Misinformation in the Israel–Hamas war
Misinformation involving the distribution of false, inaccurate or otherwise misleading information has been a prominent and ubiquitous feature of the Israel–Hamas war.[1] Much of the content has been viral in nature, with tens of millions of posts in circulation on social media. A variety of sources, including government officials, media outlets, and social media influencers across different countries, have contributed to the spread of these inaccuracies.[2]
The New York Times described the start of the Israel–Hamas 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.[3] 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".[3]
During the conflict, the Israeli government and Israeli cyber companies have deployed AI tools and bot farms to spread disinformation and spread graphic, emotionally charged and false propaganda to dehumanize Palestinians, sow division among supporters of Palestine by targeting Black lawmakers, and exert pressure on politicians to support Israel's actions.[4][5][6] The Intercept reported that: "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."[6] One such covert campaign was commissioned by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. The ministry allocated about $2 million to the operation, and used political marketing firm Stoic based in Tel Aviv to carry it out, according officials and documents reviewed by the New York Times.[4] The campaign was started after the October 7 attack, and remained active on X (formerly Twitter) at the time of the New York Times report in June 2024. At the peak of the campaign it used hundreds of fake accounts posing as Americans on X, Facebook and Instagram to post pro-Israel comments, focusing on U.S. lawmakers, particularly those who are Black and from the Democratic Party, including Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader from New York, and Raphael Warnock, Senator from Georgia. ChatGPT was deployed to generate many of the posts. The campaign also involved the creation of three fake English-language news sites featuring pro-Israel articles.[4] In Nov 2024, in a UN published report the committee noted that western social media companies disproportionately removed content showing solidarity with the Palestinian people relative to content promoting violence against Palestinians.[7]
On Israel
Misrepresentation of photos and videos
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 7 October attacks.[8] 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.[8] 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.[9][10] Aloni was subsequently seen on 8 October attending a meeting of top Israeli military officials.[11]
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.[12][13][14]
A video of a CNN broadcast from near the Israel-Gaza border[15] with audio added to suggest the network had faked an attack went viral on social media.[16][17]
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. Fact-checker Pratik Sinha said the "Indian right-wing has made India the disinformation capital of the world".[18] 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 vehicle of India's governing party, the BJP.[18]
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".[19]
A photo shared by Israel 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 the dog picture was likely "falsified using generative methods".[20][21][22]
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 with training to carefully retrieve and document human remains in post-terrorism situations.[23] 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.[23][24] 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."[24] 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."[23]
The AP reported that two ZAKA volunteers, including its commander Chaim Otmazgin, made false statements about sexual violence and rape on October 7.[25] Otmazgin claimed he found a raped woman due to her pants having been pulled down below her waist. He showed photos to the AP as part of his testimony. However, this had been caused by her body being moved by a group of soldiers.[25] 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.[25] 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.[26]
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.[27] 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.[28]
Misrepresentation of ISIS execution videos
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.[29] 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.[29] 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.[29]
Allegations of beheading
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.[30][31][32] During 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.[33] U.S. President 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.[34] NBC News called reports of "40 beheaded babies" unverified allegations,[34] adding that they appeared "to have originated from Israeli soldiers and people affiliated with the Israel Defense Force" and that "an Israeli official told CNN the government had not confirmed claims of the beheadings".[34] 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.[34] 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.[35]
Dead baby in oven claim
In a speech to the Republican Jewish Coalition on 28 October, Eli Beer, founder of Israeli volunteer EMS group United Hatzalah, claimed that Hamas had burned a baby alive in an oven.[36] He attributed the claim to a United Hatzalah volunteer; one of them, Asher Moskowitz, also publicly made the claim.[37] 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".[36][38][39]
On the United Nations
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.[40]
"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.[40]
On Gaza
Inaccurate information
Viral claims that the IDF had destroyed Gaza's Church of Saint Porphyrius on 9 October were debunked by the church.[41][42] Subsequently, an Israeli airstrike hit the premises of the church on 19 October, killing 18.[43]
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.[44]
Pro-Hamas accounts have misrepresented footage from the Syrian civil war as showing children being killed in Gaza.[45]
In February 2024, Israel's official X account posted a 30-second video listing the humanitarian aid it claimed to have provided for Gaza. The video included March 2022 footage of 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."[46][47]
Impersonations
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.[48] 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; The Wall Street Journal had not published such a report.[49][50]
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.[51][52] Additionally, according to Esther Chan from RMIT FactLab CrossCheck, an analysis by open-source investigators had determined that the video was likely doctored to artificially include fake sounds of explosions.[53] 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,[citation needed] who has a popular social media presence with an Arabic following.[54][55][56]
Allegations of crisis acting
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.[57][58] 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.[58]
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".[59][45][60] This included video of a Palestinian teenager wounded in a raid on Tulkarm in July 2023, who was falsely presented as "Saleh in a hospital days before October 27".[59]
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 and calling it an example of "Pallywood".[61][62] According to The Daily Beast, "Gendelman is a repeat offender when it comes to peddling misinformation about Palestinians."[61] The previous week, Gendelman peddled 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.[61]
Dead children as dolls
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.[19][57]
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".[63][64][62]
Sexual violence
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" at Al-Shifa hospital in its latest siege. 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".[65]
