Israeli public diplomacy in the Gaza war
These efforts take place in the context that a week after the outbreak of the war following the 7 October 2023 surprise attack on Israel, the Israeli Ministry of Information was closed and the office's resources were transferred to the new Rebirth Administration.These associations gave legitimacy to Palestinians as a persecuted group requiring public activism for support, which in turn caused pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel bodies in United States universities to grow in size and influence.On December 6, the United States Congress held a public hearing for Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania following the increase in anti-Semitism on their campuses and the silence of the presidency and management.[28][additional citation(s) needed] IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari held a daily briefing for the media, usually in Hebrew and sometimes in English when he presented important information.Every shekel devoted to this cause is an investment, not an expense, and will strengthen Israel and its standing in the world.” According to Jewish Insider, Saar and his team have been conducting brainstorming sessions with a diverse range of individuals and groups engaged in pro-Israel advocacy worldwide.[37][38] Israeli security forces described a detained fighter's confession, saying that the Hamas leadership had promised them an apartment and ten thousand dollars to whoever would bring a hostage from Gaza, including the elderly, women, and children.[citation needed] At the beginning of the screening, Erdan said: "What is the point of the existence of the United Nations if, on International Children's Day, all discussions do not open with condemnation of Hamas, which is committing one of the most serious war crimes in history?".[52] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with many world leaders to mobilize international support for Israel and was in frequent contact with United States President Joe Biden.On November 27, Netanyahu hosted Elon Musk - one of the richest people in the world and the owner of the social network X (Twitter) - and gave him a tour of Gaza City, which was severely damaged following October 7, and showed him the horror film documenting the war crimes committed by Hamas.[62] A public diplomacy effort by the Israeli military, the "72 Virgins – Uncensored" Telegram channel, starting on October 9, 2023, shared graphic images and videos of Palestinians taken in Gaza.[74] These photos were also included in the Jerusalem Post Israeli papers, but the stories with them speculated at length about possible sexual violence[74] Al Jazeera English produced their own video covering the October 7 attacks.[96] In the first days of the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post published an article describing the similarities between the groups' influences, as identified by Dr. Harel Chorev from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, as well as a quote from Benjamin Netanyahu saying, “They are savages.[118] These tweets reached, among others, Ahmed Taha, an influencer from the United Arab Emirates with close to half a million followers, as well as the founding partner of Salesforce and the owner of Time magazine, Marc Benioff.[122][123][additional citation(s) needed] Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was often interviewed by foreign media networks, where he argued Israel's military response was justified due to the brutality of Hamas, which he compared to Nazis.[144][better source needed] President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has openly expressed himself as an enthusiastic supporter of Israel, having visited the nation several times since the beginning of the war and planted a tree in Jerusalem.[148][149][150] On November 14, "Eretz Nehederet" published another skit mocking the BBC, in which the presenter Rachel interviews Yahya Sanwar in a very sympathetic manner and, among other things, accuses an Israeli baby who was kidnapped by Hamas and cries in the background of sleep deprivation torture against Sinwar, who is holding him.[155] In December 2023, "Eretz Nehederet" aired a skit in English with the participation of Michael Rapaport mocking the presidents of the elite universities by hearing that Albus Dumbledore conducts for three professors at Hogwarts who expressed support for the "genocide of Botshams" and after being told that it was because of a lot of money from the Qatari state, he also joins.[160] Videos have been circulated around the internet encouraging and explaining how to join this front,[161] with many private individuals taking responsibility to spread pro-Israel hasbara while publicly criticizing the contrasting discourse.The Civil Information Headquarters headed by Eliav Batito conducted many hasbara activities that include, among other things, documentation, distribution, translation, fact-checking, and positive news.[171] The film was watched in Malacca by Kenny Ong who asked an Israeli friend who spoke the language, who became aware of the matter at about the same time: "Does Hananya Naftali understand Malay?"[172] The "Kidnapped from Israel" campaign began as an initiative of the duo of artists "Deda" and Nitzan Mintz together in a residency program in New York and in collaboration with the Israeli designer Tal Hoover.[175][176] Later, the headquarters published three demands:[177] On October 18, representatives of the families of the abductees met with the President of the United States Joe Biden, who made a special visit to Israel in the midst of the war.The photographs showed tunnel shafts, a motorcycle used by the kidnappers, documents with Hamas guard duty records, a basement with equipment for a long stay, including electricity (stolen from the hospital), ventilation, a kitchen and toilets, weapons, an explosive belt, and ammunition found among the patients.[204] During the fighting in the Gaza Strip, IDF forces stated numerous times that they found many weapons and ammunition, including artillery rockets, which they alleged were stored or hidden in educational institutions, schools, and kindergartens.[216] 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".[218] 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,[219][220] directly contradicting the IDF.[224][225][226] 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.[229] 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.[232] 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.[256] 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".
Shabbat DinnerTel Aviv Museum of ArtGaza warTimelineOutlineOctober 7 Hamas-led attack on IsraelMilitary engagementsSderotNahal OzOfakimNova music festival massacreNetiv HaAsaraAlumimBe'eriKfar AzaKissufimNir OzNir YitzhakIsraeli invasion of the Gaza StripBeit HanounGaza CityJabalia IKhan YunisAl-QararaShuja'iyya IShuja'iyya ambushShuja'iyya IIInsurgency in the North Gaza StripKhan Yunis IIKhan Yunis IIINorth GazaIsraeli incursionsTulkarm IOperation Summer CampsTulkarm IIBattle of NetzarimGaza genocideIsraeli bombing of the Gaza StripRefugee campsJabalia31 OctoberAl-Fakhoora schoolAl-Shati refugee campAl-MaghaziSchoolsPalestinians evacuating GazaHealth facilitiesAl-Ahli Arab HospitalAl-Shifa HospitalAmbulanceNasser HospitalAttacks on religious sitesRafah strikesFlour massacreKuwait RoundaboutAttack on journalists in LebanonFriendly fireIDF killing of hostages in Shuja'iyyaTel al-SultanAl-Mawasi (May)Al-Sardi schoolNuseiratAl-Mawasi (June)Al-Shati and Tuffah9 July 2024 attacksAl-Awda schoolAl-Mawasi (July)Al-Shati (July)Khan Yunis (July)Khadija schoolHamama schoolAl-Tabaeen schoolDeir al-BalahAl-Mawasi (September)Al-Jawni schoolTulkarm CampDeir al-Balah mosqueRufaida schoolAl-Aqsa hospitalKilling of Shaban al-DalouAbu Hussein schoolBeit Lahia (19 October)Beit Lahia (29 October)Kerem Shalom aid convoy lootingAl-Mawasi (December)Nuseirat (December)War crimes and effectsHamas war crimesHostage crisisPrisoner exchangeIsraeli war crimesIsraeli blockade of GazaFamineAI-assisted targetingMass detentionsSouth Africa v. IsraelICC arrest warrantsGaza Strip mass gravesTortureExecutions and assassinationsKilling of journalistsList of journalistsGaza humanitarian crisisChildrenHealthcare collapsePremature babiesImpacts and repercussionsDiplomatic impact2023 ceasefire2025 ceasefireCalls for a ceasefireEconomic impactOther theatersRed Sea crisisOperation Prosperity GuardianAttacks on the MV Maersk HangzhouOperation Poseidon ArcherMarlin Luanda missile strikeOperation AspidesSinking of the MV RubymarAttacks on the MV Tutor2024 Houthi drone attack on Israel20 July 2024 Israeli attack on YemenAttacks on the Sounion29 September 2024 Israeli attacks on YemenAttacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan