4%D8%A8%DA%A9%D9%87-%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%88-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%85%D8%A7-%D9%BE%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%DA%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86 |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=صاحب‌خبر |language=fa}}

{{further| Al-Shifa Hospital #Israeli media campaign}}

Following the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, an X account claiming to be an Al Jazeera journalist said they had video of a "Hamas missile landing in the hospital". Al Jazeera subsequently clarified that they were not associated with the account, and it was later removed.{{Cite news |date=2023-10-18 |title=Disinformation surge threatens to fuel Israel-Hamas conflict |language=en |work=The Straits Times |agency=Reuters |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/disinformation-surge-threatens-to-fuel-israel-hamas-conflict |access-date=2023-10-18 |issn=0585-3923 |archive-date=2023-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019023605/https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/disinformation-surge-threatens-to-fuel-israel-hamas-conflict |url-status=live }} Another X account that promoted pro-Kremlin misinformation claimed The Wall Street Journal had reported that the explosion was caused by a Mark 84 bomb but The Wall Street Journal had not published such a report.{{Cite web |last1=Doak |first1=Sam |last2=Dharmadhikari |first2=Sanyukta |date=October 19, 2023 |title=Speculation, misinformation, and accusations in the wake of the Gaza hospital blast |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/article/speculation-misinformation-and-accusations-in-the-wake-of-the-gaza-hospital-blast |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Logically |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021014029/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/article/speculation-misinformation-and-accusations-in-the-wake-of-the-gaza-hospital-blast |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Putterman |first=Samantha |date=October 18, 2023 |title=The Wall Street Journal didn't report that an American missile caused deadly Gaza hospital blast |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/18/social-media/the-wall-street-journal-didnt-report-that-an-ameri/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=PolitiFact |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020073153/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/18/social-media/the-wall-street-journal-didnt-report-that-an-ameri/ |url-status=live }}

In November 2023, a video appearing to show a nurse at the Al Shifa hospital went viral. She claimed that she was unable to treat patients because Hamas had taken over the entire hospital and were stealing fuel and medicine, with the video ending with her pleading for all Palestinians to leave Al Shifa. Many were quick to point out the falsehood in the video, as none of the documented doctors and nurses at the hospital recognize the woman depicted, and a reported Israeli accent and inability to speak clear Arabic.{{Cite web |last=Eltayeb |first=Mohamed |date=2023-11-12 |title=Disinformation experts call out Israeli theatrics for using actress to play anti-Hamas nurse |url=https://dohanews.co/disinformation-experts-call-out-israeli-theatrics-for-using-actress-to-play-anti-hamas-nurse/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115231020/https://dohanews.co/disinformation-experts-call-out-israeli-theatrics-for-using-actress-to-play-anti-hamas-nurse/ |archive-date=2023-11-15 |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=Doha News {{!}} Qatar |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Marchant de Abreu |first=Catalina |date=2023-11-15 |title=Truth or Fake - Video of 'nurse' denouncing Hamas occupation of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital is staged |url=https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/truth-or-fake/20231115-video-of-nurse-denouncing-hamas-occupation-of-al-shifa-hospital-in-gaza-is-fake |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125043707/https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/truth-or-fake/20231115-video-of-nurse-denouncing-hamas-occupation-of-al-shifa-hospital-in-gaza-is-fake |archive-date=2023-11-25 |access-date=2023-11-16 |website=France 24 |language=en}} Additionally, according to Esther Chan from RMIT FactLab's CrossCheck, an analysis by open-source investigators had determined that the video was likely doctored to artificially include fake sounds of explosions.{{cite web |last=Brancatisano |first=Emma |date=November 26, 2023 |title=From Pallywood to US troops: Four viral claims about the Hamas-Israel war, fact-checked |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/from-pallywood-to-us-troops-four-viral-claims-about-the-hamas-israel-war-fact-checked/8k4zj3x9h |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126042246/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/from-pallywood-to-us-troops-four-viral-claims-about-the-hamas-israel-war-fact-checked/8k4zj3x9h |archive-date=November 26, 2023 |access-date=December 16, 2023 |website=SBS News}} The video was originally posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel's Arabic Twitter account and it was boosted by Edward Haïm Cohen Halala, who has reported ties to the Israeli government, and has a popular social media presence with an Arabic following.{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Marc Owen |date=2023-11-15 |title=Israel's Comically Bad Disinfo Proves They're Losing PR War |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/israels-comically-bad-disinfo-proves-theyre-losing-pr-war |access-date=2024-05-28 |work=The Daily Beast |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123141037/https://www.thedailybeast.com/israels-comically-bad-disinfo-proves-theyre-losing-pr-war |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Norton |first=Tom |date=2023-11-23 |title=Israeli influencer denies playing Gaza nurse in viral video |url=https://www.newsweek.com/israeli-influencer-denies-playing-gaza-nurse-viral-video-1844715 |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=Newsweek |language=en |archive-date=2024-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321124759/https://www.newsweek.com/israeli-influencer-denies-playing-gaza-nurse-viral-video-1844715 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Editorial team |title=How Does Edy Cohen Stir Up Controversy and Mislead The Arab Public Opinion? |url=https://misbar.com/en/editorial/2023/08/18/how-does-edy-cohen-stir-up-controversy-and-mislead-the-arab-public-opinion |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=misbar.com |archive-date=2024-02-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229181146/https://misbar.com/en/editorial/2023/08/18/how-does-edy-cohen-stir-up-controversy-and-mislead-the-arab-public-opinion |url-status=live }}

Videos of atrocities in Gaza have been dismissed as acting, with people falsely accused of being "crisis actors". A derogatory and dismissive phrase, "Pallywood" is often used; the term is based on a fringe theory that Palestinians are falsifying evidence of suffering. The fact-checking organisation Logically found that mention of the term has increased since October 7, particularly in Israel, the United States, and India. Evidence that was falsely used to "prove" Palestinians were crisis actors include a video of body bags which appear to be moving, which was instead a video of a 2013 protest in Egypt.{{cite web |last=Bond |first=Shannon |date=27 November 2023 |title=Civilian deaths are being dismissed as 'crisis actors' in Gaza and Israel |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/11/27/1214451419/civilian-deaths-are-being-dismissed-as-crisis-actors-in-gaza-and-israel |work=NPR |access-date=28 November 2023 |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128042410/https://www.npr.org/2023/11/27/1214451419/civilian-deaths-are-being-dismissed-as-crisis-actors-in-gaza-and-israel |url-status=live }}

Saleh Aljafarawi, a Palestinian blogger and singer who lives in Gaza, was falsely accused by several pro-Israeli figures, including the country's official Twitter account, of being a "crisis actor".{{Cite news |last=Callaghan |first=Louise |date=November 5, 2023 |title=Both sides in Israel-Gaza conflict are waging a disinformation war |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/middle-east/article/both-sides-israel-gaza-hamas-waging-parallel-disinformation-war-mzt85zzkz |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231105034633/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/both-sides-israel-gaza-hamas-waging-parallel-disinformation-war-mzt85zzkz |archive-date=November 5, 2023 |access-date=2024-02-28 |work=The Sunday Times |language=en |issn=0140-0460}}{{Cite web |last=Graus |first=Marta Campabadal |date=November 30, 2023 |title=Evidence lacking for 'crisis actor' claims about Palestinian in Gaza TV footage |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/nov/30/newsmax/a-video-shows-a-palestinian-influencer-not-a-crisi/ |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=PolitiFact |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212013320/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/nov/30/newsmax/a-video-shows-a-palestinian-influencer-not-a-crisi/ |url-status=live }} The false accusation claimed that Aljafarawi pretended to be injured and hospitalised in a video while a social media post the next day showed him in good health. However the included video actually depicted a Palestinian teenager wounded in a raid on Tulkarm in July 2023, who was falsely presented as Aljafarawi.{{cite web |last=Gallo |first=Nathan |date=November 1, 2023 |title=No, this video doesn't show a Palestinian pretending to be injured in the Israel-Hamas war |url=https://observers.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231101-no-this-video-doesn-t-show-someone-pretending-to-be-injured-in-the-war-between-israel-and-hamas |work=France 24 |access-date=November 24, 2023 |archive-date=November 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121182553/https://observers.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231101-no-this-video-doesn-t-show-someone-pretending-to-be-injured-in-the-war-between-israel-and-hamas |url-status=live }}

In November 2023, Israeli diplomat Ofir Gendelman circulated a clip from a Lebanese short film, claiming that it was proof that Palestinians were faking videos about their suffering and calling it an example of "Pallywood".{{cite news |last=Fiallo |first=Josh |date=November 9, 2023 |title=Israeli Diplomat Busted Spreading Blatant Disinfo About Palestinians |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/israeli-diplomat-ofir-gendelman-busted-spreading-disinfo-about-palestinians-amid-gaza-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110062219/https://www.thedailybeast.com/israeli-diplomat-ofir-gendelman-busted-spreading-disinfo-about-palestinians-amid-gaza-war |archive-date=2023-11-10 |access-date=2023-11-10 |work=The Daily Beast |publisher=}}{{Cite news |last1=Robinson |first1=Olga |last2=Sardarizadeh |first2=Shayan |date=2023-12-22 |title=False claims of staged deaths surge in Israel-Gaza war |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67760523 |access-date=2024-01-09 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=2024-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106210146/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67760523 |url-status=live }} According to The Daily Beast, "Gendelman is a repeat offender when it comes to peddling misinformation about Palestinians." The previous week, Gendelman falsely presented IDF training videos as war footage, and in 2021, he was found by international media to have misrepresented 2018 footage from Syria as current footage from Gaza.

A video showing a Palestinian child killed during an October 11 Israeli airstrike on Zeitoun has been falsely claimed to be staged using a doll. The claim has been promoted by official Israeli government social media accounts, including the X accounts of Israel's embassies in France and Austria, as well as pro-Israel and anti-Hamas accounts.{{Cite web |last=Doak |first=Sam |date=October 27, 2023 |title="Pallywood:" How denial of civilian harm in Gaza has proliferated |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/pallywood-how-denial-of-civilian-harm-has-proliferated |access-date=2023-10-29 |website=Logically |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029004536/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/pallywood-how-denial-of-civilian-harm-has-proliferated |url-status=live }}

In early December, The Jerusalem Post published an article falsely claiming that a dead 5-month-old Palestinian baby from Gaza was "a doll". The Jerusalem Post would later delete the article and remove any mention of it on their social media pages. Though not mentioning the article directly, they published a statement saying that "The article in question did not meet our editorial standards and was thus removed".{{Cite web |last=Rommen |first=Rebecca |date=3 December 2023 |title=False claims dead Palestinian baby was 'a doll' go viral on social media in the Israel-Hamas disinformation war |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/false-claims-dead-palestinian-baby-doll-viral-jerusalem-post-retracts-2023-12 |website=Business Insider |access-date=3 December 2023 |archive-date=3 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203235442/https://www.businessinsider.com/false-claims-dead-palestinian-baby-doll-viral-jerusalem-post-retracts-2023-12 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Summers |first=William |date=December 13, 2023 |title=Images show Gazan baby, not a doll |url=https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/images-show-gazan-baby-not-a-doll/ |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Australian Associated Press |language=en |archive-date=2023-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216231921/https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/images-show-gazan-baby-not-a-doll/ |url-status=live }}

