IDF Spokesperson's Unit publishes videos
highlighting lies propagated by Hamas in the media • Jewish communities
around the world rally in support of Israel • IDF targets two Gaza
buildings that house media outlets.
Lilach Shoval, Yael Baranovsky, Ilan Gattegno, Yori Yalon, Gadi Golan, Israel Hayom Staff and News Agencies
An graphic published by the
IDF on its social networking platforms highlights the rocket threat
facing Israel.
|
Photo credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit |
Since the beginning of Operation Pillar of
Defense last Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces has been actively
working to present Israel's military actions to the world in a positive
light.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit has published a
steady stream of videos in recent days, including some that highlight
lies that the IDF says Hamas has propagated in the media since the
fighting started.
The unit has also embedded combat photographers with various units that may enter Gaza if a ground operation is launched.
The unit’s Interactive Media Department has
been busy on social networking platforms, including Facebook and
Twitter, to get the IDF's message out to the world.
One graphic published by the department showed
missiles flying over London, New York, Paris and Sydney under the
question "What would you do?" in bold red letters. The graphic was
"Liked" and "Shared" by thousands of Facebook users around the world.
In addition to the efforts being conducted by
the IDF and the Public Diplomacy Ministry, many Israeli students are
using the Internet for initiatives to portray Israel's situation to the
world. On Thursday, students at the Ariel University Center opened an
operations room to distribute photos and personal accounts of residents
of southern Israel. The Student Union at the Interdisciplinary Center in
Herzliya established a similar operations room. IDC students are
translating messages from the Public Diplomacy Ministry, Prime
Minister's Office and IDF into 19 different languages, including
Portuguese, Spanish, German and French.
Jewish communities throughout the world have
found various ways to show support for Israel in recent days, including
solidarity rallies, Facebook and letter-writing campaigns and telephone
conversations with Israelis living under the threat of rocket fire.
Pro-Palestinian groups have been waging their own propaganda battle as well since Wednesday.
Hamas, through the Twitter account of its
military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, falsely claimed that it had
achieved a direct hit on Tel Aviv and on three IDF bases. In another
instance, Hamas published photos of a crying father holding his wounded
child, but it emerged that the picture had in fact been published in
Syria a month ago. The IDF also exposed a staged image of a wounded
Palestinian that had been distributed to media outlets. A video showed
the same man walking around unharmed shortly after the staged image was
taken. There are also reports that a wounded child held up to the
cameras by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh at Gaza's Shifa Hospital
was actually hurt by Hamas fire.
As expected, the number of cyber attacks on
Israeli websites has increased since the fighting in Gaza started.
Around 400 Israeli computer networks have been hacked, causing some of
them to crash.
Pro-Palestinian hackers also published the
personal e-mails of Israeli soldiers and officers on the Al-Quds
Brigades website. According to the hackers, the listed IDF personnel
were likely to take part in future ground attacks in the Gaza Strip, and
the post included their military ID numbers, telephone numbers and home
addresses.
Additionally, the Hamas' military wing claimed
it had sent text messages to 5,000 Israeli soldiers, telling them, "We
will turn Gaza into a cemetery for your soldiers."
Meanwhile, a jeep carrying two Reuters
journalists near the Israel-Gaza border was hit by an anti-tank missile
fired from Gaza on Friday. A local Israeli security officer who rescued
the two photographers said the jeep had been completely destroyed.
Neither of the journalists suffered injuries, except for light
scratches. The two later told their friends that they were on a photo
assignment when they felt a sudden explosion and the vehicle started
burning.
On Sunday, the IDF targeted Hamas'
"communications operations," as Israeli aircraft bombed two buildings in
Gaza used by Hamas and foreign media outlets.
The Israeli strikes damaged the top floor
offices of the Hamas TV station, Al-Aqsa, and a Lebanese-based
broadcaster, Al-Quds TV, seen as sympathetic to Hamas.
A Gaza press association said six Palestinian
journalists were wounded in the attacks. Foreign broadcasters, including
German and Italian TV outlets, also had offices in the buildings.
The Israeli military said it was aiming at a
communications antenna on the roof of one of the buildings. It had no
immediate comment on the other strike. The Foreign Press Association in
Israel demanded an explanation from the IDF as to why it was targeting
international media facilities, which hold journalists who are protected
by international legal conventions.
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