Israeli army’s covert media cells exposed for posing as impartial outlets to mislead the public

Soldiers and journalists say the Israeli army’s Spokesperson’s Unit operated covert media channels posing as independent outlets while working to shape coverage, manage public discourse and push Israel’s narrative at home and abroad, according to a new investigation by +972 Magazine in partnership with The Hottest Place in Hell.

Testimonies from reservists and military correspondents point to what they said was a systematic effort to reward compliant reporting, sideline critical journalists and present propaganda as impartial information. 

According to the report, during the first 14 months of Israel’s assault on Gaza, the unit ran a covert psychological operations campaign aimed at shaping opinion in Israel and abroad. English-language WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram channels branded as “Fact Check” were presented as neutral, non-profit educational or media initiatives. In reality, the investigation says, they were created and operated by the Israeli army’s Spokesperson’s Unit.

A soldier involved in producing content for the campaign said the channels targeted foreign audiences while presenting themselves as objective and unaffiliated with Israel. But, the soldier explained, “everything was created within our unit” and clearly promoted the Israeli narrative. The material reportedly defended Israel against accusations of genocide and war crimes and pushed arguments closely aligned with official state messaging.

READ: Israel’s ‘unprecedented’ censorship regime targets Western media

While the sham “Fact Check” platforms failed to attract major audiences directly, the Israeli army’s operation used a more effective route: influencer laundering. The report says dozens of Israeli and pro-Israeli personalities, including Noa Tishby and Sarai Givaty, along with figures from Jewish communities abroad, were enlisted to amplify content coordinated by the military across WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram, reaching millions of viewers. 

The videos recycled core Israeli propaganda lines, including claims that Palestinians are the real “colonisers”, that Israel’s assault on Gaza does not amount to genocide and that war crimes accusations before the International Court of Justice can be dismissed. 

The investigation also found that the unit was deeply involved in packaging and distributing footage from Hamas’s 7th October attack for maximum impact online. Soldiers collected and reformatted large amounts of visual material, including footage filmed by Hamas fighters, for rapid circulation on social media. 

This effort culminated in the 47-minute “Bearing Witness to the October 7 Massacre” compilation, known in Israel as the “atrocities video”. Testimonies in the report suggest that the film was used as part of a wider propaganda effort. 

READ: ‘PR Commando Unit’ unleashed by Israel to manipulate US discourse

Soldiers said they were instructed to sift through large volumes of graphic material and repackage it for maximum impact online, with one comparing the process to a social media advertising campaign focused on what would gain the most attention. 

Former soldiers and journalists also described a media system built on selective access and intimidation. The report says a select group of Israeli reporters in the so-called “correspondents’ cell” received exclusive briefings, conferences, hotlines and special events. Those seen as more critical, meanwhile, could be excluded, marginalised or denied access.

One journalist told the investigators that even within that privileged group there were clear hierarchies, with less critical reporters given better treatment. Another senior correspondent described the unit’s approach as “carrot and stick”, saying that journalists who criticise the army are punished. 

Haaretz military correspondent Yaniv Kubovich was reported saying that the unit’s primary goal was to block publication — not to provide accurate information. “I approached them with everything I had, but they were focused solely on getting me to drop the story and avoiding a response,” Kubovich said about the unit before commenting on the suppression of truth. 

“After October 7, with all the trauma it experienced, the IDF is doing everything it can to suppress reporting that exposes failures, ethical issues, or command shortcomings, instead of examining what actually happened. In that sense, it has reverted to the same arrogance as before: the belief that no one can criticize it through the press.”

The report further points to the use of selective leaks to shape both the public narrative and competition between news outlets. Former personnel said some materials were intentionally fed to favoured reporters while others were frozen out. In this way, the Spokesperson’s Unit was able not only to influence what was published, but also to reward media organisations willing to stay close to the army’s line.

READ: ‘The political-media-industrial complex’ undermining truth and democracy in service of Israel