On 22 May 2024 the AP reported that two ZAKA volunteers made false statements about sexual violence and rape on October 7.[25] Chaim Otmazgin, a ZAKA commander, claimed he found a raped woman due to her pants having been pulled down below her waist. However, this had been caused by her body being moved by a group of soldiers.[25] 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.[25]
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.[66] 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."[66] The Times adds: "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."[66]
Gaza Health Ministry casualty reports
The Gaza Health Ministry's figures are considered to be reliable.[67][68]
Abraham Wyner, a Pennsylvania professor of statistics, wrote in Tablet that the GHM casualty figures were "faked".[69] 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".[70] Columbia professor Les Roberts said that GHM numbers were accurate and probably even an underestimate.[71] Wyner's main argument was that from Oct. 26 - Nov. 10, the number of deaths per day is 270 with "strikingly little variation".[69] 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 window the daily deaths had a standard deviation of 42.25 and variance of 1,785.[72][73] 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.[69] 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".[74]
Israeli officials
Israel has released several pieces of incorrect or disputed information, leading to questions about its credibility.[75] On claims linking 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".[76] A UN report on these allegations has stated that Israeli authorities have been unable to produce the evidence politicians said existed.[76]
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."[77] 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."[78]
Misinformation
On multiple occasions, analyses have found issues with IDF claims. 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.[79][80] In November 2023, analysis by the BBC found that video released by the Israeli military following the Al-Shifa Hospital siege had been edited despite IDF claims to the contrary.[81]
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,[82][83] directly contradicting the IDF.[84] 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".[85]
After reports spread that a mother and daughter were killed by Israeli snipers in December 2023 in a church where a number of Palestinian Christians sheltered, the Israeli army denied targerting the compound, but claimed instead there was Hamas activity in its vicinity and Israeli soldiers shot back.[86] 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.[87][88][89]
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.[90] 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.[91]
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."[92] Al- Jazeera reported evidence of a "large number" of gunshot wounds from a United Nations team, medical professionals and witnesses.[93] 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.[94] IDF drone footage edits out the events causing the crowds to disperse and rejected a CNN request for the full unedited footage.[95] The CNN investigation cast doubt on other IDF claims such as the timing of shooting.[95] Several days after the attack, a senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty stated, "There is concrete evidence that contradicts whatever statements are being made by the Israeli authorities".[96]
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.[97] In one video, an unnamed Gazan narrator said the explosion was caused by a "Hamas jeep loaded with weapons".[98] 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.[99] However, James Cavanaugh, who worked at the ATF, said the fire did not indicate "some giant stash that exploded."[100] The New York Times viewed numerous videos and did not find evidence that a significant secondary explosion was ignited.[101]
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.[102][103]
Unverified information
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".[104] 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.[105] 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.[106] Israel claimed 12 UNRWA staff members had participated in the 7 October attack on Israel; however, the Financial Times, Sky News, and Channel 4 all stated that Israel's claims were not proven by the intelligence documents they reviewed.[107][108][109] 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.[110]
Disinformation
In October 2023, shortly after the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, Israeli sources published audio purporting to show two Hamas militants in a phone call claiming responsibility for the act and blaming it on a malfunctioning rocket. Hamas claimed the recording was an "obvious fabrication", and the British Channel 4 interviewed two independent Arab journalists who expressed similar views.[111]
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".[112][113][a] 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."[112] 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.[112] "Why would an army officer invent such a horrifying story?", Hashabbat asked, adding, "I was wrong."[112]
Elsewhere
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.[115] 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.[116] Steve Neavling, the Metro Times journalist who conducted the original interview with Tlaib, called the claims against her "spurious".[117]
"False flag" conspiracy theories
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.[118][119]
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.[118]
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.[118]
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 former 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.[120]
Disinformation campaigns
A fake memo that purported to show Biden authorizing $8 billion in aid to Israel circulated on social media[121][122] and was cited in articles by Indian news outlets Firstpost and Oneindia.[122]
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".[123] 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.[123] 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.[124]
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.[125][126]
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."[127]
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 misinformartion, 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.[128][129]
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.[130]
Fake videos
Videos falsely linked to the war included a video of children in cages posted on 4 October,[131][132] footage from 2020 of Iranian lawmakers chanting "Death to America",[133][134] and in Egypt, photos of the Cairo Tower 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.[135] Footage from video game Arma 3 has been presented as war footage.[136][137][138][139]
On October 8, a video supposedly of Hamas thanking Ukraine for supplying them was shared by an X account linked to the 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."[140][141][142]
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.[143][144][140] 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.[145]
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 actually 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.[18]
An AI-generated video of model Bella Hadid supposedly apologising for her past remarks and expressing support for Israel circulated on social media.[146][147][148]
Role of social media platforms
Disinformation about the war has spread on social media platforms, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter).[149][150][151][71][69] 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.[152][153][154][155]
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.[156]
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."[157] On 13 October, the EU opened an investigation into X about the spread of disinformation and terrorist content related to the war.[158][159]