{{Main|Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Gaza war|}}

On 25 March 2024, Al Jazeera took down its video of a woman named Jamila al-Hissi who said that Israeli soldiers had "raped women, kidnapped women, executed women, and pulled dead bodies from under the rubble to unleash their dogs on them" during their siege of Al-Shifa Hospital. Former managing director of Al Jazeera, Yasser Abu Hilalah, wrote on X, "Hamas investigations revealed that the story of the rape of women in Shifa Hospital was fabricated." Abu Hilalah reported that al-Hissi "justified her exaggeration and incorrect talk by saying that the goal was to arouse the nation's fervor and brotherhood".{{Cite web |date=25 March 2024 |title=Al Jazeera takes down video falsely alleging IDF rapes in Shifa Hospital |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/al-jazeera-report-alleging-idf-rapes-in-shifa-hospital-retracted/ |access-date=28 May 2024 |website=The Times of Israel |archive-date=2 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502162959/https://www.timesofisrael.com/al-jazeera-report-alleging-idf-rapes-in-shifa-hospital-retracted/ |url-status=live }}

The Gaza Health Ministry's (GHM) figures are used by most humanitarian agencies and widely cited in media sources; they are considered to be reliable by many experts and have been verified by several independent bodies, but have been challenged by Israeli and US agencies.{{cite news |last= Maad|first=Assma|title=Why the Gaza Health Ministry's death count is considered reliable |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/10/13/why-the-gaza-health-ministry-s-death-count-is-considered-reliable_6729264_8.html |website=Le Monde|date=13 October 2024 |language=en |archive-date=17 November 2024 |access-date=16 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241117155956/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/10/13/why-the-gaza-health-ministry-s-death-count-is-considered-reliable_6729264_8.html |url-status=live|quote=Used everywhere, by everyone, the count produced by the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health has been the subject of several controversies since the war began. In a bid for transparency, the publication in September of a list of the names of the victims paradoxically rekindled criticisms. But many experts and media organizations agree that the figures are reliable, and maybe even underestimated. }}{{cite journal |title=No evidence of inflated mortality reporting from the Gaza Ministry of Health |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02713-7/fulltext |journal=Lancet |date=2024 |pmid=38070526 |last1=Huynh |first1=B. Q. |last2=Chin |first2=E. T. |last3=Spiegel |first3=P. B. |volume=403 |issue=10421 |pages=23–24 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02713-7 |archive-date=2024-04-23 |access-date=2024-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423080747/https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02713-7/fulltext |url-status=live }}{{cite web | title=Biden says he has 'no confidence' in Palestinian death count | website=Reuters | date=26 October 2023 | url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-says-he-has-no-confidence-palestinian-death-count-2023-10-26/ | access-date=23 January 2025}} Analyses challenging the GHM figures have in turn been rejected by experts.

Abraham Wyner, a Pennsylvania professor of statistics, wrote in Tablet that the GHM casualty figures were "faked".{{Cite news |last=Wyner |first=Abraham |title=How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/how-gaza-health-ministry-fakes-casualty-numbers |work=Tablet |date=7 March 2024 |language=en |archive-date=12 March 2024 |access-date=16 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312054449/https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/how-gaza-health-ministry-fakes-casualty-numbers |url-status=live }} Wyner's article was analyzed by professor Joshua Loftus of the London School of Economics, who concluded Wyner's article was "one of the worst abuses of statistics I’ve ever seen".{{cite news |last1=Rickett |first1=Oscar |title=Pro-Israel advocates downplay Palestinian casualties at UK parliament hearing |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/pro-israel-advocates-downplay-palestine-casualties-uk-parliament-hearing |work=Middle East Eye |language=en}} Columbia professor Les Roberts said that GHM numbers were accurate and probably even an underestimate. Wyner's main argument was that from Oct. 26 - Nov. 10, the number of deaths per day is 270 with "strikingly little variation". CalTech statistician Lior Pachter responded that Wyner had cherrypicked a particular period, outside of which the variance was higher; and even within Wyner's picked timeframe the daily deaths had a standard deviation of 42.25 and variance of 1,785.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-08 |title=A note on "How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers" |url=https://liorpachter.wordpress.com/2024/03/08/a-note-on-how-the-gaza-ministry-of-health-fakes-casualty-numbers/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Bits of DNA |language=en |quote=Patcher writes: "Again, the baseline model for count data posits a Poisson distribution on the numbers, which in this case would represent a variance of 270. A compound Poisson process makes more sense in this case, and such a process would have even higher variance. Here we see exactly that, a variance of 1785, which is more than 6x what one would see in a Poisson process. If the author thinks the variance should be even higher than *that*, he needs to provide an argument for why, and point to historical data. Of course in this case the variance is even higher, because he appears to have “cherry” picked the 15 days." |archive-date=2024-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406034934/https://liorpachter.wordpress.com/2024/03/08/a-note-on-how-the-gaza-ministry-of-health-fakes-casualty-numbers/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Hamas's Gaza death toll is exaggerated or faked, statistics expert claims |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-791838 |work=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |date=14 March 2024 |language=en |archive-date=24 September 2024 |access-date=16 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924113351/https://www.jpost.com//israel-hamas-war/article-791838 |url-status=live }} Wyner also said that there were peculiarities in the data, such as a strong negative correlation between the daily death counts of men and women. In response, Marine Corps professor James Joyner quoted an opinion that GHM updates total deaths immediately, but there is a lag in updating the proportion of women and children, making time correlations "meaningless".{{Cite web |date=2024-03-18 |title=Are Hamas Death Figures Fake? |url=https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/are-hamas-death-figures-fake/ |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Outside the Beltway |language=en |quote=Additionally, commenter Ken M adds this insight: "If you look at the numbers, it’s very clear that they update fatalities faster than the update #women or #children (and they don’t specify #men, that is just (#fatalities – #women-#children)). On some days fatalities update but there is no change in the #w or #c; on other days the increase in (#w+#c) exceeds the increase in #f. In other words, in the conditions of war, it is hard to get information. The Gazan Ministry of Health (GMH) makes a list of the name and ID # of every identifiable death; Israel maintains the registry of ID #’s so GMH can’t fake that. That’s why their numbers come out accurate. But in real time, they may get a number of fatalities from a hospital and get the names, which allow identification of #w or #c, only later, maybe much later. And if they get the list of names, they have to go through the registry to determine who is a child or an adult, and maybe for ambiguous names who is a woman or a man, and that probably takes time too. So #w and #c get updated with arbitrary lags, sometimes multiple days worth may suddenly get updated at once. So looking at day-by-day movements of these #’s is meaningless." |archive-date=2024-03-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318210525/https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/are-hamas-death-figures-fake/ |url-status=live }}

In October 2024 the research group Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) published a report based on the GHM's latest data concluding that at least 74% of the at the time 40,717 Gazan fatalities identified by the Ministry were civilians, and that this is likely to be an underestimate.{{Cite web |last=Cockerill |first=Matthew Ghobrial |date=2024-10-28 |title=Civilian casualties in Gaza: Israel’s claims don’t add up |url=https://aoav.org.uk/2024/casualties-in-gaza-israels-claims-of-50-combatant-deaths-dont-add-up-at-least-74-of-the-dead-are-civilians/ |access-date=2025-01-11 |website=Action on Armed Violence |language=en-US}} The Henry Jackson Society's Andrew Fox published a report on 13 December 2024 alleging that the Gaza Health Ministry inflated the number of civilians deaths caused by Israeli attacks. According to the report there were significant errors in the data, with men being registered as women, adults as children, and natural deaths counted as killed by Israeli attacks, which were intentionally inserted to inflate the civilian death toll.{{Cite news |last=Sawer |first=Patrick |date=2024-12-14 |title=Number of civilians killed in Gaza 'inflated to vilify Israel' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/14/number-civilians-killed-gaza-inflated-to-vilify-israel/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} Professor Michael Spagat of AOAV responded by noting that such errors were marginal and random, as Fox only identified 2 adults registered as children, 3 "natural deaths", and misclassified sex cases affect 0.5% of the overall figures. Moreover, these errors went in both directions in roughly the same amount (67 men listed as women, 49 women listed as men, and age adjustments were spread widely across sex and age category). Spagat thus concluded that these were routine and minor calculation errors that do not affect the GHM's overall data on civilian deaths.{{Cite web |last=Spagat |first=Michael |date=2024-12-22 |title=Flawed critique: how Andrew Fox's report on Gaza death toll for the Henry Jackson Society lacks evidence for key claims |url=https://aoav.org.uk/2024/flawed-critique-how-andrew-foxs-report-for-the-henry-jackson-society-on-gaza-death-toll-lacks-evidence-for-key-claims/ |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Action on Armed Violence |language=en-US}}

In January 2025 a peer-reviewed analysis of deaths due to traumatic injury in the Gaza war between October 2023 and 30 June 2024 was published in the medical journal The Lancet, estimating over 70,000 deaths from traumatic injuries as of October 2024, with 59.1% of them being women, children and the elderly. It also noted that its findings "underestimate the full impact of the military operation in Gaza, as they do not account for non-trauma-related deaths resulting from health service disruption, food insecurity, and inadequate water and sanitation."{{Cite journal |last=Jamaluddine |first=Zeina |last2=Abukmail |first2=Hanan |last3=Aly |first3=Sarah |last4=Campbell |first4=Oona M R |last5=Checchi |first5=Francesco |date=January 2025 |title=Traumatic injury mortality in the Gaza Strip from Oct 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024: a capture–recapture analysis |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0140673624026783 |journal=The Lancet |language=en |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02678-3 |doi-access=free}}

According to information security experts interviewed by the New York Times, Iran, Russia, China, Iran's proxies, Al Qaeda and the Islamic State have been conducting massive online disinformation efforts focused on "[undercutting] Israel, while denigrating Israel's principal ally, the United States". Researchers have documented at least 40,000 bots or fake social media accounts, as well as strategic use of state-controlled media outlets like RT, Sputnik and Tasnim. An analysis by Haaretz found that hundreds of fake accounts on social media were targeting Democratic Party lawmakers with spam messages repeating Israeli government accusations relating to UNRWA and Hamas.{{cite news |last1=Benjakob |first1=Omer |date=19 March 2024 |title=Israeli Influence Operation Targets U.S. Lawmakers on Hamas-UNRWA |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-03-19/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israeli-influence-op-targets-u-s-lawmakers-on-hamas-unrwa/0000018e-5098-d282-a19f-7dd95cc70000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322022223/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2024-03-19/ty-article-magazine/.premium/israeli-influence-op-targets-u-s-lawmakers-on-hamas-unrwa/0000018e-5098-d282-a19f-7dd95cc70000 |archive-date=2024-03-22 |access-date=22 March 2024 |website=Haaretz}}

A Russian disinformation campaign known as Doppelganger has pushed false information about the war using fake websites that mimic the appearance of news sources such as Fox News, Le Parisien and Der Spiegel.{{Cite news |last=Benjakob |first=Omer |date=November 20, 2023 |title=Russian Op Pushes Gaza Disinfo With Spoofed Fox News Site and 'Deep-fake' Israeli Soldiers |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-11-20/ty-article/.premium/deep-faked-soldiers-and-spoofed-websites-russian-campaign-pushes-gaza-disinformation/0000018b-ed5c-d36e-a3cb-fd5fadd90000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201014052/http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2023-11-20/ty-article/.premium/deep-faked-soldiers-and-spoofed-websites-russian-campaign-pushes-gaza-disinformation/0000018b-ed5c-d36e-a3cb-fd5fadd90000 |archive-date=2023-12-01 |access-date=2023-12-10 |work=Haaretz |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Khatsenkova |first=Sophia |date=2023-11-23 |title=How a Russian online campaign is exploiting the Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/11/23/doppelganger-how-a-russian-disinformation-campaign-is-exploiting-the-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210103055/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/11/23/doppelganger-how-a-russian-disinformation-campaign-is-exploiting-the-israel-hamas-war |archive-date=2023-12-10 |access-date=2023-12-10 |website=Euronews |language=en}}

