JAKARTA – The Israeli government has dramatically expanded its public diplomacy efforts following the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas, which resulted in over 1,100 Israeli deaths and more than 250 hostages taken. This expansion represents one of the most significant information campaigns in modern conflict history.

In December 2024, Israel’s Foreign Ministry received a substantial budget increase for public diplomacy work in 2025, raising funding to approximately $150 million—a massive jump from previous allocations. By September 2025, total communications expenditures reportedly reached $500 million, with an additional $40 million approved that month. This investment aims to counter international criticism as the conflict in Gaza has resulted in widespread destruction and a mounting civilian death toll.

The campaign has been labeled by some Israeli officials as the “eighth front” of the war, recognizing that international perception has become as crucial as military operations. The strategy involves hosting hundreds of influencer and policymaker delegations, digital advertising campaigns, and coordinated messaging across multiple platforms.

The American Connection

According to Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings with the US Department of Justice, Israel has engaged several prominent American communications firms since mid-2024, with contracts totaling approximately $8 million. These relationships reveal the infrastructure behind modern diplomatic messaging:

Digital Strategy Firms: One major contract went to a company led by Brad Parscale, who previously managed digital operations for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The $6 million agreement, signed in August 2024 and extended into 2025, focuses on advanced digital tactics including search engine optimization and content creation designed to influence artificial intelligence training data. The goal appears to be shaping how AI systems respond to queries about the Gaza conflict.

Influencer Outreach: The “Esther Project,” disclosed in October 2024 FARA filings and running through 2025, involves paying American content creators to produce material about Israel. Named after the biblical figure, this $900,000 initiative reportedly compensates 14-18 influencers with payments up to $7,000 per post. By June 2025, nearly $553,000 had been disbursed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly endorsed this approach in September 2025, emphasizing the need for counter-messaging.

Polling and Strategy: A major polling firm led by Mark Penn, a veteran Democratic strategist, reportedly received $2 million to conduct surveys across the United States and Europe, polling over 13,000 respondents. Leaked documents from September 2025 suggested that the research found significant reputational challenges, with younger demographics particularly critical of Israel’s actions. The firm reportedly advised emphasizing security concerns and predicting that negative perceptions would fade over time. The company ended its engagement in September 2025 following internal staff concerns.

Social Media Operations: Another contract worth $600,000, signed in April 2024, involved deploying automated social media accounts to engage with content related to the conflict. The firm, connected to Biden administration communications consultant Anita Dunn, deregistered as a foreign agent in August 2025 after media scrutiny, with representatives stating the work involved only traditional media relations.

Additional initiatives include religious outreach targeting Christian communities in the United States, with one San Diego-based organization receiving over $4 million, and a $45 million agreement with Google and YouTube for advertising campaigns launched in September 2025.

The Digital Battlefield

The communications strategy employs several sophisticated techniques adapted for the social media age:

Modern search engine optimization ensures that searches for key terms return results favorable to Israel’s perspective. Content is specifically crafted to influence how artificial intelligence systems are trained, potentially affecting billions of future interactions with AI assistants and chatbots.

Social media influencers create lifestyle and cultural content that presents positive images of Israel, often without clearly disclosing their financial relationships. Automated accounts amplify pro-Israel messages while engaging with critics, creating an appearance of widespread organic support.

Messaging frameworks emphasize security threats and terrorism concerns, attempting to shift focus from civilian casualties. Coordinated advertising campaigns across major platforms saturate digital spaces with content countering international criticism.

Media access restrictions compound these efforts. The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented 248 journalist deaths in the conflict—the highest toll in any conflict they’ve tracked—with foreign journalists largely barred from independent access to Gaza. This creates an information vacuum that official narratives can more easily fill.

The Human Toll

Beyond the communications battle lies a devastating reality. International organizations report that Gaza’s death toll has exceeded 67,000, with recent strikes killing at least 70 Palestinians in a single day. The United Nations estimates that 70% of Gaza’s structures have been damaged or destroyed based on satellite analysis. The civilian toll includes nearly 19,000 children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry and international relief organizations.

The UN has warned of catastrophic humanitarian conditions, with 2.2 million people facing severe food insecurity. Multiple UN experts have raised concerns about possible violations of international law, with some using terms like “genocidal campaign” to describe tactics including infrastructure destruction and restrictions on humanitarian aid. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has been particularly vocal in her criticisms.

Healthcare facilities, schools, and residential buildings have been extensively damaged. Arms manufacturers have seen increased contracts, with major defense contractors securing hundreds of millions in new agreements to supply weapons used in the conflict.

Ethical Concerns and Industry Pushback

The involvement of major public relations firms in conflict-related messaging has sparked significant controversy within the communications industry. Two major firms ended their engagements in September 2025 following internal employee protests and public criticism, according to trade publications.

In October 2024, the Ethical Agency Alliance expanded its guidelines to explicitly discourage member firms from engaging in what it termed “reputation laundering” for actors credibly accused of atrocities. Several prominent industry figures have publicly warned that working on such campaigns poses serious reputational risks.

Chris Doyle of the Council for Arab-British Understanding argued that PR firms cannot ethically represent governments accused of serious violations of international law without violating professional standards. Communications professionals in the Middle East have warned about the long-term credibility damage from what they characterize as systematic misinformation campaigns.

The debate echoes previous controversies, including the collapse of Bell Pottinger in 2017 after working for controversial clients, and various greenwashing scandals that damaged major agencies’ reputations.

Shifting Public Opinion

Despite the scale of investment, polling suggests mixed results for Israel’s communications efforts. Support among younger Americans has dropped below 40% in some surveys. Social media analysis shows that user-generated content from Gaza often receives more engagement than paid promotional material, particularly on platforms like TikTok where younger users dominate.

European polling indicates increasing sympathy for Palestinians, with some surveys showing 15-point increases. College campuses have seen significant protest movements, and mainstream media coverage has faced criticism from press freedom organizations for allegedly uncritical reporting of official claims.

However, the long-term effectiveness of sustained communications campaigns should not be underestimated. Historical precedent suggests that well-funded, coordinated messaging can gradually shift narratives, particularly when combined with restricted media access and algorithmic amplification.

Looking Forward

The Gaza communications campaign represents a case study in modern information warfare, where digital platforms, influencer marketing, and artificial intelligence intersect with traditional public diplomacy. It raises profound questions about transparency in political messaging, the ethics of the public relations industry, and the role of social media platforms in conflicts.

For those seeking to understand these events, media literacy becomes essential. Cross-referencing multiple international sources, understanding the difference between organic and sponsored content, and recognizing the limitations of information from conflict zones all matter. Independent journalism outlets and on-the-ground reporters provide crucial alternative perspectives, though they face significant access challenges and security risks.

The conflict continues to evolve, with displacement affecting hundreds of thousands and reconstruction needs that will take generations. Whatever the outcome of the communications battle, the human cost remains undeniable and demands sustained international attention.

Original Article:

Halal Times. (2025, October 8). Israel’s PR Machine Tries to Whitewash War Crimes in Gaza. Retrieved from https://www.halaltimes.com/israels-pr-machine-tries-to-whitewash-war-crimes-in-gaza/