KUALA LUMPUR – Google is facing backlash after signing a $45 million (RM190mil) contract with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office to run a global digital advertising campaign supporting Israeli state propaganda amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The contract, reported by Drop Site News, involves ads placed on YouTube and Google’s Display & Video 360 platform, described in government documents as part of Israel’s state-backed propaganda efforts.
Signed in June 2025, the deal authorised an extensive hasbara campaign, a Hebrew term for state-sponsored propaganda used to justify Israeli military actions.
This campaign came as international condemnation grew over Israel’s decision to block food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza on March 2, 2025, leading to what UN agencies have called a man-made famine.
One of the most viewed elements of the campaign was a YouTube video by Israel’s foreign ministry, which falsely claimed, “There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie.” The ad, which was heavily promoted under the contract, garnered over 6 million views.
According to internal Israeli records, the campaign was managed by the Israeli Government Advertising Agency (Lapam), directly reporting to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
In addition to Google, Israel spent millions on advertising through other platforms, including $3 million with X (formerly Twitter) and $2.1 million with the French-Israeli platform Outbrain/Teads.
Other ads targeted international institutions, such as the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), accusing it of sabotaging aid delivery, and smeared pro-Palestinian legal groups as “extremist.”
Meanwhile, UN agencies continue to warn of worsening famine in Gaza, with at least 367 Palestinians, including 131 children, reported dead from hunger and malnutrition.
Despite this, Google continued running ads denying the existence of hunger, with Israeli officials discussing the PR strategy in a March 2025 Knesset hearing, where one spokesperson suggested launching digital campaigns to deny the crisis, according to Middle East Monitor.
The campaign also sought to defend Israeli military operations in Iran, particularly following Israel’s deadly airstrikes during Operation Rising Lion. Documents show that the campaign aimed to portray the strikes as necessary for regional security, with digital content placed across Google and X platforms.
Human rights groups and UN officials have raised concerns about the role of US tech companies in amplifying disinformation.
In June 2025, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese accused Google of profiting from the Gaza genocide. Internal leaks reveal that Sergey Brin, Google’s co-founder, responded by calling the UN “a transparently antisemitic organisation.”
Google’s involvement comes amid scrutiny over its role in Project Nimbus, a partnership with Amazon that provides cloud infrastructure to the Israeli government, including its military, highlighting concerns about Silicon Valley’s complicity in sustaining state violence. - September 6, 2025
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