Israel Spent $50M on Global Ads to Deny Gaza Famine: Report
ISTANBUL – Israel has poured 167 million shekels ($50 million) into digital ad campaigns with Google, X (formerly Twitter), and other platforms to deny famine in Gaza, according to a Spanish broadcaster RTVE citing a new Eurovision investigation.
The probe found that in June, Israel’s Exemption Committee approved a request from state-run ad agency Lapam to launch international campaigns worth $50 million. Contracts run from June 17 to December 31.
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Google and YouTube got the biggest share: 150 million shekels ($45 million).
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X received 10 million shekels ($3 million).
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French and Israeli ad networks Outbrain and Teads took 7 million shekels ($2.1 million).
Digital Hasbara Offensive
The investigation, titled “The New Front of War: Inside Israel’s Digital Hasbara Offensive,” shows how Israel uses social media ads, influencers, and even military tours to shape the global narrative.
Between 2018 and July 2025, Lapam routinely ran ads on Google and Meta platforms to counter criticism of Israeli policies.
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In 2024, it sponsored 2,000 ads (900 for local audiences, 1,100 abroad).
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Between January and September 2025, it ran over 4,000 ads, half targeting international viewers.
Portraying ‘Normal Life’ in Gaza
The campaigns especially focus on denying famine reports in Gaza. Ads show images of busy markets and open restaurants to project “normalcy” despite the IPC declaring famine.
Some campaigns asked viewers to “spot flaws” in the IPC report. Others appeared above Google searches in Belgium, UK, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany, redirecting users to Israeli government websites.
A multilingual video push on the Foreign Ministry’s YouTube channel launched the same day as the IPC’s famine warning. Paid promotions gave these videos over 30 million views across Europe within weeks.
Targeting Critics
The campaigns don’t stop at famine denial.
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Searches for “UNRWA” often lead to Israeli sites branding the UN refugee agency as a “front for Hamas.”
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Ads also attacked Francesca Albanese, the UN rapporteur on Palestinian territories, calling her “anti-Semitic” for criticizing Israeli policies.
Eurovision said it asked Google twice about these government-backed campaigns but received no response.
The report concluded:
“Israel’s strategy exposes how vulnerable global audiences are to emotionally persuasive narratives—and how difficult it is for fact-checkers and journalists to counter them.”
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