The Israeli government has reportedly signed a $45 million agreement with Google to promote its narrative and counter what the news source describes as crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
According to the American website “Dropsite News,” the six-month contract, signed in late June with the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, aims to promote the Israeli government’s messages and downplay the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The site describes Google as a “key entity” in supporting Netanyahu’s public relations strategy.
The report, citing Israeli government documents, states that the ads are run through YouTube and the “Google Display & Video 360” platform and are labeled as “hasbara,” a Hebrew term often translated as “propaganda.”
The records also show that the Israeli government spent an additional $3 million on ads with the social media platform X and $2.1 million on the Israeli platform Outbrain.
A spokesperson for the Israeli army stated that authorities might launch a digital campaign to clarify that there is no starvation policy in Gaza and to present data. Since then, Israeli government ads denying famine in Gaza have become widespread, including a YouTube video from the Israeli Foreign Ministry that claims “there is food in Gaza, and any other claim is a lie.” The clip has received over 6 million views, largely due to paid promotions.
This intensified propaganda campaign coincides with growing international condemnation of the Israeli government’s actions, which, according to the news source, include closing all crossings to Gaza on March 2. This closure has prevented the entry of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid, leading to a famine despite aid trucks being “piled up on its borders.”
The report concludes by stating that since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces, with American and European support, have been committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip, including killing, starvation, destruction, displacement, and imprisonment, while ignoring international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to cease these actions.
