Artikkel i Haaretz av Yaniv Kubovich:
HELE artikkelen under Kilde.
"Graphic Videos and Incitement: How the IDF Is Misleading Israelis on Telegram"
Hver natt "informeres" det om foregående dags prestasjoner, rettet mot israelske følgere av Telegram-kontoen med navnet: "72 Virgins - Uncensored".
Kanalen har vært operativ fra 9. oktober.
Ja, man må kalle dette grotesk.
Forestillingen at det hjemlige publikum i Israel skal informeres på denne måten viser en forventning om hjemmebanen som er uhyggelig, ja langt utenfor normer.
Jan Marton Jensen
På Twitter:
12. desember 2023
https://twitter.com/janmarton/status/1734627023044153405
HELE artikkelen i Haaretz 12. desember 2023:
Graphic Videos and Incitement: How the IDF Is Misleading Israelis on Telegram
The IDF unit responsible for psychological warfare operations operates a Telegram channel called '72 Virgins – Uncensored,' which targets local audiences with 'exclusive content from the Gaza Strip'
Dec 12, 2023 6:01 IST
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| Images from the '72 Virgins - Uncensored' Telegram group. |
The IDF Operations Directorate's Influencing Department, which is
responsible for psychological warfare operations against the enemy and
foreign audiences, operates a Telegram channel called 72 Virgins –
Uncensored, which targets Israeli audiences and shows the bodies of
Hamas terrorists with the promise of "shattering the terrorists'
fantasy."
The channel, which boasts of "exclusive content from the Gaza Strip" and has published over 700 posts, images and videos of terrorists being
killed and of destruction in the Strip, encourages its 5,300 followers
to share the content so that "everyone can see that we're screwing
them."
The Israel Defense Forces denies that it operates the channel, but a senior military official confirmed to Haaretz that the army is responsible for operating it. "There is no reason for the IDF to conduct influence campaigns on Israeli citizens of Israel," said the official, who requested anonymity. "The messages there are problematic. It doesn't look like an awareness campaign of an army like the IDF, but more like talking points for [far-right rapper] The Shadow, and the fact that soldiers operate such a problematic page is egregious," he said.
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| Images from the '72 Virgins - Uncensored' Telegram group. |
The channel was created October 9, two days after the war began, as The
Avengers. The next day the name was changed to Azazel, echoing the
Hebrew pronunciation of "Gaza" and a word for hell, and then 72 Virgins –
Uncensored. An October 11 post read:
"Burning their mother ... You won't believe the video we got! You can
hear the crunch of their bones. We'll upload it right away, get ready."
Images of Palestinian captives and the bodies of terrorists were
captioned "Exterminating the roaches ... exterminating the Hamas rats.
... Share this beauty." The following text accompanies a video of an
Israeli soldier allegedly dipping machine gun bullets in pork fat: "What
a man!!!!! Lubricates bullets with lard. You won't get your virgins."
And: "Garbage juice!!!! Another dead terrorist!! You have to watch it
with the sound, you'll die laughing."
Each night, the channel posts a daily summary that includes several IDF updates on the activity in Gaza,
with promises of exclusive images and videos. "As always, we're the
first to bring you the information from the field," it says. "We have
crazy recordings of terrorists, how can we put it, swimming with the
fishes. We have documentation no one else has. We promise much more!!!"
On October 14, alongside the caption, "Exclusive video of a good night,
don't forget to share and repost," was a video of an Israeli vehicle
repeatedly driving over the body of a terrorist. "Very good, Gershon!!!
Run him over run him over!!!! Screw the bastards! Flatten them," the
accompanying post said.
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| Images from the '72 Virgins - Uncensored' Telegram group. |
The channel administrators didn't stop at images from Gaza. On October 11, hundreds of Israelis, including members of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team's violently racist fan club La Familia, rioted at the Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, near Tel Aviv, following a rumor that Hamas terrorists who had invaded Israel were being treated there. People roamed the hospital, cursing out and spitting on medical professionals. Within an hour, a video of the riot was uploaded to 72 Virgins with the title, "My brothers, the heroesssss, La Familia fans, love you!!!!!!! What heroes, came to screw the Arabs."
The Telegram channel also urges followers to share its content. Next to an image of what are alleged to be captured terrorists is the exhortation, "Don't forget that all the content here is exclusive first for you!!!!!! Share it so everyone will see what crybabies they are."
Over two years ago, Haaretz reported that the IDF hired the operator of a Telegram channel called Abu Ali Express as a consultant on the "war for public opinion on social media. The channel published exclusive reports, videos and pictures with its logo to its 100,000 followers, without proper disclosure of the cooperation with the IDF. More than once, the IDF spokesman referred journalists to Abu Ali Express for news on the fighting, while telling them that the information "did not come from the military." Under the cloak of anonymity, Abu Ali Express discredited journalists who criticized IDF policy and then-Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. In 2022, the IDF announced it had terminated the consultant's contract. This week, 72 Virgins shared a post from Abu Ali Express, which was given a prominent credit.
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| Images from the '72 Virgins - Uncensored' Telegram group. |
For years, the IDF has used psychological warfare against Israel's
enemies in an effort to undercut their narratives, influence the
population (including in the Gaza Strip, Iran and Lebanon) and tout its
successes. These campaigns are conducted in secret, using fake accounts,
without leaving evidence of IDF involvement. However, the IDF is barred
by law from using these capabilities against Israelis.
In a statement, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said 72 Virgins is not operated on the IDF's behalf. "If there was any connection by soldiers or other parties connected to the IDF with the page or its operation, this was done without approval and without authority." However, as mentioned, a senior military official confirmed that the channel was systematically operated by IDF personnel.
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