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.[160] Cyabra, 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.[161]
According to the New York Times, many images and videos that circulate on social media pretending to be from the Israel–Hamas 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.[162]
According to AP's David Klepper, "pictures from the Israel-Hamas 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."[163]
Cyabra, an Israeli social media intelligence company[undue weight? – discuss] found that on the day after the attack, one in four posts about the conflict on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X were from fake accounts. The New York Times described the start of the Israel–Hamas 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.[3] 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".[3]
X (formerly Twitter)
On 9 October, X said there were more than 50 million posts on the platform about the conflict.[71] Musk recommended two accounts that previously promoted a false claim about an explosion near the Pentagon for updates about the war.[164][150]
On 10 October, researchers found that a network of 67 X accounts was coordinating a campaign of pushing false information about the war.[165]
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.[166] Fake accounts pretending to be a BBC journalist and The Jerusalem Post promoted false information about the war prior to X suspending them.[167][69]
On 12 October, the Technology Transparency Project reported that Hamas was using premium accounts on X to push propaganda.[168][169] X said it has banned Hamas and removed hundreds of accounts affiliated with Hamas.[170]
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.[171]
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.[172][173][174][175][176]
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.[177] 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.[178][179][180]
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.[181] 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.[182][183][184][185]
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.[186][187]
TikTok
On 12 October, the EU warned TikTok about illegal content and disinformation on its platform.[188][189] On 15 October, TikTok said it had taken action to remove "violative content and accounts".[190] 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.[190][191][192] A TikTok video promoting conspiracy theories that Hamas's attack had been orchestrated by the media was viewed over 300,000 times.[192]
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.[193]
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.[194]
Telegram
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.[170][195] The Digital Forensic Research Lab found that Hamas relies on Telegram to send statements to its supporters.[195]
According to political analyst and researcher Arieh Kovler, many Israelis follow official-sounding Telegram channels that share out-of-context videos and unverified rumors.[195]
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".[195]
Impact
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."[196]
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.[197]
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."[198] The boycotts started after McDonald's Israel announced it had donated free meals to IDF soldiers involved in the war.[199]
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."[200]
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."[201] 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."[202]
See also
- Denial of the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel
- Israeli public diplomacy in the Israel–Hamas war
- Media coverage of the Israel–Hamas 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
Notes
- ^ 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."[114]
References
- ^ "Israel-Hamas war misinformation is everywhere. Here are the facts". AP News. 2023-11-02. Archived from the original on 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
- ^ "The war over fake content linked to Israel-Hamas conflict". PBS news. 28 December 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ a b c d Lee Myers, Steven; Frenkel, Sheera (November 3, 2023). "In a Worldwide War of Words, Russia, China and Iran Back Hamas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c Frenkel, Sheera (5 June 2024). "Israel Secretly Targets U.S. Lawmakers With Influence Campaign on Gaza War". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Robins-Early, Nick (2024-05-30). "OpenAI says Russian and Israeli groups used its tools to spread disinformation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ a b Scahill, Jeremy (2024-02-07). "Israel's Ruthless Propaganda Campaign to Dehumanize Palestinians". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
- ^ "UN Special Committee finds Israel's warfare methods in Gaza consistent with genocide, including use of starvation as weapon of war".
- ^ a b Diver, Tony (7 October 2023). "Israeli commander among at least 50 people captured by Hamas". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ @IDFFarsi (7 October 2023). تسنیم: توزیع کنندگان اخبار جعلی سپاه پاسداران [Tasnim: Distributors of fake news of IRGC] (Tweet) (in Persian). Retrieved 8 October 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Hamas claims to have captured Israeli commander". The Jewish Chronicle. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
An IDF source told the JC the Hamas claim about Commander Aloni was "unclear and unconfirmed".
- ^ "Misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war is flooding social media. Here are the facts". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "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". انصاف نیوز (in Persian). 11 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "فیلم خنده دار سوتی شبکه خبر صدا و سیما: پخش تصاویر دستگیری فرماندهان جدائی طلبان قره باغ آذربایجان به جای ژنرال های اسرائیلی". saednews.com (in Persian). 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "فیلم خنده دار سوتی شبکه خبر صدا و سیما: پخش تصاویر دستگیری فرماندهان جدائی طلبان قره باغ آذربایجان به جای ژنرال های اسرائیلی". صاحبخبر (in Persian). 11 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Video: CNN team ducks from 'massive barrage of rockets' near Israel-Gaza border, 2023-10-09, archived from the original on 2023-10-14, retrieved 2023-10-15
- ^ Goel, Ishita (October 13, 2023). "Fabricated audio added to CNN report on Israel-Hamas war". Logically. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ O'Rourke, Ciara (October 12, 2023). "No, CNN didn't stage an attack near the Israel-Gaza border". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ a b c Owen Jones, Marc (October 16, 2023). "Analysis: Why is so much anti-Palestinian disinformation coming from India?". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ a b Spring, Marianna (2023-10-25). "Omer and Omar: How two 4-year-olds were killed and social media denied it". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- ^ "Was this photo of a dead Israeli baby AI-generated? When AI-detection errors muddle public debate". The Observers - France 24. 2023-10-18. Archived from the original on 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ Bedingfield, Will. "Generative AI Is Playing a Surprising Role in Israel-Hamas Disinformation". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ Maiberg ·, Emanuel (2023-10-14). "AI Images Detectors Are Being Used to Discredit the Real Horrors of War". 404 Media. Archived from the original on 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ a b c Rabinowitz, Aaron (31 January 2024). "Death and Donations: Did the Israeli Volunteer Group Handling the Dead of October 7 Exploit Its Role?". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
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.
