Israel Launches Smear Campaign Against Global Sumud Flotilla, Calls Activists Hamas, Raising Fears of Violent Interception
Occupied Palestine (QNN)- Israel has launched a wide campaign against the Global Sumud Flotilla, a humanitarian mission sailing to break the siege on Gaza. Officials and digital networks are branding the peaceful activists as “Hamas supporters,” sparking fears that Israel will justify violence against the ships.
On social media, Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the flotilla is “openly backed by Hamas.” The statement followed weeks of coordinated online attacks targeting the convoy and its participants.
A Digital Smear War
The flotilla includes participants from nearly 50 countries on more than 50 ships. Israel’s digital campaign, however, seeks to discredit the mission. According to investigations, thousands of multilingual posts portrayed the activists as “terror supporters” and “Hamas ambassadors.”
Al Jazeera found that 17 key social media accounts amplified Israeli narratives. These included anonymous but hyperactive accounts like Vividprowess, which recycled anti-flotilla propaganda in several languages, and Cheryl E, which mocked the mission and Greta Thunberg, one of the high-profile participants.
Another account, Mossad Commentary, repeatedly smeared solidarity actions as “terror cover,” while US-based zionist propagandist Eyal Yakoby linked the convoy to “Islamic terrorism.”
Targeting Individuals
The smear campaign also singled out Zahir Birawi, head of the International Committee to Break the Siege. Israeli group Ad Kan, made up of ex-intelligence officers, circulated old public photos of him with flotilla crews as supposed “secret evidence.” Analysts confirmed the images were taken out of context, some dating back to 2018, and had long been available on public pages.
Israel has repeatedly accused Birawi of being linked to Hamas. However, no court in Britain or anywhere else has ever established such ties. In fact, Birawi previously won a legal case against World-Check, a commercial database that falsely labeled him as connected to terrorism.
Greta Thunberg, who joined the flotilla, became another direct target. Israeli accounts spread doctored images of her with Adolf Hitler’s features and encouraged followers to “wish her” harm before her next voyage to Gaza.
Official Threats
Israel’s security minister Itamar Ben Gvir had announced that he prepared a plan to punish flotilla participants. According to Israeli media, the plan includes seizing the ships, jailing activists under “security prisoner” conditions, and launching coordinated smear campaigns to brand them as collaborators with Hamas.
Despite Israel’s smear campaign, flotilla members insist the mission is humanitarian. They call for lifting the blockade that has starved more than two million Palestinians in Gaza.
Digital threats, propaganda, and open incitement now put the activists’ lives at risk. Observers warn that labeling the convoy as “terror-linked” may be a prelude to a violent interception once the ships approach Gaza.
