Digital Occupation: Pixelated Propaganda, Censored Platforms and the Battle for Narrative in Gaza

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Israeli propaganda frames the aggression against the Gaza Strip as a response to an existential threat to the state’s survival. [AFP]

Evolving through decades of political upheaval, military confrontations and shifting media narratives, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict stands as one of the most enduring and complex impasses of the modern era. It is fuelled by unsupported and superstitious Israeli historical assertions about land and control. Nevertheless, 

how individuals all over the world associate with, comprehend and perceive the conflict has been drastically modified by the rise of social media. Social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have become advanced battlegrounds, 

where stories are intensified, open conclusions are formed and, in some cases, realities and facts are distorted. Social media has become both a weapon for spreading deception and an instrument for democratising data within the setting of Palestine and Israel, making it more troublesome to find common ground. (1)

This study employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) alongside visual rhetoric analysis and networked propaganda theory to examine Israel’s digital propaganda during the Gaza conflict. Drawing on frameworks by Norman Fairclough, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University, and Teun A. van Dijk, Distinguished University Professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona and a leading scholar in discourse and ideology, 

the research analyses how language, imagery and media practices reinforce power structures and shape public perception. The methodology focuses on official state communications, 

influencer-led campaigns, viral content (hashtags, films, etc.) and algorithmic suppression tactics. By thematically coding these elements, such as emotional appeals, mythmaking and dehumanization, the study reveals how Israel’s digital propaganda apparatus maintains narrative dominance. Data is sourced from government media, news reports, investigative journalism and academic literature.