- ^ a b "ZAKA exploited Hamas's October 7 attack to campaign for donations – report Volunteers who worked alongside ZAKA accuse members of creating". Times of Israel. 6 February 2024. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
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.
- ^ a b c d e f "How 2 debunked accounts of sexual violence on Oct. 7 fueled a global dispute over Israel-Hamas war". AP News. 2024-05-22. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "We were lied into the Gaza genocide. Al Jazeera has shown us how". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "Israelis tell British MPs of evidence of Hamas sexual violence". 2024-01-31. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ "U.N. finds 'clear and convincing' information that hostages have been raped in Gaza". NBC News. 2024-03-05. Archived from the original on 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ a b c "Fact Check: Video of people thrown from roof shows punishment by IS, not Hamas". Reuters Fact Check. Reuters. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Zedeck, Nicole (10 October 2023). "'It smells of death here': Surveying the scenes of atrocities in Kfar Aza". I24news. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Tuquero, Loreben (13 October 2023). "Reports of 260 Israeli music fest deaths aren't unsubstantiated". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ Williams, Holly; Lyall, Erin (11 October 2023). "Israel kibbutz the scene of a Hamas "massacre", first responders say: "The depravity of it is haunting"". CBS News. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Norman, Greg (12 October 2023). "Israeli PM's office releases graphic photos purporting to show Hamas 'murdered and burned' babies". Fox News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d Tenbarge, Kat; Chan, Melissa (12 October 2023). "Unverified reports of '40 babies beheaded' in Israel-Hamas war inflame social media". NBC News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Chance, Matthew; Greene, Richard Allen; Berlinger, Joshua (12 October 2023). "Israeli official says government cannot confirm babies were beheaded in Hamas attack". CNN. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Attaque du Hamas : d'où vient l'affirmation selon laquelle un bébé israélien a été mis à mort dans un four ?". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2023-10-30. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ Gooding, Dan (8 November 2023). "Israeli Rescue Worker Says Baby Found in Oven Was Burned Alive, Hits Back at Claims Story is Fake". The Messenger News. Archived from the original on 26 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ "טבח חמאס גרר הפצת סיפורי זוועות שלא כולם קרו במציאות. האמת קשה מספיק". Haaretz (in Hebrew). December 3, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Conspiracy Theories and Lies | Denial of Hamas' October 7 Massacre Is Gaining Pace Online". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Israel says current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down". SBS News In Depth. SBS World News. 25 June 2024. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
- ^ Goggin, Ben (10 October 2023). "Gaza church debunks fake claim that it was destroyed". NBC News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Gilbert, David. "Elon Musk Is Shitposting His Way Through the Israel-Hamas War". Wired. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Blast Goes off at Orthodox Church Campus in Gaza". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Qarjouli, Asmahan (12 October 2023). "Gaza: Experts debunk fake news on Qatar gas supply threats". Doha News. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ a b Callaghan, Louise (November 5, 2023). "Both sides in Israel-Gaza conflict are waging a disinformation war". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ "Did Israel use misleading images to claim it wasn't blocking Gaza aid?". euronews. 2024-02-14. Archived from the original on 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ Liles, Jordan (2024-02-12). "Official Israeli Video About Aid for Gaza Showed Clip of Ukrainian Refugee Camp in Moldova?". Snopes. Archived from the original on 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
- ^ "Disinformation surge threatens to fuel Israel-Hamas conflict". The Straits Times. Reuters. 2023-10-18. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 2023-10-19. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ Doak, Sam; Dharmadhikari, Sanyukta (October 19, 2023). "Speculation, misinformation, and accusations in the wake of the Gaza hospital blast". Logically. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Putterman, Samantha (October 18, 2023). "The Wall Street Journal didn't report that an American missile caused deadly Gaza hospital blast". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Eltayeb, Mohamed (2023-11-12). "Disinformation experts call out Israeli theatrics for using actress to play anti-Hamas nurse". Doha News | Qatar. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Marchant de Abreu, Catalina (2023-11-15). "Truth or Fake - Video of 'nurse' denouncing Hamas occupation of Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital is staged". France 24. Archived from the original on 2023-11-25. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ Brancatisano, Emma (November 26, 2023). "From Pallywood to US troops: Four viral claims about the Hamas-Israel war, fact-checked". SBS News. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ Jones, Marc Owen (2023-11-15). "Israel's Comically Bad Disinfo Proves They're Losing PR War". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ Norton, Tom (2023-11-23). "Israeli influencer denies playing Gaza nurse in viral video". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ Editorial team. "How Does Edy Cohen Stir Up Controversy and Mislead The Arab Public Opinion?". misbar.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ a b Doak, Sam (October 27, 2023). ""Pallywood:" How denial of civilian harm in Gaza has proliferated". Logically. Archived from the original on 2023-10-29. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
