Masters behind the puppets.

In an era where news media holds immense power in shaping public opinion within democratic societies, the dangerous effects of misinformation and disinformation have become increasingly evident.

When trusted media sources circulate unverified claims, two troubling outcomes emerge. First, readers may internalise the false information, holding onto it even after rare corrections are issued.

Alternatively, growing distrust in traditional news outlets can drive people toward alternative sources.

The evolving narrative around the question of Palestine is a prime example, demonstrating how misinformation can profoundly shape public opinion.

The National Endowment for Democracy has pointed out that emotionally charged content – whether it invokes fear, anger, awe, or disgust – tends to go viral, regardless of its truthfulness.

This is particularly damaging; once individuals are exposed to misinformation, it becomes exceedingly difficult to dislodge from their thinking. Even when corrections are rarely provided, the cognitive dissonance created by the initial falsehood prevents these revisions from taking hold, with many still recalling the debunked information as fact.

Furthermore, when false information permeates the public discourse, the damage often becomes permanent. 

Israel’s crimes against humanity exemplify a climate of impunity and a blatant lack of accountability, reflected in numerous violations of international law by the settler colony before October 7th.

Various violations of international and humanitarian law.

These include the illegal Israeli settlements on occupied land, which violate Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention (1949), and the illegal seizure of land by force, contravening the U.N. Charter, Article 2(4) (1945) and related resolutions. 

Israel’s ongoing practice of ethnic cleansing breaches the Geneva Convention IV, Articles 45, 46, and 49 (1949), along with U.N. resolutions 194 (1948) and 237 (1967). 

The apartheid system implemented by Israel is illegal under the International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid (1976). 

Additionally, massive human rights violations continue, in violation of U.N. Charter Articles 1 and 5, while the use of collective punishment defies the Geneva Conventions IV, Article 33 (1949), and Protocol I, Article 75(2d) (1977). 

The unlawful transformation of local laws violates the Hague Regulations IV, Article 43 (1907), and the construction of the separation barrier was deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004. Moreover, Israel has repeatedly violated numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions, breaching Article 25 of the U.N. Charter (1945) and subsequent resolutions.

Israel’s occupation forces have a long history of crafting disinformation (hasbara) aimed at demonising the very Palestinian population they have oppressed for decades.

Israel’s approach to disinformation is strategic. By the time the truth comes to light, the media cycle has moved on, leaving behind distorted narratives that persist. 

This is amplified by the media, which often removes essential context from its reporting on Israeli actions. 

As Israel continues to bombard Gaza, its leaders make their intentions clear. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s chilling comments, referring to Palestinains as “human animals” and vowing to “eliminate everything,” highlight the aggressive rhetoric at play.

While Israel’s disinformation tactics may not be highly sophisticated, they effectively divert attention from the root causes. By the time independent investigations can take place, the focus has often shifted, a pattern seen repeatedly in media coverage that downplays Israel’s crimes.

This culture of deception is not new; it has existed since before the controversial establishment of the settler colony in 1948. The Zionist colonial project has long perpetuated the myth of “a land without a people for a people without a land.” 

Western mainstream media, frequently serving as a mouthpiece for the Israeli government, often reports unverified claims as fact, thus manufacturing consent of crimes against humanity. 

Despite testimonies from witnesses and investigation reports, these revelations have done little to shift the Western media and political narrative, which continues to uncritically support Israel’s version of events.

Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur criticised the international community for being nearly “completely paralysed” in response to the escalating crisis. 

She emphasised that Palestinians are facing the “most significant existential threat,” arguing that it is insufficient for Western nations to simply support Israel’s claim to “self-defence.”

She said Israel could not claim self-defence in the laws of war because that could only be prescribed when under threat from another state. “Israel cannot claim the right of self-defence against a threat that emanates from a territory it occupies, from a territory that is under belligerent occupation,” she said. 

Despite this, Western politicians and media appear trapped in a hypnotic cycle, readily accepting even the most implausible denials from Israel concerning allegations of genocide and war crimes.