In June 2024, Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs was revealed to have paid $2 million to Israeli political consulting firm Stoic, to conduct a social media campaign, fueled by fake accounts and often employing misinformation, targeting 128 American Congresspeople, with a focus on Democratic and African-American members of the House of Representatives. Websites were also created to provide young, progressive Americans with Gaza news with a pro-Israel spin. Among the objectives of the campaign was amplifying Israeli attacks on UNRWA staffers and driving a wedge between Palestinians and African-Americans to prevent solidarity between the two groups. The campaign also took aim at people in Canada, who were exposed to Islamophobic content smearing Canadian Muslims and implying that pro-Palestinian protesters aimed at imposing Sharia law. Messages were also directed to people in the Gulf Arab countries, arguing that humanitarian concern for Palestinians was a wasteful distraction from local affairs.{{Cite news |date=5 June 2024 |title=A covert Israeli online influence campaign tried to sway American lawmakers |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/06/05/nx-s1-4994027/israel-us-online-influence-campaign-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074752/https://www.npr.org/2024/07/09/nx-s1-4994027/israel-us-online-influence-campaign-gaza |archive-date=10 September 2024 |access-date=8 June 2024 |work=National Public Radio}}{{Cite news |date=5 June 2024 |title=Israel targeted more than 120 US lawmakers in disinformation campaign |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/05/israel-targeted-lawmakers-in-disinformation-campaign-00161906 |access-date=8 June 2024 |work=Politico}}

According to the New York Times, many images and videos that circulate on social media pretending to be from the Gaza war are in fact from other conflicts, such as the Syrian civil war; and even of natural disasters, such as a recent flood in Tajikistan.{{Cite news |last=Fichera |first=Angelo |date=2023-11-02 |title=The Horrifying Images Are Real. But They're Not From the Israel-Gaza War |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/us/politics/israel-gaza-war-misinformation-videos.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113102633/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/us/politics/israel-gaza-war-misinformation-videos.html |archive-date=2023-11-13 |access-date=2023-11-13 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Pro-Hamas accounts have also misrepresented footage from the Syrian civil war as showing children being killed in Gaza.

A video of a CNN broadcast from near the Israel-Gaza border{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/10/09/clarissa-ward-ducks-from-rockets-near-israel-gaza-border-cnc-vpx.cnn |title=Video: CNN team ducks from 'massive barrage of rockets' near Israel-Gaza border |date=2023-10-09 |type=News |language=en |publisher=CNN |access-date=2023-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014235150/https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/10/09/clarissa-ward-ducks-from-rockets-near-israel-gaza-border-cnc-vpx.cnn |archive-date=2023-10-14 |url-status=live}} with audio added to suggest the network had faked an attack went viral on social media.{{Cite web |last=Goel |first=Ishita |date=October 13, 2023 |title=Fabricated audio added to CNN report on Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/false-fabricated-audio-added-to-cnn-report-on-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015134635/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/false-fabricated-audio-added-to-cnn-report-on-israel-hamas-war |archive-date=2023-10-15 |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=Logically |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=O'Rourke |first=Ciara |date=October 12, 2023 |title=No, CNN didn't stage an attack near the Israel-Gaza border |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/12/viral-image/no-cnn-didnt-stage-an-attack-near-the-israel-hamas/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015134634/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/12/viral-image/no-cnn-didnt-stage-an-attack-near-the-israel-hamas/ |archive-date=2023-10-15 |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=PolitiFact |language=en-US}}

During the early stages of the war, a video described as "Hamas executes people by throwing them off a roof of a building!" was shared widely on social media.{{cite news |date=15 December 2023 |title=Fact Check: Video of people thrown from roof shows punishment by IS, not Hamas |url=https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/video-people-thrown-roof-shows-punishment-by-is-not-hamas-2023-12-14/ |access-date=12 August 2024 |work=Reuters Fact Check |publisher=Reuters}} But the video did not depict Hamas, or any other group based in Palestine, it was a misrepresented video of ISIS in Iraq, from 2015. A July 2015 report from Al Arabiya, included identical images and that were originally shared by ISIS, and showed the execution of four gay men by ISIS in Fallujah, in Iraq.

In February 2024, Israel's official X account posted a 30-second video listing the humanitarian aid it claimed to have provided for Gaza. However the video included footage showing tents and equipment that was actually filmed in March 2022 and depicted a camp in Moldova for Ukrainian refugees. The same account later deleted the video, and stated that "the photo was for illustrative purposes and we should have stated that in the video."{{Cite web |date=2024-02-14 |title=Did Israel use misleading images to claim it wasn't blocking Gaza aid? |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/02/14/did-israel-use-misleading-images-to-claim-it-wasnt-blocking-aid-deliveries-to-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302175021/https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/02/14/did-israel-use-misleading-images-to-claim-it-wasnt-blocking-aid-deliveries-to-gaza |archive-date=2024-03-02 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=euronews |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Liles |first=Jordan |date=2024-02-12 |title=Official Israeli Video About Aid for Gaza Showed Clip of Ukrainian Refugee Camp in Moldova? |url=https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/israel-aid-gaza-moldova/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224010332/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/israel-aid-gaza-moldova/ |archive-date=2024-02-24 |access-date=2024-03-06 |website=Snopes |language=en}}

Videos falsely linked to the war included a video of children in cages posted on 4 October,{{Cite web |last=Doak |first=Sam |date=9 October 2023 |title=Video of caged children predates recent fighting in Israel and Gaza |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/false-video-of-caged-children-predates-recent-fighting-in-israel-and-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011192642/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/false-video-of-caged-children-predates-recent-fighting-in-israel-and-gaza |archive-date=11 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |website=Logically |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Liles |first1=Jordan |last2=Ibrahim |first2=Nur |date=9 October 2023 |title=Does Video Show Children in Chicken Coop Cages in Israel-Hamas Conflict in October 2023? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/children-cages-video-israel-hamas/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011001047/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/children-cages-video-israel-hamas/ |archive-date=11 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |website=Snopes |language=en}} footage from 2020 of Iranian lawmakers chanting "Death to America",{{cite web |last=Kulsum |first=Umme |date=9 October 2023 |title=Video of Iran parliamentarians saying 'Death to America' is not related to Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/misleading-video-of-iran-parliamentarians-saying-death-to-america-is-not-related-to-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012232724/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/fact-check/misleading-video-of-iran-parliamentarians-saying-death-to-america-is-not-related-to-israel-hamas-war |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=Logically |language=en}}{{cite web |last=O'Rourke |first=Ciara |date=11 October 2023 |title=Video shows Iranian lawmakers chanting 'death to America' in 2020, not 2023 |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/09/instagram-posts/video-shows-iranian-lawmakers-chanting-death-to-am/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012043935/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2023/oct/09/instagram-posts/video-shows-iranian-lawmakers-chanting-death-to-am/ |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=PolitiFact |language=en-US}} and photos of the Cairo Tower in Egypt appearing to be lit with the Palestinian flag spread on social media, which turned out to be a modified version of the tower in 2010.{{cite web |date=9 October 2023 |title=برج القاهرة وعلم فلسطين.. حقائق لا تعرفها |trans-title=Cairo Tower and the Palestinian flag.. truths you don't know |url=https://al-ain.com/article/cairo-tower-palestinian-flag |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013183114/https://al-ain.com/article/cairo-tower-palestinian-flag |archive-date=13 October 2023 |accessdate=13 October 2023 |work=Al-Ain |language=ar}} Footage from video game Arma 3 has been presented as war footage.{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=11 October 2023 |title=Users mistake video game clips for real Israeli war footage on social media |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/10/users-mistake-video-game-clips-for-real-israeli-war-footage-on-social-media/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012175229/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/10/users-mistake-video-game-clips-for-real-israeli-war-footage-on-social-media/ |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=Ars Technica |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-11 |title=Video game clips misleadingly shared amid Israel-Hamas war |url=https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33XX8DR |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018041134/https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33XX8DR |archive-date=2023-10-18 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Agence France-Presse |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Echols |first=William |date=2023-10-17 |title=Viral Footage Does Not Show Israel's Iron Beam Air Defense Laser in Action |url=https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-viral-footage-does-not-show-israel-s-iron-beam-air-defense-laser-in-action/7314496.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020175201/https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-viral-footage-does-not-show-israel-s-iron-beam-air-defense-laser-in-action/7314496.html |archive-date=2023-10-20 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Polygraph.info |language=en}}{{Cite magazine |date=2023-10-09 |title=Trolls Push Video Game Clips as Real Gaza Conflict Footage -- and It's Working |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/arma-3-video-game-clips-israel-hamas-conflict-1234849405/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420020957/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/arma-3-video-game-clips-israel-hamas-conflict-1234849405/ |archive-date=2024-04-20 |access-date=2024-04-20 |magazine=Rolling Stone |quote=Following Saturday’s large-scale attack by Hamas militants on Israeli targets, including the killing and hostage taking of civilians, misleading footage purporting to show the military escalation of the conflict flooded social media — including a slew of clips from Arma 3, a hyper realistic open-world combat video game that allows users to customize gaming scenarios.}}

On October 8, a video supposedly of Hamas thanking Ukraine for supplying them with weapons was shared by an X account linked to the Russian Wagner Group. It was viewed over 300,000 times and shared by American far-right accounts. The next day, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev tweeted, "Well, Nato buddies, you've really got it, haven't you? The weapons handed to the Nazi regime in Ukraine are now being actively used against Israel."{{cite news |last1=Ganguly |first1=Manisha |last2=Farah |first2=Hibaq |date=11 October 2023 |title=How Israel-Hamas war disinformation is being spread online |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/oct/11/how-israel-hamas-war-disinformation-is-being-spread-online |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012013100/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/oct/11/how-israel-hamas-war-disinformation-is-being-spread-online |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite web |last=Faerseth |first=John |date=October 18, 2023 |title=No evidence that Hamas has received NATO weapons donated to Ukraine |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/article/no-evidence-that-hamas-has-received-nato-weapons-donated-to-ukraine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021014029/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/article/no-evidence-that-hamas-has-received-nato-weapons-donated-to-ukraine |archive-date=2023-10-21 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Logically |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Gonzales |first=Angelo |date=2023-10-18 |title=What you need to know about disinformation in the Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.rappler.com/technology/features/what-you-need-to-know-about-disinformation-in-the-israel-hamas-war/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018114137/https://www.rappler.com/technology/features/what-you-need-to-know-about-disinformation-in-the-israel-hamas-war/ |archive-date=2023-10-18 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Rappler |language=en-US}} On October 10 another video was released falsely claiming to be made by the BBC and purported to quote the investigative website Bellingcat to confirm the sale of weapons between Ukraine and Hamas. Both BBC and Bellingcat confirmed that the video is fake and the claim is untrue.{{Cite news |title=No evidence that Hamas has received NATO weapons donated to Ukraine |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/article/no-evidence-that-hamas-has-received-nato-weapons-donated-to-ukraine |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241203150638/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/article/no-evidence-that-hamas-has-received-nato-weapons-donated-to-ukraine |archive-date=2024-12-03 |access-date=2025-01-31 |work=Logically Facts |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-19 |title=Fact-check: Has Ukraine supplied Hamas militants with NATO weapons? |url=https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/10/19/fact-check-has-ukraine-supplied-hamas-militants-with-nato-weapons |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=euronews |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-11 |title=BBC did not report that Ukraine is sending arms to Hamas, a video was fabricated |url=https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-israel-hamas-ukraine-russia-weapons-265852026856 |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=AP News |language=en}}

