Israel's Misinformation in the Gaza War: Examining Debunked Rape Claims and False Reports
During the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, a complex narrative has emerged where certain claims of atrocities have been promoted and later debunked, raising questions about the reliability of information being circulated. While credible evidence exists for many aspects of the conflict, several high-profile allegations—particularly regarding sexual violence during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack—have been disputed or proven false, demonstrating how information can become distorted in wartime.
Systematic Spread of Misinformation in the Conflict
The Gaza war has been characterized not only by military operations but also by sophisticated information campaigns. According to reporting, the Israeli government and Israeli cyber companies have deployed artificial intelligence tools and bot farms to spread information supporting their narrative of the conflict6. One such covert campaign, commissioned by Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs with an allocation of approximately $2 million, used a Tel Aviv-based political marketing firm called Stoic6. This operation created hundreds of fake accounts posing as Americans on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram to post pro-Israel comments6. The campaign specifically targeted U.S. lawmakers, particularly Black Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Raphael Warnock6.
This information warfare extends beyond social media manipulation. The campaign also involved creating three fake English-language news sites featuring pro-Israel articles, with many posts generated using ChatGPT6. According to The Intercept, as cited in Wikipedia, Israel's information warfare campaign has centered on "a tactical mission to dehumanize Palestinians and to flood the public discourse with a stream of false, unsubstantiated, and unverifiable allegations"6.
The Debunked ZAKA Accounts of Sexual Violence
Among the most notable examples of debunked information are two accounts from volunteers with ZAKA, an Israeli search and rescue organization, regarding alleged sexual violence during the October 7 Hamas attack. These accounts gained significant traction in global media before being discredited.
Chaim Otmazgin's Testimony
Chaim Otmazgin, a volunteer commander with ZAKA, claimed to have discovered evidence of sexual assault when he found the body of a teenage girl in a kibbutz home after the October 7 attack3. He observed that the girl had been shot dead and was separated from her family in a different room, with her pants pulled down below her waist3. Based on these observations, Otmazgin concluded that sexual violence had occurred.
His testimony spread rapidly. He recounted these details in a nationally televised appearance before the Israeli Parliament, and his account was widely reported by journalists37. However, it was later determined that what Otmazgin thought had occurred hadn't actually happened.
"It's not that I invented a story," Otmazgin told The Associated Press in an interview. "I couldn't think of any other option" other than the teen having been sexually assaulted. "At the end, it turned out to be different, so I corrected myself"37. By then, however, his account had already been widely circulated and had contributed significantly to the narrative of widespread sexual violence during the attack.
Broader Pattern of Debunked Claims
The case of Otmazgin's testimony was not isolated. The Associated Press examination revealed that two accounts by ZAKA volunteers alleging sexual violence during the October 7 attack were later found to be unfounded5. Some critics allege these accounts were purposely fabricated, though ZAKA officials dispute this claim7.
TRT World reported that beyond sexual assault allegations, other discredited stories—including claims about beheaded babies, children hung from clotheslines, and infants put in ovens—were used to "exaggerate events of October 7 and create backing for Israel's war on Gaza"7. These false narratives spread quickly in the chaotic aftermath of the attack.
The Nuanced Reality of Sexual Violence Claims
Despite these debunked accounts, it's important to note that there is evidence suggesting some sexual violence did occur during the October 7 attack. A UN fact-finding team found "reasonable grounds" to believe that some Hamas militants committed sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, during their rampage23. The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, stated that he had reason to believe three key Hamas leaders bore responsibility for "rape and other acts of sexual violence as crimes against humanity"2.
However, the UN investigators acknowledged that in the absence of forensic evidence and survivor testimony, it would be impossible to determine the scope of such violence25. This uncertainty has created space for both exaggeration and denial. Hamas has consistently denied that its forces committed sexual violence25.
Pattern of Disputed Israeli Claims
The debunked rape accounts fit into a broader pattern of disputed claims made by Israeli authorities during the conflict. In October 2023, shortly after the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion, Israeli sources published audio purporting to show two Hamas militants in a phone call claiming responsibility for the act6. However, BBC and CNN said they could not verify the recording, and Channel 4 News reported on a forensic analysis concluding that the audio had been digitally manipulated6. Two Arabic language journalists questioned the authenticity of the recording, noting that the "language, accent, dialect, syntax and tone" were not credible6.
In another notable case from July 2024, Bild and the Jewish Chronicle published stories based on what they claimed were internal Hamas documents, alleging that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar opposed a Gaza ceasefire and used negotiations as psychological warfare6. These documents were later found to be fabricated, and four Israelis, including an aide to Prime Minister Netanyahu, were arrested for falsifying and distributing them6.
More recently, in April 2025, an Israeli army report admitted "errors" were made in the killing of 14 Palestinian medics and a UN employee in southern Gaza4 Mahmud Basal, the Gaza civil defense spokesman, contested this report, stating: "the Israeli occupation forces always provide false pretext in an attempt to justify any of the crimes committed by them"4
Social Media Amplification and Content Moderation
The spread of misinformation has been accelerated by social media platforms. A November 2024 report by a United Nations committee noted that Western social media companies disproportionately removed content showing solidarity with the Palestinian people relative to content promoting violence against Palestinians6. This uneven content moderation may have contributed to the imbalanced information environment surrounding the conflict.
The Associated Press reported that in the days since the October 7 attack, "a flood of videos and photos purporting to show the conflict have filled social media, making it difficult for onlookers from around the world to sort fact from fiction"1. While many genuine accounts and images have emerged, they have been mixed with false claims and misrepresented videos from other events1.
The Political Weaponization of Sexual Violence Claims
The disputed claims of sexual violence have been weaponized for political purposes on all sides of the conflict. As noted by the Associated Press, "Israel points to sexual violence on October 7 to highlight Hamas' savagery and justify its wartime goal of neutralizing any repeated threat coming from Gaza. Critics, in turn, have seized on the ZAKA accounts, along with others shown to be untrue, to allege that the Israeli government has distorted the facts to prosecute a war"2.
This politicization of sexual violence claims demonstrates how information can be clouded and distorted in the chaos of conflict5. The debunked accounts, particularly those from ZAKA volunteers, have encouraged skepticism about all claims of sexual violence, making it more difficult to establish the truth about what actually occurred2.
UN Investigations and External Verification
Independent verification of claims has proven challenging. The UN fact-finding team's conclusion that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe sexual violence occurred during the October 7 attack represents one of the more credible assessments25. However, even this investigation faced limitations due to the chaotic nature of the conflict and the difficulty of gathering forensic evidence after the fact.
The International Criminal Court's involvement, with prosecutor Karim Khan stating he had reason to believe Hamas leaders bore responsibility for sexual crimes against humanity, adds another layer of external verification to some claims2. Yet, establishing the precise extent of sexual violence during the attack remains elusive.
Conclusion
The spread of false information about rape cases and other atrocities during the Israel-Hamas war illustrates the challenges of establishing truth in wartime. While there is credible evidence that some sexual violence did occur during the October 7 attack, specific high-profile accounts that received widespread media attention have been debunked. These false narratives, alongside documented efforts to spread misinformation through sophisticated campaigns, have complicated the global understanding of the conflict.
As the war continues, it becomes increasingly important to approach all claims with critical scrutiny and to rely on verified information from credible sources. The case of the debunked rape accounts serves as a reminder that in the fog of war, information itself becomes a battlefield, with significant implications for public opinion, policy decisions, and global diplomatic efforts. The pattern of fabricated or exaggerated claims demonstrates how narratives about atrocities can be manipulated to influence perceptions and justify military actions, underscoring the importance of independent fact-checking and verification.
