On Wednesday 3 September, investigative journalism site Drop Site published a report on a contract between Israel’s government and Google to amplify propaganda regarding the war on Gaza.

Documents available on the Israeli Government Procurement Administration’s website detail contracts between the Government Advertising Bureau and Google running to a sum of 150 million new Israeli shekels (ILS). That’s some £33 million in pounds sterling.

Google and the ‘Am Kalvi’ Israeli propaganda campaign

These contracts break down into ILS90 million to Google DV360, the company’s campaign management branch, and ISL60 million to YouTube, its subsidiary. The six-month advertising contracts are already half-way through their course. They began back on 17 June 2025, and will expire at the end of the year, on 31 December.

The adverts are part of the ‘Am Kalvi’ campaign, which ostensibly targets command centers, missile silos and nuclear infrastructure in Iran. However, Google’s own ads transparency page shows that, since 17 June, the tech giant has run 39 Israeli Advertising Bureau adverts on its platforms in the UK alone, the most recent of which focus on trying to discredit reports on Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

One advert claims that “Palestinian Hamas fakes the story and media outlets echo it”, accompanied by a picture of Time magazine. Another shows what it claims to be “Real footage of the food scene in Gaza city July 2025”. It includes shots of a busy street food stall, and ends with the message: “There is food in Gaza. Any other claim is a lie”.

‘A man-made disaster’

This claim, of course, is verifiably false.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) recently reported that:

As of 15 August 2025, Famine (IPC Phase 5)—with reasonable evidence—is confirmed in Gaza Governorate. After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death. Another 1.07 million people (54 percent) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 396,000 people (20 percent) are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

The ICP also confirmed, in no uncertain terms, that the situation is worsening rapidly:

Between mid-August and the end of September 2025, conditions are expected to further worsen with Famine projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis. Nearly a third of the population (641,000 people) are expected to face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), while those in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) will likely rise to 1.14 million (58 percent). Acute malnutrition is projected to continue worsening rapidly.

Regarding the report, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that the famine “is a man-made disaster, a moral indictment – and a failure of humanity itself”. He added that:

As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population.

Google – amplifying Israel’s propaganda

Google’s position in this is not neutral on Israeli matters. It chose to accept money from a government that is actively carrying out the genocide of the Palestinian people. It continually chooses to air blatantly false propaganda about the people of Gaza.

The internet giant’s ethical commitments are available on its website. It claims that:

We’re committed to significantly improving the lives of as many people as possible

The page makes big promises about “responsible data practices”, “responding to crises”, and “helping solve society’s challenges”. Amplifying lies about the famine in Gaza is not responsible. The only way in which is responding to a crisis is to make it worse.

Seven years ago, Google quietly removed the motto “Don’t be evil” from its code of conduct. Clearly, the company has every intention of doing the opposite.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alex/Rose Cocker

This post was originally published on Canary.

On Wednesday 3 September, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz revealed the existence of an irregular Israeli group called “Uriah,” comprising settlers from the West Bank, which has been demolishing Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip for about a year, under limited supervision by the Israeli army.

The newspaper explained that the group sends soldiers into tunnels and buildings that may contain explosives or armed men, and uses Palestinians as human shields, without it being clear to what extent it is subject to military command.

An independent Israeli force under the cover of the army

The “Uriah” force is linked to Bezalel Zani, brother of the head of the General Security Service, and uses heavy engineering equipment to destroy buildings as a small independent unit rather than an organized military framework.

Most of its members are recruited through construction companies and work to demolish houses and tunnels, endangering the lives of soldiers and Palestinians.

The force includes about 10-15 operators of engineering tools, and its latest activity was in Khan Yunis.

The newspaper quoted two officers as saying that the team members do not report their work to the battalion or brigade, and it is not known who supervises their movements, even though these procedures are supposed to be in place to ensure the safety of soldiers.

Recruitment from the far right for Uriah

Uriah members are recruited through social media groups, and some are active in the far right.

Army officers point out that a lack of experience and subordination to the military structure allows these teams to operate independently, increasing the risks on the ground.

Each member of these teams receives 6,000 shekels ($1,775) per day, making the work financially attractive in addition to ideological motivations.

The Israeli army responded that the force members are part of the reserve and operate engineering equipment, and that any claim that they are an irregular force is “false.”

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.

In Gaza, where Israel’s genocide has been raging for years, women and mothers are not only exposed to the dangers of bombing and hunger, but also to enormous psychological pressure that leaves a deep mark on their lives and those of their families.