- ^ a b Bond, Shannon (27 November 2023). "Civilian deaths are being dismissed as 'crisis actors' in Gaza and Israel". NPR. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ a b Gallo, Nathan (November 1, 2023). "No, this video doesn't show a Palestinian pretending to be injured in the Israel-Hamas war". France 24. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ Graus, Marta Campabadal (November 30, 2023). "Evidence lacking for 'crisis actor' claims about Palestinian in Gaza TV footage". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on 2023-12-12. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ a b c Fiallo, Josh (November 9, 2023). "Israeli Diplomat Busted Spreading Blatant Disinfo About Palestinians". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2023-11-10. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
- ^ a b Robinson, Olga; Sardarizadeh, Shayan (2023-12-22). "False claims of staged deaths surge in Israel-Gaza war". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Rommen, Rebecca (3 December 2023). "False claims dead Palestinian baby was 'a doll' go viral on social media in the Israel-Hamas disinformation war". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Summers, William (December 13, 2023). "Images show Gazan baby, not a doll". Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2023-12-16. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ "Al Jazeera takes down video falsely alleging IDF rapes in Shifa Hospital". The Times of Israel. 25 March 2024. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ a b c Philp, Catherine; Weiniger, Gabrielle (7 June 2024). "Israel says Hamas weaponised rape. Does the evidence add up?". The Times.
- ^ "Why the Gaza Health Ministry's death count is considered reliable". 13 October 2024.
- ^ Huynh, B. Q.; Chin, E. T.; Spiegel, P. B. (2024). "No evidence of inflated mortality reporting from the Gaza Ministry of Health". Lancet (London, England). 403 (10421): 23–24. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02713-7. PMID 38070526.
- ^ a b c d e Wyner, Abraham (7 March 2024). "How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers". Tablet. Cite error: The named reference ":4" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Rickett, Oscar. "Pro-Israel advocates downplay Palestinian casualties at UK parliament hearing". Middle East Eye.
- ^ a b c Dixit, Pranav (10 October 2023). "Social media platforms swamped with fake news on the Israel-Hamas war". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "A note on "How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers"". Bits of DNA. 2024-03-08. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
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."
- ^ "Hamas's Gaza death toll is exaggerated or faked, statistics expert claims". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Are Hamas Death Figures Fake?". Outside the Beltway. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
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."
- ^ "Information missteps have led to questions about Israel's credibility". NBC News. 2023-11-18. Archived from the original on 2023-11-19. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ a b Catherine Philp; Gabrielle Weiniger (7 June 2024). "Israel says Hamas weaponised rape. Does the evidence add up?". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ Rogers, Paul. "Israeli government's lies about Gaza shouldn't be a surprise". openDemocracy. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Scahill, Jeremy (7 February 2024). "Netanyahu's War on Truth". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Srivastava, Mehul; Joiner, Sam; Andringa, Peter (15 October 2023). "Did Israel bomb a civilian evacuation route in Gaza?". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "One million Gazans displaced as Israel readies for ground attack". France 24. 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ Borger, Julian (17 November 2023). "IDF evidence so far falls well short of al-Shifa hospital being Hamas HQ". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Christou, William; Horton, Alex; Kelly, Meg. "Israel used U.S.-supplied white phosphorus in Lebanon attack". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Israel: White Phosphorus Used in Gaza, Lebanon". Human Rights Watch. 12 October 2023. Archived from the original on 22 October 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Wintour, Patrick (13 October 2023). "Israel denies using white phosphorus munitions in Gaza". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Loveluck, Louisa; Piper, Imogen; Cahlan, Sara; Harb, Hajar; Balousha, Hazem. "Drone footage raises questions about Israeli justification for deadly strike on Gaza journalists". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ "IDF again denies killing mother and daughter at Gaza church, cites Hamas fire in area". The Times of Israel. 21 December 2023. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Berger, Miriam; Bellware, Kim (16 December 2023). "IDF kills two women taking shelter at Gaza church, Catholic authorities say". The Washington Post. OCLC 2269358. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ Donnelly, Dyllan (17 December 2023). "MP Layla Moran worried family trapped in Gaza church will not survive one week before Christmas". Sky News. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Ward, EJ (18 December 2023). "Israeli official brands Gaza church attack 'rather strange' as MP's family shelter with 'snipers pointing guns at them'". LBC. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ "Truth or Fake - IDF found a calendar in Arabic, not a Hamas 'names list' at hospital". France 24. 2023-11-16. Archived from the original on 2023-11-23. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ "CNN Quietly Cut Disputed Israeli Military Claim From Some Video Reports". Yahoo News. 2023-11-16. Archived from the original on 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
- ^ "What video and eyewitness accounts tell us about Gazans killed around aid convoy". www.bbc.com. March 1, 2024. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ "UN sees 'large number of gunshot wounds' after Israel's 'flour massacre'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Boxerman, Aaron (March 8, 2024). "Israel Says Its Forces 'Fired Precisely' During Aid Convoy Chaos". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Katie Polglase; Zahid Mahmood; Ibrahim Dahman; Gianluca Mezzofiore (2024-04-09). "Dying for a bag of flour: Videos and eyewitness accounts cast doubt on Israel's timeline of deadly Gaza aid delivery". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-10.
