According to the website Drop Site News, Google has signed a six-month, $45 million contract with the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The purpose of the agreement is to promote government messaging and downplay the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The document, signed at the end of June, describes Google as a “key entity” in supporting Netanyahu’s public relations strategy.
This propaganda campaign began a few days after Israel halted the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza on March 2. At that time, an Israeli army spokesperson stated that a digital campaign would be conducted to show that “there is no hunger in Gaza” and that relevant information would be provided.
Since then, government ads claiming that there is no hunger in Gaza have been widely circulated. For instance, a video published by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on YouTube stated, “There is food in Gaza. All other claims are false.” The video has gathered over 6 million views through paid advertising.
According to the report, these ads are managed via YouTube and Google’s Display & Video 360 platforms, and government documents describe them as “hasbara”—i.e., propaganda. The documents show that Israel spent $3 million on the U.S.-based social media platform X, and $2.1 million on the France-Israel platform Outbrain/Teads.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that in August, 185 people died from hunger, including 12 children. This is the highest monthly figure recorded since Israel’s war in Gaza began two years ago. The report notes that 70 of these deaths occurred after Gaza was officially declared a famine zone by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a hunger-monitoring system supported by the UN.
Health officials also stated that over 43,000 children under five and 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are suffering from malnutrition.
