An investigation carried out by Fanpage.it revealed a vast online propaganda operation put in place by the Israeli government. According to the investigation, an agency linked to the executive of Benjamin Netanyahu would have purchased advertising announcements on Google to spread content aimed at discrediting the Global Sumud Flotilla and Greta Thunberg, labeling them as “terrorists” or tools in the hands of Hamas.
The campaign has been active in various European and North American countries and is part of a wider strategy with which Israel is trying to rewrite the narration of the conflict, especially in the most delicate moments on a diplomatic level, and delegitimize civil initiatives of solidarity towards Gaza.
In fact, according to Fanpage’s research among the targets appear: Austria, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, and also Italy.
The Flotilla stop and criminalized
The Global Sumud Flotilla is an international civil mission directed towards Gaza with activists, journalists and politicians on board, with the aim of delivering aid humanitarian. The boats were intercepted by Israel in international waters, where Tel Aviv has no jurisdiction, and the participants were transferred by force to Israeli territory.
Many of them have denounced mistreatment and violence suffered during detention in the prisons of Ketziot and Saharonim, in the Negev desert. The Israeli government has liquidated these testimonies as “fake news”while in parallel he launched an online counter-narration aimed at painting Flotilla members as terrorists who entered the country illegally.
Israel’s Diaspora and Anti -Semitct Ministry Reports That the Global Sumud Flotilla -Joined by Activist Greta Thunberg -…
Posted by Israel Digital Center on Wednesday, September 17, 2025
A large -scale advertising campaign
Fanpage discovered that, between 5 and 6 October, the official Government.Gov.Gov.The domain would have financed an advertising campaign on Google to promote a document entitled “La Flottiglia del Terror”.
Through the platform ADS Transparency Center – developed by Google to guarantee transparency – it was possible to reconstruct the strategy:
In practice, enough pay To climb visibility and spread messages packaged by the Israeli government in the form of “sponsored ads”.
The accusations against Flotilla and Greta Thunberg
The Israeli document argues that significant humanitarian aid on board the boats were not there. An accusation denied by photographic tests, testimonies of journalists and independent observers, as well as by the humanitarian organizations involved, who have documented the presence of medical supplies, food and basic necessities.
Another accusation: the leaders of the Flotilla would have ties with Hamas and would have chosen Greta Thunberg as “coverage”. Also this thesis, without concrete feedback, is part of the strategy of political delegitimacy.
The National Security Minister Italian Ben Gvir has even called the “terrorist” activists in a post on X, hoping for them months of detention in Israel. A way to criminalize civil missions and discourage future international solidarity initiatives.
The structured propaganda strategy
Behind the advertising campaign there is the Israeli Government Advertising Agency (Igaa)which manages the communication for several public bodies and has recently signed a 45 million dollar contract with Google for YouTube and Google Display & Video 360 campaigns.
It is not an isolated case: Fanpage recalls that the same approach has already been used to discredit UNRWA, UN and critical personality towards Israeli policy in the occupied territories. In recent months, the online platforms have been flooded by videos generated with artificial intelligence, false news and targeted advertising content, often difficult to distinguish from authentic journalistic sources.
In some cases, the Israeli agency has even promoted articles of Italian newspapers (such as Avvenire) without these being aware of it, feeding further confusion.
Manipulate the network to rewrite the conflict
The investigation shows a picture as clear as it is hallucinating: Israel is using the same techniques as digital marketing to influence international public opinion. Sponsorships on Google, social campaigns, manipulated content and targeted disinformation become political tools to delegitimize civil movements, activists and humanitarian missions.
This new media offensive, which mixes digital propaganda and manipulation of search engines, arrives in a strategic moment: the negotiations of Sharm El-Sheikh. Controlling the narrative, at this stage, is a priority for the Netanyahu government.