- ^ "Israel's claim on 'flour massacre' contradicts evidence: Amnesty official". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ "Shrapnel from Israeli strike may have ignited fuel tank near Rafah tents -- report". The Times of Israel.
- ^ "Canada (again) endorses a Hamas report without waiting for evidence". National Post. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
- ^ "IDF says hidden store of terror munitions may have caused deadly Rafah blaze". The Times of Israel.
- ^ "Fire raging, blood everywhere: What really we know about Israeli strike on a tent camp in Rafah". NBC News. 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
- ^ "Carnage and Contradiction: Examining a Deadly Strike in Rafah". The New York Times. 14 June 2024. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ "Hind Rajab: Were Israeli troops around where the six-year-old was killed?". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
- ^ "Palestinian paramedics said Israel gave them safe passage to save a 6-year-old girl in Gaza. They were all killed". The Washington Post. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Loveluck, Louisa; Hill, Evan; Baran, Jonathan; Nakashima, Ellen; Ley, Jarrett. "The case of al-Shifa: Investigating the assault on Gaza's largest hospital". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Takeaways from AP's report on three hospitals in northern Gaza raided by Israeli troops". ABC News. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Debre, Isabel; Frankel, Julia; Keath, Lee (3 November 2024). "Still wrecked from past Israeli raids, hospitals in northern Gaza come under attack again". Associated Press. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Bunkall, Alistair. "Israeli intelligence report claims four UNRWA staff in Gaza involved in Hamas kidnappings". Sky News. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Srivastava, Mehul; England, Andrew (3 February 2024). "Head of UN agency for Palestinians defies Israeli calls to quit". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ "'Unproven Allegations': U.K.'s Channel 4 Slams Israel's Charge Against UNRWA". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ Shurafa, Wafaa; Magdy, Samy (17 February 2024). "U.S. envoy says Israel has not shown evidence that Hamas is diverting UN aid in Gaza". PBS. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ McAlpin, Nick; Ambri, Anas (20 October 2023). "Gaza Baptist Hospital massacre: Why Israeli Hamas 'audio evidence' is probably disinformation". New Arab. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Hamas Committed Documented Atrocities. But a Few False Stories Feed the Deniers". Haaretz. 4 December 2023. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Israeli personnel gave false information about 7 October attack crimes – report". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "'40 beheaded babies': Deconstructing the rumor at the heart of the information battle between Israel and Hamas". Le Monde. 3 April 2024. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
- ^ Lennard, Natasha (24 September 2024). "CNN Anchors Won't Stop Lying About Something Rashida Tlaib Never Said". The Intercept. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Fink, Rachel (24 September 2024). "'Don't Use My Religion': Antisemitism Allegations Spark Firestorm Between Michigan AG and Rashida Tlaib". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ Neavling, Steve. "Fact-check: Tlaib did not say Nessel charged pro-Palestinian protesters because she's Jewish". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Dwoskin, Elizabeth (2024-01-21). "Growing Oct. 7 'truther' groups say Hamas massacre was a false flag". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ O'Rourke, Ciara (2023-10-13). "False flag claims amid Israel-Hamas violence lack evidence". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ Novak, Matt (2023-10-16). "Conspiracy Theorists Go Viral With Unsubstantiated Claim About Israel-Hamas Conflict". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- ^ Marcelo, Philip (9 October 2023). "Biden hasn't signed a recent order sending $8B in aid to Israel. A 'memo' circulating online was altered". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ a b Goggin, Ben (8 October 2023). "Verified accounts spread fake news release about a Biden $8 billion aid package to Israel". NBC News. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ a b Myers, Steven Lee; Frenkel, Sheera (2023-11-03). "In a Worldwide War of Words, Russia, China and Iran Back Hamas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
- ^ Benjakob, Omer (19 March 2024). "Israeli Influence Operation Targets U.S. Lawmakers on Hamas-UNRWA". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2024-03-22. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
- ^ Benjakob, Omer (November 20, 2023). "Russian Op Pushes Gaza Disinfo With Spoofed Fox News Site and 'Deep-fake' Israeli Soldiers". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ Khatsenkova, Sophia (2023-11-23). "How a Russian online campaign is exploiting the Israel-Hamas war". Euronews. Archived from the original on 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
