NatSec Brief: October 19, 2023
The Other Front of
Israel's War:
Disinformation
Operations By Hamas
and Its Supporters
Jacob Olidort
Director of Research
On October 17, after facing allegations by Palestinian officials for a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in
Gaza City that killed hundreds, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) produced satellite footage and
recordings that confirmed the blast was in fact the result of an attack by the Palestinian Islamic
Jihad (PIJ). After releasing a statement calling for the review of the evidence, President Biden
acknowledged that indeed Israel was not behind it, but rather that “the other team” was.
Nonetheless, over the previous day, the main news outlets of record ran the narrative that
implicated Israel in the explosion.
The event highlights the pervasive and persistent volume of disinformation pushed by Hamas and
its supporters about Israel since Hamas launched its initial attack on October 7. This
disinformation, as evident in the Al-Ahli hospital incident, focus on shaping a narrative about
Israel’s tactics (especially allegations of harming civilians) – all while Hamas actively placed
Gazan citizens in harm’s way (including ordering them to disregard Israel’s warnings and
actively obstructing their escape), thereby continuing to violate the Laws of Armed Conflict
(LOAC). Disinformation has long been a critical element of Hamas’s strategy, as JINSA
documented in its assessments of the 2014 and 2021 conflicts with Israel.
In addition to Hamas-aligned and Hamas-supportive outlets pushing these themes, independent
sympathetic social media users have augmented these efforts by flooding social media with
footage from other conflicts and other contexts (including films and sports celebrations), framing
these as evidence of Israel’s actions.
Israel has adapted to Hamas’s exploitation of the information environment by regularly
publishing drone footage of Hamas’s actions, holding daily briefings on social media and Q&A
sessions with the press, and publishing its instructions to Gazan civilians on social media.
What Happened?
• In an interview with Al Jazeera on October 12, Deputy Chairman of Hamas’s Political Bureau
Saleh al-Arouri claimed that any civilians killed were the casualties of clashes between the
IDF and Hamas, and that Hamas “only capture[d] soldiers, but ordinary residents of Gaza
tagged along with Hamas, and they were the ones who captured civilians and brought them
back to Gaza.”
• Hamas and PIJ labeled Israel’s warning messages for civilians to evacuate as a form of
“psychological warfare,” and in communications via Telegram have called on Gaza residents
not to evacuate.