Social media users on both sides of the war shared behind-the-scenes footage of an actor lying in fake blood from a 2022 Palestinian short film, alleging it was evidence that the other side was creating propaganda.{{cite news |date=11 October 2023 |title=Fact Check: Filming of movie shared to claim Israel-Hamas conflict is staged |url=https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/filming-movie-shared-claim-israel-hamas-conflict-is-staged-2023-10-11/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011175258/https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/filming-movie-shared-claim-israel-hamas-conflict-is-staged-2023-10-11/ |archive-date=11 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |work=Reuters |language=en}}{{cite web |last=Goldin |first=Melissa |date=11 October 2023 |title=A video spreading online shows the making of a 2022 film, not propaganda for the Israel-Hamas war |url=https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-israel-hamas-propaganda-830667169534 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012005723/https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-israel-hamas-propaganda-830667169534 |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |website=Associated Press |language=en}} A video of Egyptian paratroopers flying over the Egyptian Military Academy that was falsely claimed to show Hamas militants infiltrating an Israeli music festival went viral on X in Indonesia.{{Cite web |last=Mazrieva |first=Eva |date=2023-10-14 |title=In Indonesia, Fake News About Israel-Hamas War Triggers Concern |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/in-indonesia-fake-news-about-israel-hamas-war-triggers-concern/7310668.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021014029/https://www.voanews.com/a/in-indonesia-fake-news-about-israel-hamas-war-triggers-concern/7310668.html |archive-date=2023-10-21 |access-date=2023-10-14 |website=Voice of America |language=en}}

An AI-generated video of model Bella Hadid supposedly apologising for her past remarks and expressing support for Israel circulated on social media.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-31 |title=Faked video of Bella Hadid circulates on social media |url=https://fullfact.org/online/bella-hadid-fake-video/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215135424/https://fullfact.org/online/bella-hadid-fake-video/ |archive-date=2023-12-15 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Full Fact |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Wade |first=Natalie |date=2023-11-03 |title=Deepfake of Bella Hadid misrepresents her statements on Israel |url=https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33ZR2PY |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219063420/https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33ZR2PY |archive-date=2023-12-19 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Agence France-Presse |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Cruz |first=Ailla Dela |date=2023-11-06 |title=FACT CHECK: Video of Bella Hadid supporting Israel is AI-generated |url=https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/bella-hadid-video-supports-israel-ai-generated/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127195946/https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/bella-hadid-video-supports-israel-ai-generated/ |archive-date=2023-11-27 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Rappler |language=en-US}}

Viral claims that the IDF had destroyed Gaza's Church of Saint Porphyrius on 9 October were debunked by the church.{{cite news |last=Goggin |first=Ben |date=10 October 2023 |title=Gaza church debunks fake claim that it was destroyed |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna119435/rcrd20370 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012100503/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/blog/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-rcna119435/rcrd20370 |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |work=NBC News |language=en}}{{cite magazine |last1=Gilbert |first1=David |title=Elon Musk Is Shitposting His Way Through the Israel-Hamas War |url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-israel-hamas-war-disinformation-x/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011030017/https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-israel-hamas-war-disinformation-x/ |archive-date=11 October 2023 |access-date=11 October 2023 |magazine=Wired}} Subsequently, an Israeli airstrike hit the premises of the church on 19 October, killing 18.{{Cite news |title=Blast Goes off at Orthodox Church Campus in Gaza |url=https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-biden/card/blast-goes-off-at-orthodox-church-campus-in-gaza-oWLl1hHFxw5GmKWdXIIm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020151312/https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-biden/card/blast-goes-off-at-orthodox-church-campus-in-gaza-oWLl1hHFxw5GmKWdXIIm |archive-date=2023-10-20 |access-date=2023-10-21 |newspaper=WSJ}}

In October 2023, disinformation experts uncovered an account on X that published false reports about Qatar threatening to cut off its gas exports if Israel continued to bombard the Gaza Strip.{{Cite web |last=Qarjouli |first=Asmahan |date=12 October 2023 |title=Gaza: Experts debunk fake news on Qatar gas supply threats |url=https://dohanews.co/gaza-experts-debunk-fake-news-on-qatar-gas-supply-threats/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012231304/https://dohanews.co/gaza-experts-debunk-fake-news-on-qatar-gas-supply-threats/ |archive-date=12 October 2023 |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=Doha News |language=en-US}}

{{see also|Public diplomacy of Israel|Israeli public diplomacy in the Gaza war}}

The public diplomacy of Israel, known as hasbara, is the country's efforts to communicate directly with citizens of other nations to inform and influence their perceptions, with the aim of garnering support or tolerance for the Israeli government's strategic objectives. Hasbara was formally introduced to the Zionist vocabulary by Nahum Sokolow.{{Cite journal |last=Kouts |first=Gideon |year=2016 |title=From Sokolow to 'Explaining Israel': The Zionist "Hasbara" First "Campaign Strategy Paper" and Its Applications |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26624281 |url-status=live |journal=Revue Européenne des Études Hébraïques |issue=18 |pages=103–146 |issn=1280-9640 |jstor=26624281 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005316/https://www.jstor.org/stable/26624281 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |access-date=1 August 2021}} Hasbara ({{langx|he|הַסְבָּרָה}}) has no direct English translation, but roughly means "explaining". It is a communicative strategy that "seeks to explain actions, whether or not they are justified".{{cite web |author=Avi Hyman |date=September 10, 2004 |title=The Hasbara Hijack |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/4175 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070712184358/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/4175 |archive-date=July 12, 2007 |access-date=August 8, 2014 |publisher=Arutz Sheva}}, from archive.org As it focuses on providing explanations about one's actions, hasbara has been called a "reactive and event-driven approach".{{Cite web |date=January 2015 |title=Public diplomacy in Israel – is it a lost cause? |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/public-diplomacy-in-israel-is-it-a-lost-cause-386459 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801005316/https://www.jpost.com/opinion/public-diplomacy-in-israel-is-it-a-lost-cause-386459 |archive-date=1 August 2021 |access-date=2021-08-01 |website=The Jerusalem Post {{!}} JPost.com |language=en-US}}{{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/ |url-status=live |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/ |archive-date=1 August 2021 |access-date=2021-07-31 |website=transcript Verlag |language=en}} In 2003, Ron Schleifer called hasbara "a positive-sounding synonym for 'propaganda'".{{cite journal |last1=Schleifer |first1=Ron |date=Spring 2003 |title=Jewish and Contemporary Origins of Israeli Hasbara |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25834565 |url-status=live |journal=Jewish Political Studies Review |volume=15 |issue=1/2 |page=123 |jstor=25834565 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029213751/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25834565 |archive-date=29 October 2023 |access-date=26 February 2024}}

During the Gaza war, the Israeli government and Israeli cyber companies have deployed artificial intelligence (AI) tools and bot farms to spread disinformation and graphic, emotionally charged and false propaganda. 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." He added that "Israel’s hasbara campaign is reminiscent of the Bush administration’s monthslong carnival of lies, sanitized and promoted by major media outlets, about alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."{{cite web |last1=Scahill |first1=Jeremy |title=Netanyahu's War on Truth |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/ |website=The Intercept |date=7 February 2024 |access-date=19 February 2024 |archive-date=8 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208172324/https://theintercept.com/2024/02/07/gaza-israel-netanyahu-propaganda-lies-palestinians/ |url-status=live }} 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/ |website=openDemocracy |access-date=17 February 2024 |archive-date=17 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217043805/https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/israel-palestine-conflict-gaza-netanyahu-lies-war/ |url-status=live }}

In June 2024, Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs was revealed to have paid $2 million to Israeli political consulting firm Stoic, to conduct a social media campaign, fueled by fake accounts and often employing misinformation, targeting American Congresspeople, with a focus on Democratic and African-American members of the House of Representatives. Websites were also created to provide young, progressive Americans with Gaza news with a pro-Israel spin.

On multiple occasions, analyses have found issues with claims by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). In October 2023, a Financial Times analysis on a bombing of Palestinians evacuating Gaza City found that "most explanations aside from an Israeli strike" could be ruled out, though the IDF blamed the attack on Palestinian militants.{{Cite news |last1=Srivastava |first1=Mehul |last2=Joiner |first2=Sam |last3=Andringa |first3=Peter |date=15 October 2023 |title=Did Israel bomb a civilian evacuation route in Gaza? |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/95c5fcf1-c756-415f-85b8-1e4bbff24736 |url-access=subscription |access-date=19 October 2023 |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018044416/https://www.ft.com/content/95c5fcf1-c756-415f-85b8-1e4bbff24736 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=15 October 2023 |title=One million Gazans displaced as Israel readies for ground attack |language=en |work=France 24 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231015-israel-readies-for-gaza-invasion-as-civilians-flee |access-date=15 October 2023 |archive-date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015072242/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231015-israel-readies-for-gaza-invasion-as-civilians-flee |url-status=live }}

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.{{cite web |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 |website=New Arab}} BBC and CNN said they could not verify the recording.{{Cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Paul |last2=Polglase |first2=Katie |last3=Brown |first3=Benjamin |last4=Mezzofiore |first4=Gianluca |last5=Mackintosh |first5=Eliza |date=21 October 2023 |title=CNN Investigates: Forensic analysis of images and videos suggests rocket caused Gaza hospital blast, not Israeli airstrike |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/21/middleeast/cnn-investigates-forensic-analysis-gaza-hospital-blast/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021220602/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/21/middleeast/cnn-investigates-forensic-analysis-gaza-hospital-blast/index.html |archive-date=21 October 2023 |work=CNN}} British Channel 4 News reported on a forensic analysis of the alleged Hamas operative audio released by the IDF, concluding that it was digitally manipulated. Two Arabic language journalists said that the recording did not appear authentic, because the "language, accent, dialect, syntax and tone" were not credible.{{cite web |last=Thomson |first=Alex |date=18 October 2023 |title=Who was behind the Gaza hospital blast – visual investigation |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/who-was-behind-the-gaza-hospital-blast-visual-investigation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018222329/https://www.channel4.com/news/who-was-behind-the-gaza-hospital-blast-visual-investigation |archive-date=18 October 2023 |access-date=18 October 2023 |work=Channel 4 |quote=Israel claims the Islamic Jihad failed missile was fired from here, a cemetery very close to the hospital, but look again at the video of the event, the trajectory of the missile doesn't line up with that location... Confusingly the Israeli presentation also says the missile was fired from a location down on the southwest, it can't be both.}} Channel 4 News also reported on a preliminary audio assessment performed by a sonic analysis company called Earshot, which concluded that the audio recording had been edited to fuse two channels that were recorded separately, one for each speaker.{{Cite video |url=https://www.channel4.com/news/human-rights-investigators-raise-new-questions-on-gaza-hospital-explosion |title=Human rights investigators raise new questions on Gaza hospital explosion |date=20 October 2023 |last=Thomson |first=Alex |type=Television production |publisher=Channel 4 News |time=6:55 |access-date=20 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020213635/https://www.channel4.com/news/human-rights-investigators-raise-new-questions-on-gaza-hospital-explosion |archive-date=20 October 2023 |url-status=live}} In November 2023, analysis by the BBC found that a video released by the Israeli military following the Al-Shifa Hospital siege had been edited despite IDF claims to the contrary.{{cite news |last1=Borger |first1=Julian |date=17 November 2023 |title=IDF evidence so far falls well short of al-Shifa hospital being Hamas HQ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/17/idf-evidence-so-far-falls-well-short-of-al-shifa-hospital-being-hamas-hq |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118105837/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/17/idf-evidence-so-far-falls-well-short-of-al-shifa-hospital-being-hamas-hq |archive-date=18 November 2023 |access-date=17 February 2024 |website=The Guardian}}

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}}}} Haaretz journalists Nir Hasson and Liza Rozovsky related the chronology of the news items about "beheaded babies" and "hung babies" and concluded, "this story is false." They quoted Ishay Coen, a journalist for the ultra-Orthodox website Kikar HaShabbat, who admitted he made a mistake by unquestioningly accepting the IDF's statements. "Why would an army officer invent such a horrifying story?", Hashabbat asked, adding, "I was wrong."

