Introduction
In this digital age, where the majority of opinions are shaped precipitously on-the-go, social media has evolved into an invisible battlefield for fabrication of narratives where distortions are conveniently created. According to the span of the war in Gaza from October 2023 to October 2025, Israel employed a refined propaganda technique called Hasbara with the intent of deploying the official narrative and tricking international public opinion.
This strategy is more than just advertising campaigns: It is a systematic machinery, combining massive government funding, artificial intelligence, and collaboration with major digital platforms-interrogating the fundamental value of freedom of expression and the integrity of information.
In this article, we will examine Hasbara analytically, exposing how it contributes to the falsification of facts. By drawing on documented examples and analyses of its impact, we reveal the mechanisms of deception that transform the internet into a tool of digital repression.
Defining Hasbara: Historical and Political Context
The term Hasbara in Hebrew literally means “explanation” or “clarification,” but in reality, it refers to Israel’s organized propaganda efforts to market its image as a “democratic” and “victimized” state in the eyes of global public opinion, while justifying its military and occupation policies.
The roots of Hasbara are set in the founding of the state of Israel. Since 1948, successive governments have been engaged in altering historical narratives to shape international opinion, especially in the West.
In the year 2000, during the Second Intifada, Israel allegedly referred to the killing of the child Muhammad al-Durrah as a Palestinian “staged play,” or Pallywood for short, even after international investigations refuted such claims.
Such techniques present their defenders as terrorists and Israel as the accused perpetual victim, unfairly misrepresenting the realities of occupation and illegal settlements.
Analytically, Hasbara is not mere media defense, but a tool of systematic deception, manufacturing “mental filters” that justify Israeli violence as “self-defense.”
According to academic sources, such as a 2025 study published by Third World Quarterly, Hasbara tends to fall back on emotions along the lines of “good versus evil” narratives, painting Israeli civilians as innocents, and thus giving scant attention to the historical context of the Palestinian struggle.
Despite the Strategic Affairs Ministry closing its doors in 2021, the flow of government money did not stop, with the Knesset pouring in nearly $150 million to the modernization of digital Hasbara in December 2024, in particular targeting Generation Z on TikTok and Instagram.
Since young global audiences tend to lean toward supporting Palestine, Israel has recognized this shift, whereby Hasbara has become more and more blatant in its distortion of facts in order to retain Western support.
The Evolution of Israeli Digital Propaganda During the Genocide
When the war broke out in October 2023, Hasbara transformed into a “digital war” parallel to military operations, designed to win public opinion through social media.
Israel relied on platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok to spread propaganda content justifying bombings and blockades, using emotional images of grieving Israeli families to stir sympathy.
For example, official accounts circulated claims that Palestinians used “human shields,” even though UN reports dismissed these allegations and confirmed Israeli violations.
This strategy, known as the “Alliance of enemies”, linked Hamas to Iran and others to amplify the image of an “existential threat.”
At the same time, a digital repression of the Palestinians proceeded, in which Israel was severing electricity and internet from Gaza, constipating the transmission of true images of destruction.
This systematic erasure helped reinforce the dominance of the Israeli narrative. Al Jazeera reported in 2025 that Western media was increasingly relying on Israeli sources, thereby occluding the humanitarian side of Gaza’s suffering.
Analytically, this disparity reflects deliberate deception, where digital blackouts silence Palestinian voices, making the war appear “clean” in the eyes of the world.
Yet, Palestinian digital resistance emerged, with citizen journalists sharing war footage through hashtags like #GazaUnderAttack, mobilizing global solidarity, especially among youth.
A 2025 Arab News study noted that Israel is “losing the algorithm war,” as Palestinian narratives outperformed Israeli campaigns despite state-backed efforts.
Paid Advertising Campaigns on Digital Platforms
Israel spent tens of millions on paid advertising campaigns to promote its narrative.
In March 2025, it signed a $45 million deal with Google to run ads denying the existence of famine in Gaza, even as the blockade caused thousands of children to starve.
This six-month campaign included fabricated images showing Gaza as “thriving,” sparking criticism from No Tech for Apartheid, which accused Google of complicity in “whitewashing genocide.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also spent $15 million in the early weeks of the war on ads across Google and X, some of which appeared in children’s games, highlighting the targeting of younger generations.
Analytically, these campaigns represent systematic deception, exploiting algorithms to amplify Israel’s narrative.
A 2025 SMEX report revealed how ads smearing UNRWA as “terrorist-linked” appeared in Google search results, undermining the credibility of international organizations.
Organizations like Facts for Peace funded campaigns worth hundreds of thousands on Facebook portraying any support for Palestine as support for Hamas, reinforcing Western bias.
Use of Influencers, AI, and Deepfake Videos
Hasbara extended beyond ads, involving payouts of thousands of dollars to American influencers.
In September 2025, leaked documents revealed a $900,000 campaign paying $7,000 per post to promote Israeli narratives, targeting politicians and youth through Bridges Partners LLC.
This campaign, overseen by the Foreign Ministry, raised concerns of foreign interference. Netanyahu himself referred to it as a “community” disseminating preferred messages.
Artificial intelligence was also deployed to create deepfakes, such as a fake video of Bella Hadid apologizing for supporting Palestine, documented by 7amleh in 2024.
A 2025 Carnegie Endowment report warned that these technologies are turning the conflict into an “AI war,” with fabricated images of injured children designed to provoke sympathy.
Analytically, this marks a dangerous evolution in deception, where falsification is harder to detect, fueling confusion and undermining credibility.
Documented Examples of Disinformation and Smear Campaigns Against Activists
Numerous examples of disinformation include:
- Circulating a video claiming a dead Palestinian child was a Hamas “doll,” debunked by the BBC.
- Using footage from an old Lebanese film in November 2023 to allege a “staged Palestinian massacre.”
- Spreading fabricated statements attributed to activists like Anas Alsharif.
These examples illustrate how falsification is weaponized to discredit the Palestinian narrative, obstructing global awareness.
The Impact of These Campaigns on Digital Public Opinion and Their Relation to Censorship
The campaigns generated an “information fog,” with Western media favoring the Israeli narrative three times more than the Palestinian one.
Platform censorship reinforced this bias, for instance, Meta’s removal of thousands of pro-Palestine posts, as documented by Human Rights Watch in 2023.
A Call for Digital Awareness and Resistance to Deception
In conclusion, confronting Hasbara requires fostering digital awareness through verification tools and public education.
Organizations are urging the development of AI technologies to expose falsification while upholding freedom of expression.
Ultimately, resistance lies in critical curiosity to uncover manipulation, so that the struggle remains rooted in truth rather than propaganda.