- ^ "Rights chief decries disinformation attacks on the UN". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ "A covert Israeli online influence campaign tried to sway American lawmakers". National Public Radio. 5 June 2024. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Israel targeted more than 120 US lawmakers in disinformation campaign". Politico. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "IDF investigates forged Hamas documents leaked to foreign media". The Jerusalem Post. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Doak, Sam (9 October 2023). "Video of caged children predates recent fighting in Israel and Gaza". Logically. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Liles, Jordan; Ibrahim, Nur (9 October 2023). "Does Video Show Children in Chicken Coop Cages in Israel-Hamas Conflict in October 2023?". Snopes. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ Kulsum, Umme (9 October 2023). "Video of Iran parliamentarians saying 'Death to America' is not related to Israel-Hamas war". Logically. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ O'Rourke, Ciara (11 October 2023). "Video shows Iranian lawmakers chanting 'death to America' in 2020, not 2023". PolitiFact. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "برج القاهرة وعلم فلسطين.. حقائق لا تعرفها" [Cairo Tower and the Palestinian flag.. truths you don't know]. Al-Ain (in Arabic). 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Orland, Kyle (11 October 2023). "Users mistake video game clips for real Israeli war footage on social media". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "Video game clips misleadingly shared amid Israel-Hamas war". Agence France-Presse. 2023-10-11. Archived from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ Echols, William (2023-10-17). "Viral Footage Does Not Show Israel's Iron Beam Air Defense Laser in Action". Polygraph.info. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ "Trolls Push Video Game Clips as Real Gaza Conflict Footage -- and It's Working". Rolling Stone. 2023-10-09. Archived from the original on 2024-04-20. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
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.
- ^ a b Ganguly, Manisha; Farah, Hibaq (11 October 2023). "How Israel-Hamas war disinformation is being spread online". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Faerseth, John (October 18, 2023). "No evidence that Hamas has received NATO weapons donated to Ukraine". Logically. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ Gonzales, Angelo (2023-10-18). "What you need to know about disinformation in the Israel-Hamas war". Rappler. Archived from the original on 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ "Fact Check: Filming of movie shared to claim Israel-Hamas conflict is staged". Reuters. 11 October 2023. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Goldin, Melissa (11 October 2023). "A video spreading online shows the making of a 2022 film, not propaganda for the Israel-Hamas war". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Mazrieva, Eva (2023-10-14). "In Indonesia, Fake News About Israel-Hamas War Triggers Concern". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
- ^ "Faked video of Bella Hadid circulates on social media". Full Fact. 2023-10-31. Archived from the original on 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Wade, Natalie (2023-11-03). "Deepfake of Bella Hadid misrepresents her statements on Israel". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 2023-12-19. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Cruz, Ailla Dela (2023-11-06). "FACT CHECK: Video of Bella Hadid supporting Israel is AI-generated". Rappler. Archived from the original on 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ Gilbert, David (9 October 2023). "The Israel-Hamas War Is Drowning X in Disinformation". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ a b Milmo, Dan (9 October 2023). "X criticised for enabling spread of Israel-Hamas disinformation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Goswami, Rohan (9 October 2023). "X, formerly Twitter, amplifies disinformation amid the Israel-Hamas conflict". CNBC. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Fung, Brian; O'Sullivan, Donie (10 October 2023). "EU warns Elon Musk of 'penalties' for disinformation circulating on X amid Israel-Hamas war". CNN. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ O'Carroll, Lisa (10 October 2023). "EU warns Elon Musk over 'disinformation' on X about Hamas attack". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Vanian, Jonathan (10 October 2023). "Europe gives Elon Musk 24 hours to respond about Israel-Hamas war misinformation and violence on X, formerly Twitter". CNBC. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ "Europe gives Mark Zuckerberg 24 hours to respond about Israel-Hamas conflict and election misinformation". CNBC. 11 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Musk's X rebuffs disinfo claims on Israel violence". France 24. 12 October 2023. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "How Israel-Hamas War Misinformation Is Spreading Online". Time. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Espinoza, Javier (12 October 2023). "EU opens probe into X over Israel-Hamas war misinformation". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Shakir, Umar (13 October 2023). "EU is formally investigating X over content about the Israel-Hamas war". The Verge. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Fung, Brian; Duffy, Clare (2023-10-14). "The Israel-Hamas war reveals how social media sells you the illusion of reality". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- ^ Spring, Marianna (2023-10-15). "Who's behind Israel-Gaza disinformation and hate online?". BBC. Archived from the original on 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ Fichera, Angelo (2023-11-02). "The Horrifying Images Are Real. But They're Not From the Israel-Gaza War". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
- ^ Klepper, David (2023-11-28). "Fake babies, real horror: Deepfakes from the Gaza war increase fears about AI's power to mislead". AP News. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
- ^ Menn, Joseph (9 October 2023). "As false war information spreads on X, Musk promotes unvetted accounts". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Collier, Kevin (10 October 2023). "67 X accounts spread coordinated disinformation about Israel-Hamas war, says research group". NBC News. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