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/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=17 February 2024 |archive-date=10 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210110114/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/12/11/israel-us-white-phosphorus-lebanon/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Israel: White Phosphorus Used in Gaza, Lebanon |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-used-gaza-lebanon |website=Human Rights Watch |date=12 October 2023 |access-date=17 February 2024 |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022011547/https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-used-gaza-lebanon |url-status=live }} directly contradicting the IDF.{{cite news |last1=Wintour |first1=Patrick |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. |website=The Guardian |date=13 October 2023 |access-date=17 February 2024 |archive-date=27 October 2023 |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. |url-status=live }} 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 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=22 March 2024}}

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. They 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|work=The Times of Israel|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-again-denies-killing-mother-and-daughter-at-gaza-church-cites-hamas-fire-in-area/|access-date=26 May 2024|archive-date=25 April 2024|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/|url-status=live}} 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 |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/16/women-killed-at-holy-family-parish-gaza-israel |access-date=18 December 2023|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|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|website=Sky News|url=https://news.sky.com/story/mp-layla-moran-worried-family-trapped-in-gaza-church-will-not-survive-one-week-before-christmas-13033171|access-date=26 May 2024|archive-date=26 May 2024|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|url-status=live}}{{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'|website=LBC|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/layla-moran-gaza-church-idf-sniper/|access-date=26 May 2024|archive-date=17 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117190655/https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/layla-moran-gaza-church-idf-sniper/|url-status=live}}

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=2023-11-16 |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 |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-23 |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 |url-status=live }} 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=2023-11-16 |title=CNN Quietly Cut Disputed Israeli Military Claim From Some Video Reports |url=https://news.yahoo.com/cnn-quietly-cut-disputed-israeli-005939159.html |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120054221/https://news.yahoo.com/cnn-quietly-cut-disputed-israeli-005939159.html |url-status=live }}

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|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68445973|title=What video and eyewitness accounts tell us about Gazans killed around aid convoy|date=March 1, 2024|website=www.bbc.com|access-date=June 30, 2024|archive-date=March 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301194944/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68445973|url-status=live}} Al- Jazeera reported evidence of a "large number" of gunshot wounds from a United Nations team, medical professionals and witnesses.{{cite web |title=UN sees 'large number of gunshot wounds' after Israel's 'flour massacre' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/2/un-reports-large-number-of-gunshot-wounds-following-flour-massacre |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=1 June 2024 |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302221058/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/2/un-reports-large-number-of-gunshot-wounds-following-flour-massacre |url-status=live }} The New York Times also reported that witness accounts differed from the Israeli military account who described extensive shooting after thousands massed around aid trucks.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/world/middleeast/israel-military-gaza-aid-convoy-report.html|title=Israel Says Its Forces 'Fired Precisely' During Aid Convoy Chaos|first=Aaron|last=Boxerman|date=March 8, 2024|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 30, 2024|archive-date=September 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074241/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/08/world/middleeast/israel-military-gaza-aid-convoy-report.html|url-status=live}} IDF drone footage edits out the events causing the crowds to disperse and rejected a CNN request for the full unedited footage. The CNN investigation cast doubt on other IDF claims such as the timing of shooting.{{Cite web |author1= Katie Polglase|author2= Zahid Mahmood |author3= Ibrahim Dahman |author4= Gianluca Mezzofiore|date=2024-04-09 |title=Dying for a bag of flour: Videos and eyewitness accounts cast doubt on Israel's timeline of deadly Gaza aid delivery |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/middleeast/gaza-food-aid-convoy-deaths-eyewitness-intl-investigation-cmd/index.html |access-date=2024-04-10 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=10 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410141859/https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/middleeast/gaza-food-aid-convoy-deaths-eyewitness-intl-investigation-cmd/index.html |url-status=live }} Several days after the attack, a senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International stated, "There is concrete evidence that contradicts whatever statements are being made by the Israeli authorities".{{cite web |title=Israel's claim on 'flour massacre' contradicts evidence: Amnesty official |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/3/israels-war-on-gaza-live-every-minute-counts-as-hunger-kills-in-gaza?update=2745753 |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=6 March 2024 |archive-date=3 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303183625/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/3/israels-war-on-gaza-live-every-minute-counts-as-hunger-kills-in-gaza?update=2745753 |url-status=live }}

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 web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/shrapnel-from-israeli-strike-may-have-ignited-fuel-tank-near-rafah-tents-report/|title=Shrapnel from Israeli strike may have ignited fuel tank near Rafah tents -- report |website=The Times of Israel }} In one video, an unnamed Gazan narrator said the explosion was caused by a "Hamas jeep loaded with weapons".{{Cite web|url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canada-again-endorses-a-hamas-report-without-waiting-for-evidence|title=Canada (again) endorses a Hamas report without waiting for evidence|work=National Post|access-date=2024-07-01|archive-date=2024-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074241/https://nationalpost.com/opinion/canada-again-endorses-a-hamas-report-without-waiting-for-evidence|url-status=live}} Later, the IDF suggested that a militant warehouse containing ammunition or "some other material" in the area caused the fire. It also released an Arabic phone call in which they clearly say that the Israeli missile was not responsible for the fire, that the fire was caused by secondary explosions, and the secondary explosions came from an ammunition warehouse.{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-hidden-store-of-terror-munitions-may-have-caused-deadly-rafah-blaze/|title=IDF says hidden store of terror munitions may have caused deadly Rafah blaze |website=The Times of Israel }} However, James Cavanaugh, a specialist who worked at the ATF, said the fire did not indicate "some giant stash that exploded."{{cite news |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 |date=11 June 2024 |language=en |access-date=1 July 2024 |archive-date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074750/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israeli-airstrike-gaza-family-rafah-wiped-out-rcna154877 |url-status=live }} The New York Times viewed numerous videos and did not find evidence that a significant secondary explosion was ignited.{{cite web|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|accessdate=16 June 2024|work=The New York Times|archive-date=10 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074831/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/world/europe/carnage-and-contradiction-examining-a-deadly-strike-in-rafah.html|url-status=live}}

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 |title=Hind Rajab: Were Israeli troops around where the six-year-old was killed? |work=Al Jazeera |date=26 February 2024 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/hind-rajab-were-israeli-troops-in-the-area-where-6-year-old-was-killed |access-date=26 February 2024 |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}}{{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 March 2025, Israel killed 15 paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society and buried them in a mass grave along with their ambulances.{{cite web |last1=Tondo |first1=Lorenzo |last2=Tantesh |first2=Malak |last3=Borger |first3=Julian |title=Israel killed 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers one by one, says UN |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/31/israel-killed-15-palestinian-paramedics-and-rescue-workers-one-by-one-says-un |website=The Guardian |access-date=31 March 2025}}{{cite web |last1=Tondo |first1=Lorenzo |last2=Tantesh |first2=Malak |last3=Borger |first3=Julian |title=Palestinian paramedics shot by Israeli forces had hands tied, eyewitnesses say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/01/palestinian-paramedics-shot-by-israeli-forces-had-hands-tied-eyewitnesses-say |website=The Guardian |access-date=1 April 2025}} The IDF initially claimed, "several vehicles were identified advancing suspiciously toward IDF troops without headlights, or emergency signals, their movement was not co-ordinated in advance. Thus, IDF troops opened fire at the suspected vehicles."{{Cite web |date=2025-03-31 |title=Gaza: Red Cross outraged over killing of medics by Israeli forces |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkxm1rg6k1o |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}} However, after video evidence emerged showing the ambulances were clearly marked and using both headlights and flashing emergency lights, the IDF called their initial account "mistaken."{{cite web |last1=McKernan |first1=Bethan |title=Israeli military changes account of Gaza paramedics’ killing after video of attack |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/06/israeli-military-admits-initial-account-of-palestinian-medics-killing-was-mistaken |website=The Guardian |access-date=8 April 2025 |date=6 April 2025}}

On 19 March 2025, Israel attacked a UN guest house in Deir al-Balah, killing one UN worker. Israel initially denied having attacked the guest house, but subsequently admitted responsibility in April 2025.{{cite web |last1=van der Merwe |first1=Ben |title=IDF admits responsibility for deadly attack on UN building last month |url=https://news.sky.com/story/idf-admits-responsibility-for-deadly-attack-on-un-building-last-month-13354985 |website=Sky News |access-date=28 April 2025 |date=24 April 2025}}

In other instances, Israeli forces' claims have been questioned based on an apparent lack of evidence. 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/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=17 February 2024 |archive-date=21 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221174128/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/21/al-shifa-hospital-gaza-hamas-israel/ |url-status=live }} Over the course of the war, repeated Israeli attacks on hospitals were justified by the Israeli military's claims that the hospitals were used by militants.{{cite web |title=Takeaways from AP's report on three hospitals in northern Gaza raided by Israeli troops |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/takeaways-aps-report-hospitals-northern-gaza-raided-israeli-115446501 |website=ABC News |access-date=5 November 2024 |archive-date=9 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109115329/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/takeaways-aps-report-hospitals-northern-gaza-raided-israeli-115446501 |url-status=live }} The Associated Press, however, stated that after months of investigations, it found that Israel had provided "little or even no evidence" of a significant militant presence near the al-Awda, Indonesian, or Kamal Adwan hospitals prior to their raids.{{cite web |last1=Debre |first1=Isabel |last2=Frankel |first2=Julia |last3=Keath |first3=Lee |title=Still wrecked from past Israeli raids, hospitals in northern Gaza come under attack again |url=https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attack-again-00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000 |website=Associated Press |date=3 November 2024 |access-date=5 November 2024 |archive-date=4 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241104061235/https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attack-again-00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000 |url-status=live }}

In January 2024, Israel claimed that 12 UNRWA staff members had participated in the October 7 attack on Israel; however, the Financial Times, Sky News, Channel 4, and other news outlets 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 |website=Sky News |access-date=5 February 2024 |archive-date=31 January 2024 |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 |url-status=live }}{{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 |website=Financial Times |date=3 February 2024 |access-date=5 February 2024 |archive-date=4 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204163701/https://www.ft.com/content/e326a1d3-7b45-4609-8179-dfb6a66abae9 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-02-07/ty-article/unproven-allegations-u-k-channel-4-slams-israels-charge-against-unrwa/0000018d-837c-d636-adef-cffe76790000|title='Unproven Allegations': U.K.'s Channel 4 Slams Israel's Charge Against UNRWA|newspaper=Haaretz|access-date=7 February 2024|archive-date=7 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207172553/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-02-07/ty-article/unproven-allegations-u-k-channel-4-slams-israels-charge-against-unrwa/0000018d-837c-d636-adef-cffe76790000|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Kouddous |first1=Sharif Abdel |last2=Scahill |first2=Jeremy |title=The New York Times Ignored Source’s Doubts About Hamas Docs Provided by Israel |url=https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/new-york-times-ignored-doubts-hamas-iran-october-7-documents |work=www.dropsitenews.com |date=17 December 2024 |language=en}}

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 web |last1=Shurafa |first1=Wafaa |last2=Magdy |first2=Samy |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 |website=PBS |date=17 February 2024 |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=18 February 2024 |archive-date=18 February 2024 |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 |url-status=live }}

In July 2024, Bild and the Jewish Chronicle published stories based on what they claimed were internal Hamas documents, alleging that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar opposed a Gaza ceasefire and used negotiations as psychological warfare. The documents were later found to be fabricated, and four Israelis, including an aide to Netanyahu, were arrested for falsifying and distributing them. The fake documents also claimed Sinwar was planning to smuggle himself and Israeli hostages through the Philadelphi corridor into Egypt. At the time, Netanyahu was refusing to withdraw Israeli forces from the area and falsely claimed that Hamas, not Israel, was sabotaging ceasefire negotiations.