The Hamas breakout of besieged Gaza on October 7th has deep historical roots, tied to long-standing injustice against the native Palestinian people. 

Central to this is Hamas (Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-Islāmiyyah), Palestinian political and military organisation – the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades. 

Since 2007, Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip after winning elections.

Hamas emerged during the First Intifada, a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation, and was founded by Islamic scholar Ahmed Yassin. 

Yassin famously expressed ; “We don’t hate Jews and fight Jews because they are Jewish. They are a people of faith and we are a people of faith, and we love all people of faith. If my brother, from my own mother and father takes my homes and expels me from it, I will fight him. So when a Jew takes my home and expels me from it, I will fight him.”

His words capture the essence of the Palestinian grievance—an enduring struggle for land and rights. Yassin emphasised that historically, Jews lived peacefully among Palestinians and held prominent positions in society. 

However, the forced and violent expulsion of Palestinians, leading to millions of refugees, remains at the heart of the grievance.

As Yassin questioned, “Who has more right to this land? A Russian immigrant who left it 2,000 years ago, or one who left 40 years ago?”

Against this backdrop, Hamas launched the “Al Aqsa Flood” resistance operation on October 7th. 

The operation’s motivations were later outlined in a January 2024 document titled “Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” which was released in both Arabic and English by the Hamas Media Office.

The 18-page document sheds light on the rationale behind the breakout. It highlights what Hamas calls a “religious and moral commitment” to avoiding harm to civilians, stating that the group “only targeted occupation soldiers and those who carried weapons against our people.” 

Civilian casualties, the document claims, were unintentional and occurred “in the course of confrontations with the occupation forces.”

The document refutes claims of violence against civilians, calling such allegations “complete lies and fabrications,” and denies accusations of sexual violence.

Hamas did acknowledge the taking of Israeli settlers as hostages, though it insisted that civilians held in Gaza were treated well and that efforts were made early on to release them. 

Danielle and her five-year-old daughter, Emilia Aloni, were taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz, within the occupied territories. 

During their 49-day captivity in Gaza, Danielle expressed deep appreciation for the treatment her daughter received. After their release on November 24, as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement between Palestinian resistance groups and Israel, the mother and daughter were reunited with their family.

Before leaving Gaza, Danielle wrote a letter to Hamas, expressing her sincere gratitude for the care shown to Emilia during their time in captivity. In her letter, she stated: “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the extraordinary humanity shown towards my daughter, Emilia.”

The document further seeks to clarify the broader context of Hamas’ actions. In its introduction, Hamas outlines its intent to explain “the reality of what happened on October 7th,” providing the Palestinian perspective and rebutting Israeli allegations.

One section of the document, titled “A Reminder to the World: Who is Hamas?” emphasises that Hamas’s conflict is not with the Jewish people but with European Zionism, the political nationalist movement supporting the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. 

The document asserts that Hamas is fighting against a colonial project, stating, “Hamas does not wage a struggle against Jews because they are Jewish, but against the Zionists who occupy Palestine.” The group accuses Zionism of conflating Judaism with its own colonial ambitions.

 The document further highlights that, historically, the Arab and Islamic world has been a “safe haven” for Jews and other minorities, rejecting the idea that the suffering of Jews in Europe justifies the oppression of Palestinians in their homeland. 

In its concluding remarks, the report calls on global powers to stop shielding Israel from accountability and treating it as an entity “above the law.” Hamas urges the international community to reconsider its role in perpetuating the conflict by providing diplomatic, financial, and military support to the occupier, Israel.

By issuing this document, Hamas seeks to reframe its actions and narrative in the context of a larger struggle for Palestinian rights and sovereignty, while also challenging the dominant international portrayal of the group’s motivations and methods. 

Conversely, Polish- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Mileikowsky) declared a state of war, launching Operation Iron Swords.

According to a report by Israel’s Haaretz, documents and testimonies from senior and mid-level soldiers in the Israeli occupation army reveal a significant use of the controversial “Hannibal Directive” during the first hours of October 7th. 