- ^ Gilbert, David. "A Graphic Hamas Video Donald Trump Jr. Shared on X Is Actually Real, Research Confirms". Wired. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ Rucker, Samuel (9 October 2023). "The hoaxes and misinformation about Israel and Gaza, debunked". i. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "X Premium Accounts Spread Hamas Propaganda Videos of Attack on Israel". Tech Transparency Project. October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ Ruberg, Sara (2023-10-16). "Israel-Hamas war misinformation is harder to track, researchers say". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ a b O'Sullivan, Donie; Fung, Brian (2023-10-16). "Hamas' social media following has skyrocketed since its attack. America is powerless to stop it". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ Rosman, Rebecca (13 October 2023). "Violence and disinformation rampant on social media in Israel-Hamas War". The World. Archived from the original on 13 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "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". NewsGuard. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Weatherbed, Jess (2023-10-20). "Blue checkmarks on X are 'superspreaders of misinformation' about Israel-Hamas war". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2023-10-20). "X/Twitter Verified Blue Check-Mark Users Are 'Superspreaders' of Disinformation About Israel-Hamas War, Study Says". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
- ^ "Verified Hate Speech Accounts Are Pivoting to Palestine for Clout and Cash". Rolling Stone. November 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-11-02. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
- ^ "Opinion – How Twitter's Community Notes Accelerates Denialism About Hamas Atrocities Against Israelis". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-11-06. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
- ^ Czopek, Madison (November 1, 2023). "Haaretz rebuts a viral claim about its reporting on Israeli casualties". Poynter Institute. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Ottolenghi, Emanuele; Rosenberg, Marina (2023-10-31). "HispanTV Is Iran's Propaganda Arm in Latin America; Why Is It Still Being Broadcast?". Algemeiner Journal. Archived from the original on 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "The anti-hate group that Elon Musk sued released a new report alleging inaction on racist tweets: 'We will not be cowed by bullies'". Fortune. Archived from the original on 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "X fails to remove antisemitic and islamophobic hate speech". Euronews. 15 November 2023. Archived from the original on 16 November 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ "Fact Check: Does Video Show Israel Helicopter Shoot Festival Goers?". Newsweek. 13 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "Distort and Deceive: One Pro-Assad Influencer's Disinfo War on Israel". polygraph.info. 15 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
- ^ "How Media Outlets Like Haaretz Are Weaponized in the Fake News Wars Over Israel and Hamas". Haaretz. Haartez. Archived from the original on 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
- ^ Satariano, Adam (18 December 2023). "Illicit Content on Elon Musk's X Draws E.U. Investigation". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-12-19. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
- ^ "Musk's platform X feeds monetisation of misinformation in a time of war". The Hindu. 15 February 2024. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ Kao, Jeff; Bengani, Priyanjana (2023-12-20). "How Verified Accounts on X Thrive While Spreading Misinformation About the Israel-Hamas Conflict". ProPublica. Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "Elon Musk accused of profiting from tragedy as study finds X rewards hate targeting Israel-Gaza war". Techcruch. 11 April 2024. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Fung, Brian (2023-10-12). "EU officials warn TikTok over Israel-Hamas disinformation". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-10-15. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2023-10-12). "TikTok Gets EU Warning Over Violent Videos, Disinformation From Hamas-Israel War Reported on App". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ a b Race, Michael (2023-10-15). "TikTok says action taken on Israel conflict videos". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ Jolly, Jasper (2023-10-15). "TikTok says it has acted to curb disinformation amid Israel-Hamas war". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ a b Cooban, Anna (2023-10-16). "TikTok steps up efforts to counter misinformation about Israel-Hamas war". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
- ^ Roscoe, Jules (November 14, 2023). "TikTok Says It's Not the Algorithm, Teens Are Just Pro-Palestine". Vice News. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ לינדר, רוני; גויכמן, רפאלה (2023-12-01). "גבלס, בן לאדן וארטיק קראנץ' פיסטוק: את המלחמה בעזה אנחנו עלולים להפסיד בזירת הטיקטוק". TheMarker. Archived from the original on 2023-12-02. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ a b c d Murphy, Hannah (2023-10-16). "Israel conflict lets loose a deluge of falsehoods on social media". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2023-10-17. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (2023-10-12). "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". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
- ^ Stokel-Walker, Chris (November 16, 2023). "Why disinformation experts say the Israel-Hamas war is a nightmare to investigate". Fast Company. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "McDonald's hit by Israel-Gaza 'misinformation'". BBC News. 2024-01-04. Archived from the original on 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ "McDonald's sales dented as Israel-Hamas war boycotts bite". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
- ^ Saliba, Emmanuelle; Zayara, Sami (February 21, 2024). "'My son is not a doll': The story of Gaza's baby Muhammad as his family grieves amid misinformation". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "UN chief demands Israel allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza, says situation enables 'false narratives' to flourish". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ McCarthy, Bill; Chopra, Anuj (18 April 2024). "Digital 'sleuths' fuel misinformation after Iran strikes". AFP. Retrieved 23 April 2024.