Israel, Palestine launch social media front during Gaza attacks
Israel launched an offensive into Gaza Wednesday, that is inching ever closer to a full-out war. Meanwhile, both sides are using social media to disseminate propaganda digitally, in what has become the latest front to win hearts and minds.
- The social media onslaught started Wednesday, with news that the Israel Defense Force was launching a campaign that had already killed top Hamas military commander Ahmed Jaabari.
The first target, hit minutes ago, was Ahmed Al-Jabari, head of the #Hamas military wing: idfblog.com/2012/11/14/idf…- The social media campaign caught the attention of Hamas, which responded during this exchange Wednesday.
@idfspokesperson Our blessed hands will reach your leaders and soldiers wherever they are (You Opened Hell Gates on Yourselves)- The IDF spokesperson created a hashtag.
- Breaking: Israeli Navy has struck terror sites in the #Gaza Strip. #PillarOfDefense
- And included information on the campaign in many official languages.
- For live updates in French, follow @Tsahal_IDF. For updates in Spanish: @FDIonline
- Many, many tweets follow in a play-by-play of the offensive. Now on Day 2, the #PillarOfDefense hashtag continues.
- This is 2nd day of #PillarOfDefense. Here's a video of the #Israel Air Force targeting a rocket warehouse in #Gaza. ow.ly/fj6Cq
- Alqassam Brigades also steps up its own propaganda campaign, which includes posting images of a dead child that it says was killed by Israeli forces, as well as an ongoing update of its target hits. Here's a sampling:
- Al Qassam: As initial response on the crime we shelled Israel's military bases with 100 projectiles.#gaza #Hamas #Palestine #GazaUnderattack
- #PillarOfDefence would be beginning of liberation of the occupied Palestine, homeland of Palestinians, so we proudly paying our lives for
- It also posed Youtube video of a rocket attack, which looks similar to other media images of an attack that killed three and injured a child and two babies in southern Israel.
- According to a report from the BBC, 15 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks so far. This number includes both militants and civilians.
Gaza rocket-fire kills IsraelisThree people have been killed in southern Israel by rockets fired from Gaza, amid escalating violence. It marks the first Israeli fatalit...- The IDF has also ramped up its YouTube campaign, posting seven videos in the last 24 hours, including this one about why Israel has the right to defend itself.
- And another about how Israel makes efforts to minimize killing civilians during its attacks.
- Meanwhile, the U.N Security Council called an emergency meeting, but that meeting failed to reach a decision. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he has spoken to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, who has condemned the air strikes and has recalled his ambassador from Israel.