In September 2024, the IDF stated it was launching an investigation into the release of forged Hamas documents that were leaked to the international press, apparently in an attempt to sway Israeli public opinion against a hostage-ceasefire deal.{{cite web |date=8 September 2024 |title=IDF investigates forged Hamas documents leaked to foreign media |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-819230 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915071151/https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-819230 |archive-date=15 September 2024 |access-date=15 September 2024 |website=The Jerusalem Post}}

In December 2024, the New York Times reported that at least 24 UNRWA employees were members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, with most allegedly part of Hamas’s armed wing. The report was based on “secret Hamas military plans” that purportedly identified schools as strategic sites. The Times did not mention that prior allegations had been disproven, but acknowledged it could not verify the records, which were provided by the Israeli military, noting they resembled previous Hamas documents. When Drop Site News asked which documents the Times was referring to, they did not respond. UNRWA spokesperson Tamara Alrifai criticized the story, saying it fed into a narrative of UNRWA being a Hamas front, despite repeated debunking of such claims. She added, “UNRWA shares the lists/names of its staff in the occupied Palestinian territory with the government of Israel every single year, so it is astonishing that a country with some of the highest intelligence and military security in the world has not come back to a UN agency with concerns about staff until the war started.”

{{See also|Israel and the United Nations|Palestine and the United Nations|UNRWA and Israel}}

In February 2024, Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, stated that the United Nations had been the subject of disinformation attacks, saying, "The UN has become a lightning rod for manipulative propaganda and a scapegoat for policy failures."{{cite web |title=Rights chief decries disinformation attacks on the UN |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/26/israels-war-on-gaza-live-man-made-disaster-as-israel-blocks-food-aid?update=2733775 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226110201/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/26/israels-war-on-gaza-live-man-made-disaster-as-israel-blocks-food-aid?update=2733775 |archive-date=26 February 2024 |access-date=27 February 2024 |website=Al Jazeera}}

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.

{{blockquote|"I've heard the same source many times saying that I never attacked Hamas, that I never condemned Hamas, that I am a supporter of Hamas. I asked for a statistic to be made by our colleagues. I have condemned Hamas 102 times, 51 of them in formal speeches. The others in different social platforms. So, I mean, the truth in the end always wins." United Nations Director-General Antonio Guterres.{{cite news | 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= 26 June 2024 | publisher= SBS World News | work= SBS News In Depth | date= 25 June 2024 | language= en | archive-date= 10 September 2024 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074241/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/podcast-episode/israel-says-current-phase-of-fighting-against-hamas-in-gaza-is-winding-down/8q3dbo4m4 | url-status= live }} }}

A fake memo that purported to show President Biden authorizing $8 billion in aid to Israel circulated on social media{{Cite news |last=Marcelo |first=Philip |date=9 October 2023 |title=Biden hasn't signed a recent order sending $8B in aid to Israel. A 'memo' circulating online was altered |url=https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-israel-hamas-attack-biden-aid-512553356968 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013153703/https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-israel-hamas-attack-biden-aid-512553356968 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |access-date=13 October 2023 |work=Associated Press |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Goggin |first=Ben |date=8 October 2023 |title=Verified accounts spread fake news release about a Biden $8 billion aid package to Israel |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/verified-accounts-spread-fake-news-release-biden-8-billion-aid-package-rcna119372 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013001207/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/verified-accounts-spread-fake-news-release-biden-8-billion-aid-package-rcna119372 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |access-date=13 October 2023 |work=NBC News |language=en}} and was cited in articles by Indian news outlets Firstpost and Oneindia.

In September 2024, CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash falsely accused U.S. House Representative Rashida Tlaib of stating that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was unable to do her job because of her religion—something Tlaib never stated.{{cite web |last1=Lennard |first1=Natasha |title=CNN Anchors Won't Stop Lying About Something Rashida Tlaib Never Said |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/09/24/cnn-rashida-tlaib-dana-nessel-antisemitism/ |website=The Intercept |date=24 September 2024 |access-date=8 October 2024 |archive-date=25 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925003932/https://theintercept.com/2024/09/24/cnn-rashida-tlaib-dana-nessel-antisemitism/ |url-status=live }} Bash and Tapper were repeating claims first made by Nessel in a social media post criticizing a racist caricature suggesting Tlaib was a member of Hezbollah.{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-09-24/ty-article/antisemitism-allegations-spark-firestorm-between-michigan-ag-and-rashida-tlaib/00000192-24cc-d900-a5f3-6efcd9330000|title='Don't Use My Religion': Antisemitism Allegations Spark Firestorm Between Michigan AG and Rashida Tlaib|last=Fink|first=Rachel|date=24 September 2024|work=Haaretz|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240924200137/https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2024-09-24/ty-article/antisemitism-allegations-spark-firestorm-between-michigan-ag-and-rashida-tlaib/00000192-24cc-d900-a5f3-6efcd9330000|archive-date=24 September 2024|url-status=live|access-date=19 October 2024}} Steve Neavling, the Metro Times journalist who conducted the original interview with Tlaib, called the claims against her "spurious".{{cite web |last1=Neavling |first1=Steve |title=Fact-check: Tlaib did not say Nessel charged pro-Palestinian protesters because she's Jewish |url=https://www.metrotimes.com/news/fact-check-tlaib-did-not-say-nessel-charged-pro-palestinian-protesters-because-shes-jewish-37427661 |website=Detroit Metro Times |access-date=8 October 2024 |archive-date=25 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240925001952/https://www.metrotimes.com/news/fact-check-tlaib-did-not-say-nessel-charged-pro-palestinian-protesters-because-shes-jewish-37427661 |url-status=live }}

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

Disinformation about the war has spread on social media platforms, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter).{{Cite magazine |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=9 October 2023 |title=The Israel-Hamas War Is Drowning X in Disinformation |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/x-israel-hamas-war-disinformation/ |access-date=10 October 2023 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009235109/https://www.wired.com/story/x-israel-hamas-war-disinformation/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Milmo |first=Dan |date=9 October 2023 |title=X criticised for enabling spread of Israel-Hamas disinformation |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/09/x-twitter-elon-musk-disinformation-israel-hamas |access-date=10 October 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010020310/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/09/x-twitter-elon-musk-disinformation-israel-hamas |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Goswami |first=Rohan |date=9 October 2023 |title=X, formerly Twitter, amplifies disinformation amid the Israel-Hamas conflict |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/09/x-formerly-twitter-amplifies-disinformation-amid-the-israel-hamas-conflict.html |access-date=10 October 2023 |work=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=9 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009225415/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/09/x-formerly-twitter-amplifies-disinformation-amid-the-israel-hamas-conflict.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Dixit |first=Pranav |date=10 October 2023 |title=Social media platforms swamped with fake news on the Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/10/social-media-platforms-swamped-with-fake-news-on-the-israel-hamas-war |access-date=10 October 2023 |work=Al Jazeera |language=en |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010233137/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/10/social-media-platforms-swamped-with-fake-news-on-the-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live }} The European Union warned Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg that X and Meta were hosting disinformation and illegal content about the war, with potential fines of up to 6% of the companies' global revenue according to the Digital Services Act.{{Cite news |last1=Fung |first1=Brian |last2=O'Sullivan |first2=Donie |date=10 October 2023 |title=EU warns Elon Musk of 'penalties' for disinformation circulating on X amid Israel-Hamas war |language=en |work=CNN |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/10/tech/x-europe-israel-misinformation/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010203030/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/10/tech/x-europe-israel-misinformation/index.html |archive-date=10 October 2023}}{{Cite news |last=O'Carroll |first=Lisa |date=10 October 2023 |title=EU warns Elon Musk over 'disinformation' on X about Hamas attack |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/10/eu-warns-elon-musk-over-disinformation-about-hamas-attack-on-x |url-status=live |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010195737/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/10/eu-warns-elon-musk-over-disinformation-about-hamas-attack-on-x |archive-date=10 October 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}{{Cite news |last=Vanian |first=Jonathan |date=10 October 2023 |title=Europe gives Elon Musk 24 hours to respond about Israel-Hamas war misinformation and violence on X, formerly Twitter |language=en |work=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/10/elon-musk-warned-about-misinformation-violent-content-on-x-by-eu.html |url-status=live |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010201053/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/10/elon-musk-warned-about-misinformation-violent-content-on-x-by-eu.html |archive-date=10 October 2023}}{{cite news |date=11 October 2023 |title=Europe gives Mark Zuckerberg 24 hours to respond about Israel-Hamas conflict and election misinformation |work=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/europe-gives-zuckerberg-24-hours-to-respond-about-israel-hamas-misinfo.html |url-status=live |access-date=14 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014103615/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/europe-gives-zuckerberg-24-hours-to-respond-about-israel-hamas-misinfo.html |archive-date=14 October 2023}}

In response to the reports, X's CEO Linda Yaccarino told EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton that it had "taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content" and removed hundreds of accounts linked to Hamas.{{Cite news |date=12 October 2023 |title=Musk's X rebuffs disinfo claims on Israel violence |language=en-US |work=France 24 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231012-musk-s-x-rebuffs-disinfo-claims-on-israel-violence |url-status=live |access-date=12 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012141302/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231012-musk-s-x-rebuffs-disinfo-claims-on-israel-violence |archive-date=12 October 2023}}

According to NewsGuard, "at least 14 false claims related to the war garnered 22 million views across X, TikTok, and Instagram within three days of the Hamas attack."{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/6323421/misinformation-about-the-israel-hamas-war-is-rife-on-social-media-especially-x/ |title=How Israel-Hamas War Misinformation Is Spreading Online |magazine=Time |access-date=2023-10-21 |archive-date=2023-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020142554/https://time.com/6323421/misinformation-about-the-israel-hamas-war-is-rife-on-social-media-especially-x/ |url-status=live }} On 13 October, the EU opened an investigation into X about the spread of disinformation and terrorist content related to the war.{{Cite news |last=Espinoza |first=Javier |date=12 October 2023 |title=EU opens probe into X over Israel-Hamas war misinformation |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a4ab23c7-977a-46b1-8d00-33923ceaee89 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231012175531/https://www.ft.com/content/a4ab23c7-977a-46b1-8d00-33923ceaee89 |archive-date=12 October 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Shakir |first=Umar |date=13 October 2023 |title=EU is formally investigating X over content about the Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/12/23914862/eu-x-elon-musk-european-commission-probe-dsa-digital-services-act-hamas-israel |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013003115/https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/12/23914862/eu-x-elon-musk-european-commission-probe-dsa-digital-services-act-hamas-israel |archive-date=13 October 2023 |access-date=13 October 2023 |website=The Verge |language=en}}

On 14 October, Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed said his group was tracking a spike in efforts to push false information about the war, adding that U.S. adversaries, extremists, Internet trolls and engagement farmers were exploiting the war for their own gain. Graham Brookie, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, said that his team had witnessed a surge in terrorist propaganda, graphic content, false or misleading claims and hate speech, with much of the content being circulated on Telegram.{{Cite web |last1=Fung |first1=Brian |last2=Duffy |first2=Clare |date=2023-10-14 |title=The Israel-Hamas war reveals how social media sells you the illusion of reality |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/14/tech/social-media-misinformation-israel-hamas/index.html |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015015356/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/14/tech/social-media-misinformation-israel-hamas/index.html |url-status=live }} An Israel-based company that analyses social media, said that one in five accounts taking part in conversations about Hamas' attacks were fake, adding that they had found approximately 40,000 such accounts on X and TikTok.{{Cite web |last=Spring |first=Marianna |date=2023-10-15 |title=Who's behind Israel-Gaza disinformation and hate online? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67114313 |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=BBC |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017043454/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67114313 |url-status=live }}

According to AP's David Klepper, pictures from the Gaza war have "vividly and painfully illustrated AI's potential as a propaganda tool, used to create lifelike images of carnage... digitally altered ones spread on social media have been used to make false claims about responsibility for casualties or to deceive people about atrocities that never happened."{{Cite web |last=Klepper |first=David |date=2023-11-28 |title=Fake babies, real horror: Deepfakes from the Gaza war increase fears about AI's power to mislead |url=https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hamas-israel-misinformation-ai-gaza-a1bb303b637ffbbb9cbc3aa1e000db47 |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=AP News |language=en |archive-date=2023-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205012013/https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hamas-israel-misinformation-ai-gaza-a1bb303b637ffbbb9cbc3aa1e000db47 |url-status=live }}

The New York Times described the start of the Gaza war as releasing a "deluge of online propaganda and disinformation" that was "larger than anything seen before". It described the conflict as "fast becoming a world war online" and stated that Russia, China, Iran and its proxies had used state media and covert influence campaigns on social media networks to support Hamas, undermine Israel, criticize the United States and cause unrest.{{Cite news |last1=Lee Myers |first1=Steven |last2=Frenkel |first2=Sheera |date=November 3, 2023 |title=In a Worldwide War of Words, Russia, China and Iran Back Hamas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/technology/israel-hamas-information-war.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727004155/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/03/technology/israel-hamas-information-war.html |archive-date=July 27, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}} James Rubin of the U.S. State Department's Global Engagement Center called coverage of the conflict as being swept up in "an undeclared information war with authoritarian countries".

