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The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation

Israeli government tries to deflect responsibility, sow doubt as it seeks to define the narrative in the war on Gaza.

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The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
By Danylo Hawaleshka
Published On 9 Nov 2023

History Illustrated is a weekly series of insightful perspectives that puts news events and current affairs into historical context using graphics generated with artificial intelligence.

The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
Israel’s hard-right government has a credibility problem. It has said things that aren’t true — things like how Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh was supposedly killed by Palestinian crossfire in 2022 when, actually, the government later admitted an Israeli soldier likely shot her.
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The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
In the war on Gaza, Israeli government disinformation has only intensified, with fake stories like the one about Hamas beheading babies that went all the way to the White House.
The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
That fake story began with an i24 reporter quoting a lone Israeli soldier who claimed he had seen decapitated babies, a statement later eagerly echoed by the Israeli prime minister’s spokesperson, Tal Heinrich. But the next day, realising there was zero evidence, an embarrassed White House had to walk back Biden’s comment.
The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
Then there’s Israel’s regular attempts to cast doubt on the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza without providing any proof.
The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
But according to Human Rights Watch, the Gaza Ministry of Health bases its death tolls on the best available data — data from hospitals and morgues. And the Gaza ministry aims for transparency by publishing all the names, ages and other identifying information of Palestinians killed.
The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
Getting at the truth is further complicated by Israel’s refusal to grant international journalists visas to enter Gaza, leaving local Palestinian reporters to cope with the few resources they have.
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The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
The Israeli army has also been accused of targeting journalists, like Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh, whose wife, son, daughter and grandson were all killed by an Israeli air raid. At least 39 journalists, mostly Palestinian, have been killed since the war started on October 7, says the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
Controlling the narrative is important, something Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, likely learned first-hand when he said the October 7 attacks by Hamas “did not happen in a vacuum”.
The war on Gaza: A masterclass in disinformation
The response from the Israeli government was outrage, and a visa ban on UN staff, thereby furthering its control over the messaging. In the war on Gaza, it seems, there are many lessons to be learned.