 The Hannibal Directive, initially issued at 7:18 AM, authorised Israeli forces to prevent soldiers and civilians from being taken captive, even at the cost of their lives, effectively turning parts of Israeli territory into what Haaretz described as an “extermination zone.”

The directive, permitted Israeli forces to open fire on their own military bases, settlements, and the Gaza border, using heavy weapons from helicopters, drones, and tanks in an effort to eliminate Hamas fighters attacking from Gaza. 

Haaretz concluded that many of the 1,200 Israelis who died that day had been killed by Israeli forces following the Hannibal Directive.

Israeli Apache helicopters attacked the Nahal Oz outpost. The responsibility for these decisions, a senior security source noted, will weigh heavily on the senior commanders who issued them. 

As reported by The Cradle, Israeli helicopters targeted concert goers at Nova with heavy machine-gun fire and missiles, leading to the deaths of many, some burned alive by the incendiary munitions.

The Haaretz report also notes that the Hannibal Directive was likely executed in specific incidents on October 7th, including one at Kibbutz Be’eri, where an Israeli tank fired on a house full of Hamas fighters and Israeli captives. Of the 14 captives inside, 13 were killed, including 12-year-old twins Liel and Yanai Hetzroni, who were burned to death.

In an interview with The New York Times, Brigadier General Barak Hiram, commander of Division 99, admitted to ordering the tank strike on the house, “even at the cost of civilian casualties.” 

Similarity, Furthermore, in July 2024, The Cradle published a report revealing that Israel had issued the controversial “Hannibal Directive” early on October 7, authorizing the use of heavy fire to prevent Hamas from taking Israeli soldiers and civilians captive, even if it resulted in Israeli casualties. Documents and testimonies obtained by Haaretz revealed that Israeli forces targeted their own bases and areas near the Gaza border with helicopters, drones, and tanks to eliminate Hamas fighters. As a result, many of the 1,200 Israelis who died that day were likely killed by Israeli forces under this directive.

In the wake of October 7th, Israel embarked on a comprehensive Hasbara campaign aimed at influencing public perception and garner support for its disproportionate and indiscriminate retaliation in the form of collective punishment against innocent civilians in Gaza.

For example, Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the Israeli lawyer at the forefront of accusations claiming Hamas carried out systematic sexual violence during the events of October 7, was later accused by Israeli media of scamming donors and spreading misinformation. 

Israel’s largest newspaper, YNet, published a scathing exposé, accusing Elkayam-Levy of defrauding major donors, including a member of the Biden administration, and fabricating tales of Hamas atrocities. 

Moreover, she failed to deliver a promised report on sexual violence on October 7.

Concerns were also directed at ZAKA, alleging atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, faced serious accusations of providing false testimonies, often relayed to journalists on behalf of the Israeli government. 

Many reports from both Israeli and international media outlets, including CNN, the BBC, and the New York Times, drew on claims made by ZAKA volunteers, who asserted that Palestinians engaged in widespread gender-based violence against Israeli women during the events of that day.

Founded in the late 1990s by Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, ZAKA is a non-governmental, religious Haredi organisation focused on the recovery of deceased individuals and body parts from the scenes of unnatural deaths, adhering to strict Jewish religious customs. Meshi-Zahav, a former leader of the ultra-Orthodox terrorist group “Keshet,” led ZAKA until 2021 when he attempted suicide following allegations of numerous sexual assault cases against him. 

The organisation has been labeled a “militia” by respected Israeli journalist Yigal Sarna and has faced ongoing criticism, investigations, and calls for disbandment.

In essence, the validity of ZAKA’s testimonies hinges entirely on blind trust in the organisation’s members. 

Since October 7, ZAKA has played a pivotal role in Israel’s coordinated propaganda efforts, disseminating misleading information. A closer examination of ZAKA reveals significant credibility issues, with many of their claims having been exposed as fabrications.

Netanyahu acknowledged ZAKA’s influence, stating, “We need to buy time, which we also buy by turning to world leaders and to public opinion. You have an important role in influencing public opinion…[ZAKA testimonies] give us the maneuvering room.” This statement aligns with ZAKA’s troubling reputation, marked by a history of sexual violence, victim silencing, financial misconduct, and the exploitation of tragic events to enhance its public image and financial standing.

