Beware of ‘Pallywood’ Magic
Error: Contact form not found.
by Steven Emerson
Fighting between Palestinian terrorists in Gaza and Israeli troops all but guarantees civilian casualties. With the fighting comes heart-wrenching photos of the dead and wounded, along with their grieving loved ones.
Each death represents a human tragedy.
But sometimes, reality is not enough. Some Palestinians have been caught faking images or appropriating them from other conflicts. This form of propaganda has been dubbed “Pallywood,” and the nascent conflict already has several examples.
Tablet Magazine’s Adam Chandler exposed one, a terrible image of a grieving father holding his dead child as mournful doctors look on helplessly. Hamas’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigade, sent the picture out on Twitter. It’s a dead child all right, but it took place in Syria, not Gaza, and had nothing to do with this week’s violence.
It’s powerful to see the wounded being rushed into ambulances, and in the crucial battle for public sympathy, some Palestinians put on a show for international news cameras, as the web site Honest Reporting shows in this video.
The video shows a Palestinian in a beige jacket being hustled away due to an apparent injury following an Israeli airstrike. Moments later, it appears the same Palestinian has miraculously recovered.
These two cases exemplify Hamas’ attempts to exaggerate the number of Palestinian casualties throughout the recent escalation of violence with Israel. But this strategy is nothing new.
When Israeli troops entered the West Bank city of Jenin in 2002 to root out terrorists there, reports of a “massacre” surfaced immediately and were accepted by western media. More than 1,000 people were reported killed. In the end, the death toll was revised to 56.
The ruse went so deep that Palestinians were caught faking funerals with corpses who weren’t dead yet.
During Israel’s 2008-09 incursion into Gaza, reports claimed that a United Nations school building in Jabaliya was bombed, killing more than 40 people.
It just didn’t happen.
In the social media and communications age, the public relations war is a vital component of Israel’s struggle to win the hearts and minds of the international community. Israel Defense Forces are using Twitter and live updates to present its side of the equations. It also is vital to continue exposing Palestinian deception.
A Rosh Hashanah Guide for the Perplexed, 2026
Britain’s ‘Reset’ Is an Admission, Not a Policy
Approaching Three Years Since 10/7/23: Antisemitism on Campus Now
How Israel Used Its Failures in the 2006 War to Effectively Fight Hezbollah After Oct. 7
Acts Pull Out of Portuguese Comedy Festival Over Jerry Seinfeld’s Inclusion, Support for Israel
Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Israel’s Population Surges Past 10.3 Million
What if the Palestinians Don’t Want Two States, Mr. Miliband?
British Police Ramp Up Security Around Synagogues Ahead of Jewish High Holy Days
Jewish Groups Praise US House for Passing Bill to Cut Aid From Colleges Promoting BDS, Antisemitism
Michigan Rabbis Send List of ‘Non-Negotiable’ Demands to Democrats for Support in Upcoming Elections






Michigan Rabbis Send List of ‘Non-Negotiable’ Demands to Democrats for Support in Upcoming Elections
France, Canada Join UK in Expanding Trade Sanctions on Israeli Communities in West Bank
Jewish Groups Praise US House for Passing Bill to Cut Aid From Colleges Promoting BDS, Antisemitism
British Police Ramp Up Security Around Synagogues Ahead of Jewish High Holy Days
What if the Palestinians Don’t Want Two States, Mr. Miliband?



