Israel’s foreign ministry slammed for misinformation about Gaza journalist

Israel’s Foreign Ministry has come under sharp criticism this week after publishing a tweet falsely alleging that Gaza journalist Motasem A Dalloul was posting reports from Poland rather than from the Gaza Strip.

In a post to its official account, the ministry claimed:

“196,900 followers being lied to by fake ‘journalist’ claiming to be in Gaza. New X feature reveals his actual location is Poland. Reporting from Gaza is fake & not reliable.”

196,900 followers being lied to by fake “journalist” claiming to be in Gaza. New @X feature reveals his actual location is Poland.

Reporting from Gaza is fake & not reliable. Makes you wonder how many more fake reports have you read? pic.twitter.com/sKjIDvLQbz

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) November 23, 2025

The ministry referenced X’s newly introduced “country of origin” label. The feature attempts to display a user’s assumed country of posting based on IP-related signals, though X has not confirmed its reliability or methodology.

Shortly after the claim went viral, Dalloul publicly rejected the allegation, posting a video from inside Gaza and writing:

“Good evening. For those who claim I’m in Poland and posting from there, I just want to tell you: If you recognize buildings like these in Poland, please let me know. If you see tents and camps like this, tell me if there’s anything similar in Poland. Goodbye.”

For those who claim that I am posting from Poland.. pic.twitter.com/v2ZW4sXVXA

— Motasem A Dalloul (@AbujomaaGaza) November 23, 2025

Dalloul, a longtime reporter known for covering the genocide in Gaza, has repeatedly documented the destruction in the enclave and has stated that several of his family members—including children—were killed in Israeli airstrikes. His on-the-ground footage has been widely shared by international audiences seeking real-time information from Gaza.

X’s new automated origin-label system has produced disputed or seemingly inaccurate labels for numerous accounts across political, geographic, and ideological lines. Users across the US, Europe, and the Middle East have reported being incorrectly tagged as posting from foreign countries, raising concerns about potential misinformation and the risk of misidentifying journalists, political commentators, and activists.

READ: Israel pays influencers up to $7,000 per post to occupy information space

As of now, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has not issued a correction, and X has not commented on the accuracy of the location tag applied to Dalloul’s account.

The ministry’s accusation has unintentionally drawn renewed attention to a growing body of reporting showing that many of the most active pro-Israel social-media influencers are not based in Israel at all—but in India and other countries.

A major investigative report by The New Arab found that Indian right-wing and Hindu-nationalist social-media networks have become “key amplifiers of pro-Israel disinformation and anti-Palestinian narratives.” 

The analysis described India as “leading a global pro-Israel disinformation ecosystem”, producing vast amounts of viral content that frequently attacks Palestinians, spreads unverified claims, and mirrors talking points promoted by Israeli officials.

Similarly, reporting from Euronews and The Diplomat highlights how Indian accounts, often aligned with Hindu-nationalist politics, circulate videos and posts alleging Palestinians are staging injuries or inventing atrocities. Many of these posts have been debunked by fact-checkers.

NDTV has documented how conflict-related disinformation, much of it pro-Israel, has become a monetized industry on X, with influencers in India and elsewhere earning revenue through sensationalized or misleading content about the war.

READ: 2 million Israelis face mental health crisis after 2 years of war in Gaza: Report