Adding to the scrutiny, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) conducted a forensic analysis of the events, examining hours of CCTV, dashcam, phone, and headcam footage from Hamas fighters. The analysis uncovered that many of the widely circulated stories, including claims of mass killings and beheading of babies, as well as allegations of widespread rape, were false. 

Among the falsehoods exposed was a claim by the Israeli army that it had found eight burned babies in a house in Kibbutz Be’eri. 

According to the I-Unit’s investigation, there were no babies in the house, and the 12 people inside were likely killed by Israeli forces when they stormed the building.

In March 2024, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported that some employees, after being released from Israeli detention, had been pressured by Israeli authorities to falsely claim that the agency had links to Hamas and that its staff participated in October 7.

This was detailed in a report reviewed by Reuters, which also highlighted allegations of mistreatment, including physical abuse and threats against family members, made by Palestinians who had worked for UNRWA and had been detained by the Israeli army.

In addition to these revelations, The New York Times reported that Israeli officials had been aware of a detailed Hamas plan for an attack over a year before October 7. Despite having this information, officials dismissed it as “aspirational” and did not act on it.

A 40-page blueprint, known as “Jericho Wall,” detailed a hypothetical attack on southern Israeli communities, but officials dismissed it as merely aspirational and ignored specific warnings.

Skepticism towards Israeli claims, particularly from nations in the Global South, stemmed not from bias but from Israel’s historical record of disseminating misleading information. 

Arab and European researchers, as well as Israeli historians, have long been working to debunk many of the narratives promoted by the state, using evidence from military and state archives. 

This ongoing pattern of deception has led to increasing international scrutiny of Israel’s credibility.

The use of false narratives, often referred to as “hasbara,” has essentially been employed to justify and manufacture consent for Israel’s ongoing plausible genocide.

Despite mounting evidence of atrocities committed by Israeli forces, the international community has remained largely silent, allowing these fabricated stories to perpetuate the conflict under the guise of “victimhood.”

The erasure of generations in Gaza and the ongoing loss of innocent Palestinian lives represent a harsh reality that makes a mockery of international law, furthering the ethnic cleansing of native Palestinians.

Francesca Albanese stated;What Israel was allowed to do was to act to establish law and order, to repel the attack, neutralise whomever was carrying out the attacks and then proceed with law and order measures… Not waging a war. What is being done (in Gaza) is wrong … How many more people need to die?”

In its report published July 2024, ‘Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential’, The Lancet reported that in recent conflicts, the number of indirect deaths can be three to fifteen times greater than the number of direct deaths. 

By applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths for every direct death to the reported total of 37,396 deaths, The Lancet reported that it is reasonable to project that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be linked to the ongoing war on Gaza. With a population estimate of 2,375,259 in the Gaza Strip for 2022, this would represent about 7.9% of the total population. 

Raz Segal, an Israeli expert in modern genocide, published his article in the Jewish Current, stating Israel’s assault on Gaza is “a textbook case of intent to commit genocide” and its rationalization of its violence a “shameful use” of the lessons of the Holocaust. Israeli state exceptionalism and comparisons of its Palestinians victims to “Nazis” are used to “justify, rationalise, deny, distort, disavow mass violence against Palestinians,” said Segal.

‘Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media’, written by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky in 1988, posits that western mass media serves as a potent ideological institution that functions as a mechanism of propaganda to support various agendas. 

It argues that the mass communication media “are effective and powerful ideological institutions that carry out a system-supportive propaganda function, by reliance on market forces, internalized assumptions, and self-censorship, and without overt coercion”

As the truth continues to surface, there is a growing call within the international community to confront the profound implications of Israel’s falsehoods and work toward a more just and accurate narrative. 

Israel remains the last settler colony in the world, and addressing this reality is crucial to achieving justice and accountability.

“Nobody is going to pour truth into your brain. It’s something you have to find out for yourself.” Noam Chomsky

Reclaim The Narrative.