On 9 October, X said there were more than 50 million posts on the platform about the conflict. Elon Musk recommended two accounts that previously promoted a false claim about an explosion near the Pentagon for updates about the war.{{Cite news |last=Menn |first=Joseph |date=9 October 2023 |title=As false war information spreads on X, Musk promotes unvetted accounts |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/08/israel-hamas-disinfo-musk-twitter-x/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008230459/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/08/israel-hamas-disinfo-musk-twitter-x/ |archive-date=8 October 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}

On 10 October, researchers found that a network of 67 X accounts was coordinating a campaign of pushing false information about the war.{{Cite news |last=Collier |first=Kevin |date=10 October 2023 |title=67 X accounts spread coordinated disinformation about Israel-Hamas war, says research group |language=en |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/x-misinformation-israel-hamas-war-network-disinformation-rcna119696 |url-status=live |access-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010204211/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/x-misinformation-israel-hamas-war-network-disinformation-rcna119696 |archive-date=10 October 2023}} The accounts have been posting near-identical content, sharing false information with both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel narratives.{{Cite web |title=Inauthentic Account Network on X Amplifying Misleading Israel-Palestine Content |url=https://alethea.com/insights/inauthentic-account-network-on-x-amplifying-misleading-israel-palestine-content |access-date=2025-01-31 |website=Alethea}}

According to Wired, the community fact-checking system of X, Community Notes, has in some instances contributed to the spread of disinformation instead of correcting it. Wired cited an incident where a video uploaded by Donald Trump Jr. of Hamas shooting at Israelis was inaccurately tagged as a false video from several years ago as an example of the unreliability of Community Notes.{{cite magazine |last1=Gilbert |first1=David |title=A Graphic Hamas Video Donald Trump Jr. Shared on X Is Actually Real, Research Confirms |url=https://www.wired.com/story/x-community-notes-failures/ |access-date=12 October 2023 |magazine=Wired |archive-date=12 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012000042/https://www.wired.com/story/x-community-notes-failures/ |url-status=live }} Fake accounts pretending to be a BBC journalist and The Jerusalem Post promoted false information about the war prior to X suspending them.{{cite news |last=Rucker |first=Samuel |date=9 October 2023 |title=The hoaxes and misinformation about Israel and Gaza, debunked |language=en |work=i |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/world/israel-hamas-war-fake-bbc-journalist-misinformation-twitter-x-hoaxes-footage-debunked-2673388 |url-status=live |access-date=11 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011220136/https://inews.co.uk/news/world/israel-hamas-war-fake-bbc-journalist-misinformation-twitter-x-hoaxes-footage-debunked-2673388 |archive-date=11 October 2023}}

On 12 October, the Tech Transparency Project reported that Hamas was using premium accounts on X to push propaganda.{{Cite web |date=October 12, 2023 |title=X Premium Accounts Spread Hamas Propaganda Videos of Attack on Israel |url=https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/x-premium-accounts-spread-hamas-propaganda-videos-of |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Tech Transparency Project |language=en-us |archive-date=2023-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015142415/https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/x-premium-accounts-spread-hamas-propaganda-videos-of |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Ruberg |first=Sara |date=2023-10-16 |title=Israel-Hamas war misinformation is harder to track, researchers say |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/israel-hamas-war-misinformation-social-media-harder-track-rcna120173 |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016134138/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/israel-hamas-war-misinformation-social-media-harder-track-rcna120173 |url-status=live }} X said it has banned Hamas and removed hundreds of accounts affiliated with Hamas.{{Cite web |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Donie |last2=Fung |first2=Brian |date=2023-10-16 |title=Hamas' social media following has skyrocketed since its attack. America is powerless to stop it |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/tech/hamas-telegram/index.html |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017010413/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/tech/hamas-telegram/index.html |url-status=live }}

On 13 October, on The World radio program, Rebecca Rosman reported that disinformation on X was being monetized by paid-verified users with "new-content" recommendation preference, resulting in millions of views.{{cite news |last1=Rosman |first1=Rebecca |title=Violence and disinformation rampant on social media in Israel-Hamas War |url=https://theworld.org/media/2023-10-13/violence-and-disinformation-rampant-social-media-israel-hamas-war |access-date=14 October 2023 |work=The World |date=13 October 2023 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013215647/https://theworld.org/media/2023-10-13/violence-and-disinformation-rampant-social-media-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live }}

According to a report by NewsGuard on 19 October, verified users on X were behind 74% of the 250 most-engaged posts between 7 and 14 October that promoted false or unsubstantiated information about the war. NewsGuard also found that only 79 of the 250 posts were flagged by Community Notes.{{Cite web |title=Blue-Checked, 'Verified' Users on X Produce 74 Percent of the Platform's Most Viral False or Unsubstantiated Claims Relating to the Israel-Hamas War - Misinformation Monitor: October 2023 |url=https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/october-2023 |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=NewsGuard |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020204413/https://www.newsguardtech.com/misinformation-monitor/october-2023/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Weatherbed |first=Jess |date=2023-10-20 |title=Blue checkmarks on X are 'superspreaders of misinformation' about Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/20/23925086/x-verified-blue-checkmarks-superspreader-misinformation-israel-hamas-war |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=The Verge |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020203856/https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/20/23925086/x-verified-blue-checkmarks-superspreader-misinformation-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2023-10-20 |title=X/Twitter Verified Blue Check-Mark Users Are 'Superspreaders' of Disinformation About Israel-Hamas War, Study Says |url=https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/x-twitter-blue-check-mark-users-superspreaders-disinformation-israel-hamas-war-1235763100/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020201001/https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/x-twitter-blue-check-mark-users-superspreaders-disinformation-israel-hamas-war-1235763100/ |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/twitter-hate-speech-accounts-palestine-clout-1234867382/|title=Verified Hate Speech Accounts Are Pivoting to Palestine for Clout and Cash|date=November 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2023-11-02|archive-date=2023-11-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102024637/https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/twitter-hate-speech-accounts-palestine-clout-1234867382/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-11-05/ty-article-opinion/.premium/twitters-community-notes-accelerates-denialism-about-hamas-atrocities-against-israelis/0000018b-9f5b-dbad-abfb-dfdf31200000|title=Opinion – How Twitter's Community Notes Accelerates Denialism About Hamas Atrocities Against Israelis|newspaper=Haaretz|access-date=2023-11-07|archive-date=2023-11-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106171710/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2023-11-05/ty-article-opinion/.premium/twitters-community-notes-accelerates-denialism-about-hamas-atrocities-against-israelis/0000018b-9f5b-dbad-abfb-dfdf31200000|url-status=live}}

On October 28, commentator Jackson Hinkle posted on X that Haaretz had reported that the Israeli government inflated the death toll for the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Haaretz stated that Hinkle's post "contain[ed] blatant lies" and was not substantiated by their reporting on the attack.{{cite web |last=Czopek |first=Madison |date=November 1, 2023 |title=Haaretz rebuts a viral claim about its reporting on Israeli casualties |url=https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2023/haaretz-rebuts-a-viral-claim-about-its-reporting-on-israeli-casualties/ |website=Poynter Institute |access-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-date=November 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113040444/https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2023/haaretz-rebuts-a-viral-claim-about-its-reporting-on-israeli-casualties/ |url-status=live }} Hinkle also claimed that the image of a Jewish baby burned alive by Hamas on October 7 "was created by artificial intelligence". He was subsequently deplatformed from YouTube.{{cite web|last1=Ottolenghi|first1=Emanuele|last2=Rosenberg|first2=Marina|url=https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/10/31/hispantv-is-irans-propaganda-arm-in-latin-america-why-is-it-still-being-broadcast/|title=HispanTV Is Iran's Propaganda Arm in Latin America; Why Is It Still Being Broadcast?|website=Algemeiner Journal|date=2023-10-31|access-date=2023-11-14|archive-date=2023-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117155620/https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/10/31/hispantv-is-irans-propaganda-arm-in-latin-america-why-is-it-still-being-broadcast/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2023/11/14/center-for-countering-digital-hate-new-report-racist-tweets-x-after-elon-musk-lawsuit/|title=The anti-hate group that Elon Musk sued released a new report alleging inaction on racist tweets: 'We will not be cowed by bullies'|work=Fortune|access-date=2023-11-16|archive-date=2023-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116084532/https://fortune.com/2023/11/14/center-for-countering-digital-hate-new-report-racist-tweets-x-after-elon-musk-lawsuit/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/11/15/x-is-failing-to-moderate-antisemitic-and-islamophobic-hate-speech-according-to-a-new-repor|title=X fails to remove antisemitic and islamophobic hate speech|date=15 November 2023|publisher=Euronews|access-date=16 November 2023|archive-date=16 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116084532/https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/11/15/x-is-failing-to-moderate-antisemitic-and-islamophobic-hate-speech-according-to-a-new-repor|url-status=live}}

Syrian YouTuber Maram Susli claimed that footage showed Israeli military helicopters firing on Israelis escaping the October 7 massacre at the supernova festival, carried by Hamas. However, footage resulted to be from Israeli attacks on Hamas positions in Gaza three days later.{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-does-video-show-israel-helicopter-shoot-festival-goers-1842754|title=Fact Check: Does Video Show Israel Helicopter Shoot Festival Goers?|date=13 November 2023|work=Newsweek|access-date=22 November 2023|archive-date=22 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122052204/https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-does-video-show-israel-helicopter-shoot-festival-goers-1842754|url-status=live}} She also posted a photograph of a woman carrying a child's toy car down the stairs of a largely destroyed building suggesting it was Gaza after Israeli attacks. The picture was actually an award-winning photograph taken in Homs during the Syrian civil war.{{cite web|url=https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check--distort-and-deceive-one-pro-assad-influencer-s-disinfo-war-on-israel/7354752.html|title=Distort and Deceive: One Pro-Assad Influencer's Disinfo War on Israel|date=15 November 2023|publisher=polygraph.info|access-date=22 November 2023|archive-date=24 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124222044/https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check--distort-and-deceive-one-pro-assad-influencer-s-disinfo-war-on-israel/7354752.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=How Media Outlets Like Haaretz Are Weaponized in the Fake News Wars Over Israel and Hamas |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-04/ty-article/.premium/how-media-outlets-like-haaretz-are-weaponized-in-the-fake-news-wars-over-israel-and-hamas/0000018c-3076-d15f-a7af-b27664390000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206115825/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-04/ty-article/.premium/how-media-outlets-like-haaretz-are-weaponized-in-the-fake-news-wars-over-israel-and-hamas/0000018c-3076-d15f-a7af-b27664390000 |archive-date=2023-12-06 |access-date=2023-12-06 |newspaper=Haaretz |publisher=Haartez}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/technology/x-twitter-european-union-investigation.html|title=Illicit Content on Elon Musk's X Draws E.U. Investigation|work=The New York Times|date=18 December 2023 |access-date=2023-12-19|archive-date=2023-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219042037/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/technology/x-twitter-european-union-investigation.html|url-status=live |last1=Satariano |first1=Adam }}{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/musks-platform-x-feeds-monetisation-of-misinformation-in-a-time-of-war/article67845574.ece|title=Musk's platform X feeds monetisation of misinformation in a time of war|work=The Hindu|date=15 February 2024|access-date=17 February 2024|archive-date=17 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217042234/https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/musks-platform-x-feeds-monetisation-of-misinformation-in-a-time-of-war/article67845574.ece|url-status=live}}

