Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on 7 October 2023, the atrocities of genocide and grave violations of international law have been accompanied by a vast state-sponsored propaganda campaign. This machinery is designed to deny well-documented crimes, distort facts, and justify violations before the international community.
A new report by the Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) exposes how this propaganda has evolved into a strategic weapon targeting audiences in Western countries, particularly in Europe. State-funded ads promoted through platforms such as Google and YouTube deny the famine in Gaza, attack the International Criminal Court, discredit UN officials including Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, and seek to delegitimize UNRWA by falsely linking it to Hamas.
The report emphasizes that these campaigns are systematic and ongoing, deliberately crafted to shape Western public opinion and shield Israel from accountability. At the same time, global media giants restrict Palestinian content—silencing testimonies, suppressing documentation of atrocities, and reinforcing an unbalanced information environment.
(Witness) stresses that this disinformation is not mere political rhetoric but a weapon of war serving to obscure truth, obstruct justice, and prolong Israel’s impunity. We call on the international community—especially Western governments—to confront these campaigns, ensure accountability for Israel’s use of propaganda, and safeguard the institutions and individuals targeted by them.