An investigation by ProPublica and Columbia University's Tow Center for Digital Journalism found that verified accounts promoting misinformation about the conflict saw their audience grow significantly during the first month of the conflict, and that Community Notes had failed to scale sufficiently, with 80% of the debunked tweets reviewed not being clarified with a note.{{Cite web |last1=Kao |first1=Jeff |last2=Bengani |first2=Priyanjana |date=2023-12-20 |title=How Verified Accounts on X Thrive While Spreading Misinformation About the Israel-Hamas Conflict |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/x-verified-accounts-misinformation-israel-hamas-conflict |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=ProPublica |language=en |archive-date=2024-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106234516/https://www.propublica.org/article/x-verified-accounts-misinformation-israel-hamas-conflict |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/11/ccdh-hate-influencer-study/|title=Elon Musk accused of profiting from tragedy as study finds X rewards hate targeting Israel-Gaza war|date=11 April 2024|publisher=Techcruch|access-date=12 April 2024|archive-date=10 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074754/https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/11/ccdh-hate-influencer-study/|url-status=live}}

On 12 October, the EU warned TikTok about illegal content and disinformation on its platform.{{Cite web |last=Fung |first=Brian |date=2023-10-12 |title=EU officials warn TikTok over Israel-Hamas disinformation |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/tech/eu-tiktok-israel-hamas-disinformation/index.html |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015182430/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/tech/eu-tiktok-israel-hamas-disinformation/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2023-10-12 |title=TikTok Gets EU Warning Over Violent Videos, Disinformation From Hamas-Israel War Reported on App |url=https://variety.com/2023/digital/global/tiktok-eu-warning-violent-videos-disinformation-hamas-israel-war-1235753733/ |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-10-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014160441/https://variety.com/2023/digital/global/tiktok-eu-warning-violent-videos-disinformation-hamas-israel-war-1235753733/ |url-status=live }} On 15 October, TikTok said it had taken action to remove "violative content and accounts".{{Cite news |last=Race |first=Michael |date=2023-10-15 |title=TikTok says action taken on Israel conflict videos |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67115982 |access-date=2023-10-16 |archive-date=2023-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016003740/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67115982 |url-status=live }} It also said it had established a command center for the conflict, updated its automated detection systems to detect violent content and added moderators who speak Arabic and Hebrew.{{Cite news |last=Jolly |first=Jasper |date=2023-10-15 |title=TikTok says it has acted to curb disinformation amid Israel-Hamas war |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/15/tiktok-says-it-has-acted-to-curb-disinformation-amid-israel-hamas-war |access-date=2023-10-16 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2023-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016011552/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/15/tiktok-says-it-has-acted-to-curb-disinformation-amid-israel-hamas-war |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Cooban |first=Anna |date=2023-10-16 |title=TikTok steps up efforts to counter misinformation about Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/tech/tiktok-misinformation-israel-hamas-war/index.html |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=2023-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016140524/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/16/tech/tiktok-misinformation-israel-hamas-war/index.html |url-status=live }} A TikTok video promoting conspiracy theories that Hamas's attack had been orchestrated by the media was viewed over 300,000 times.

By mid-November 2023, Republican U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher had claimed that TikTok was "intentionally brainwashing" American youth into supporting Hamas, citing the spike in pro-Palestinian content following the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. In response to criticism, TikTok issued a press release on 20 November asserting that younger Americans, particularly Millennials and Generation Z, tended to be more sympathetic to the Palestinians than to Israel, citing Gallup polling data dating back to 2010. TikTok also claimed that its algorithm did not take sides but operated in a positive feedback loop based on user engagement. The company also denied favouring "one side of an issue over another" or intentionally promoting pro-Palestinian hashtags such as "#freepalestine," which had attracted 25.5 billion views by November 14. By comparison, "#standwithisrael" had attracted 440.4 million views. TikTok's press release also stated that it had removed 925,000 videos related to the conflict for violating community standards, including promoting Hamas, had hired moderators fluent in Arabic and Hebrew to parse content, and begun removing fake accounts created in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.{{cite news |last1=Roscoe |first1=Jules |title=TikTok Says It's Not the Algorithm, Teens Are Just Pro-Palestine |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/tiktok-its-not-the-algorithm-teens-are-just-pro-palestine/ |access-date=November 23, 2023 |work=Vice News |date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121182210/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxjb8b/tiktok-its-not-the-algorithm-teens-are-just-pro-palestine |archive-date=November 21, 2023|url-status=live}}

According to a TheMarker report, neo-Nazi propaganda, antisemitic content, and calls for the destruction of Israel were all circulating on TikTok throughout the war.{{Cite news |last1=לינדר |first1=רוני |last2=גויכמן |first2=רפאלה |date=2023-12-01 |title=גבלס, בן לאדן וארטיק קראנץ' פיסטוק: את המלחמה בעזה אנחנו עלולים להפסיד בזירת הטיקטוק |work=TheMarker |url=https://www.themarker.com/weekend/2023-12-01/ty-article-magazine/0000018c-1542-dd03-a7ff-bf7a8c8f0000 |access-date=2023-12-02 |archive-date=2023-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202062122/https://www.themarker.com/weekend/2023-12-01/ty-article-magazine/0000018c-1542-dd03-a7ff-bf7a8c8f0000 |url-status=live }}

The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, had around 200,000 followers on Telegram at the time of Hamas's attack. According to the Digital Forensic Research Lab, its following has tripled since then, with its posts being viewed over 300,000 times.{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Hannah |date=2023-10-16 |title=Israel conflict lets loose a deluge of falsehoods on social media |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/01650afb-dab4-4668-b16a-6add6ade0c04 |access-date=2023-10-17 |archive-date=2023-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231017020723/https://www.ft.com/content/01650afb-dab4-4668-b16a-6add6ade0c04 |url-status=live }} The Digital Forensic Research Lab found that Hamas relies on Telegram to send statements to its supporters.

According to political analyst and researcher Arieh Kovler, many Israelis follow official-sounding Telegram channels that share out-of-context videos and unverified rumors.

In a statement, Telegram said it was "evaluating the best approaches and... soliciting input from a wide range of third parties" and that it wished to be "careful not to exacerbate the already dire situation by any rush actions".

In October 2023, Arma 3 developer Bohemia Interactive said in a statement, "With the tragic events currently unfolding in the Middle East, we feel it is vital to share once again our statement concerning the use of Arma 3 as a source of fake news footage. It's disheartening for us to see the game we all love being used in this way. While we have found ways to tackle this issue somewhat effectively by closely cooperating with leading fact-checking agencies, sadly we can't mitigate it entirely."{{Cite news |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=2023-10-12 |title=Arma 3 footage is being used as disinformation in the wake of Israel-Hamas war: 'It's disheartening for us to see the game we all love being used in this way,' says developer |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/arma-3-footage-is-being-used-as-disinformation-in-the-wake-of-israel-hamas-war-its-disheartening-for-us-to-see-the-game-we-all-love-being-used-in-this-way-says-developer/ |access-date=2024-06-25 |work=PC Gamer |language=en |archive-date=2024-09-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910074754/https://www.pcgamer.com/arma-3-footage-is-being-used-as-disinformation-in-the-wake-of-israel-hamas-war-its-disheartening-for-us-to-see-the-game-we-all-love-being-used-in-this-way-says-developer/ |url-status=live }}

In November 2023, Center for Countering Digital Hate CEO Imran Ahmed said that misinformation about the war was as difficult to track as COVID-19 misinformation and misinformation about the 2020 United States presidential election.{{Cite web |last=Stokel-Walker |first=Chris |date=November 16, 2023 |title=Why disinformation experts say the Israel-Hamas war is a nightmare to investigate |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90983392/why-disinformation-experts-says-the-israel-hamas-conflict-is-a-nightmare-to-investigate |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=Fast Company |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227070331/https://www.fastcompany.com/90983392/why-disinformation-experts-says-the-israel-hamas-conflict-is-a-nightmare-to-investigate |url-status=live }}

In January 2024, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said, "Several markets in the Middle East and some outside the region are experiencing a meaningful business impact due to the war and associated misinformation that is affecting brands like McDonald's."{{Cite news |date=2024-01-04 |title=McDonald's hit by Israel-Gaza 'misinformation' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67885910 |access-date=2024-01-09 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=2024-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109022207/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67885910 |url-status=live }} The boycotts started after McDonald's Israel announced it had donated free meals to IDF soldiers involved in the war.{{Cite web |title=McDonald's sales dented as Israel-Hamas war boycotts bite |url=https://news.sky.com/story/mcdonalds-sales-dented-as-israel-hamas-war-boycotts-bite-13064779 |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Sky News |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206085525/https://news.sky.com/story/mcdonalds-sales-dented-as-israel-hamas-war-boycotts-bite-13064779 |url-status=live }}

In February 2024, Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins said, "I think the intensity of online discourse around Israel and Palestine is really kind of much worse than I've seen in any of the conflicts. People are not looking to establish the truth in many cases, but basically just look for things to bash each other over the head online. It's really just about people arguing their positions, their opinions, and not really establishing the exact truth around what's happening."{{Cite web |last1=Saliba |first1=Emmanuelle |last2=Zayara |first2=Sami |date=February 21, 2024 |title='My son is not a doll': The story of Gaza's baby Muhammad as his family grieves amid misinformation |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/son-doll-story-gazas-baby-muhammad-family-grieves/story?id=107342400 |access-date=2024-02-27 |website=ABC News |language=en |archive-date=2024-02-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227060929/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/son-doll-story-gazas-baby-muhammad-family-grieves/story?id=107342400 |url-status=live }}

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/ |website=The Times of Israel |access-date=17 April 2024 |archive-date=17 April 2024 |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/ |url-status=live }} 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 |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). |website=AFP |date=18 April 2024 |access-date=23 April 2024}}

• Denial of the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel
• Israeli public diplomacy in the Gaza war
• Media coverage of the Gaza war
• Pallywood
• Disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• Saddam Hussein's alleged shredder
• Vukovar children massacre, a propaganda story during the Yugoslav Wars about 41 Serb children being killed by Croat soldiers

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/14/propaganda-misinformation-israel-hamas-war-social-media/ A flood of misinformation shapes views of Israel-Gaza conflict. Washington Post.]
• [https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/bbc-expert-debunking-israel-hamas-war-visuals-volume-misinformation-twitter-was-beyond BBC expert on debunking Israel-Hamas war visuals: "The volume of misinformation on Twitter was beyond anything I've ever seen"]

{{Gaza war}}

{{Disinformation}}

{{propaganda}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Misinformation in the Gaza war}}