Children who witness destruction and death around them, and women who have lost their homes or loved ones, live in an environment of constant terror and unrelenting anxiety, which directly threatens the mental health of Palestinian women.

The mothers of Gaza

Mothers who find themselves forced to search for food and medicine in relief queues live with a constant feeling of helplessness and fear for their children. Often, they discover that the food or medicine they have received is insufficient or runs out quickly, increasing their feelings of guilt and helplessness.

This psychological burden leads to increased mental health disorders, including depression, chronic anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and directly affects a mother’s ability to care for her children and continue her daily life.

Women who have lost their partners or relatives during the bombing or famine experience double trauma, as they bear the responsibility of maintaining their families amid an environment of social and economic collapse.

Overcrowded tents and shelters, some of which lack clean water, electricity, or even basic sanitation, become a daily scene of psychological and emotional stress. This constant pressure affects sleep, appetite, and even the ability to think and make decisions, increasing the likelihood of exacerbating both physical and mental health problems.

In addition, the blockade imposed on the sector prevents the entry of psychiatric medications or psychological support and rehabilitation programs, leaving women deprived of any safety net or psychological support.

The humanitarian response that occasionally reaches Gaza does not cover urgent psychological needs, while the pressures of daily life increase with continued bombardment and lack of resources.

Long-lasting scars

The psychological effects of war are not temporary, but leave long-lasting scars on women and mothers, which are often passed on to their children, creating a generation of children vulnerable to psychological stress, depression, and developmental disorders.

Women living alone or with their children in tents or temporary shelters are also often exposed to additional risks of violence or exploitation, further exacerbating their psychological and physical vulnerability.

According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, an estimated 60,000 pregnant women are at risk, while more than 3,500 miscarriages have been recorded since the beginning of this year as a result of food and healthcare shortages.

Ultimately, the mental health of women and mothers in Gaza reflects the tragedy of all-out war, which not only kills the body but also shatters the spirit and leaves lasting scars that extend beyond the war itself, confirming that humanitarian crises are not just numbers or statistics, but real stories of women trying to survive with their children amid ongoing destruction.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.

Illegal settler Bezalel Smotrich, who is also Israel’s far-right Finance Minister and leader of the Religious Zionism Party, is a prominent figure advocating for expanding Israeli settlements and opposing Palestinian statehood.

On Wednesday 3 September, he held a press conference in occupied Jerusalem in which he outlined a highly controversial plan to illegally annex and occupy 82% of the occupied West Bank, which he referred to by the Jewish nationalist name of ‘Judea and Samaria’ in an attempt to historically and religiously legitimize annexation:

This biblical terminology aligns with the settler movement’s narrative that the West Bank is the historic and rightful homeland of the Jewish people, based on text from thousands of years ago.

Plans to annex all of the West Bank except six Palestinian towns

Smotrich’s proposal called for applying Israeli sovereignty over the majority of the West Bank territory, effectively absorbing these lands into Israel. Under this plan, only six densely populated Palestinian urban centres-  Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm, Hebron, and Jericho would remain outside Israeli control, forming isolated enclaves, with the rest of the West Bank- comprising of dozens of towns and villages, annexed by Israel:

He emphasized that he wants to achieve ‘maximum land with minimum Palestinian population’, and ‘remove, once and for all, a Palestinian state from the agenda’, calling the proposed annexation a ‘preventative step against a diplomatic offensive’ planned by the international community.

He urged Netanyahu, the war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court, to ‘make a historic decision’ and apply Israeli sovereignty over these areas, saying the occupation would continue working until all Israel becomes ‘a Jewish democratic country’, and  arguing annexation would make Israel secure.

Consequences of Smotrich and his plan for the Palestinian Authority

According to the plan, the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which serves as the internationally recognised governing body in parts of the West Bank, under the 1993 Oslo Accords, would be gradually dismantled. Smotrich warned the PA it would only manage the 18 percent of what remains of the West Bank territories ‘until an alternative is found to replace it with another governance system’,  and threatened to ‘crush the Palestinian Authority, if it dares to raise its head, just as we did with Hamas’. 

The plan to annex such a large portion of the West Bank has been praised by Israeli right-wing and settler communities as a much-needed reaffirmation of Israel’s territorial claims.

The Yesha Council, an umbrella group for West Bank settlements, publicly supports Smotrich’s vision, echoing his opinions about removing ‘once and for all’ the idea of a Palestinian state and preventing the establishment of what they call a ‘terrorist state’ in the region. But it has also drawn condemnation from Palestinians, and the international community, with the United Arab Emirates, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020, warning annexation would be a ‘red line’. 

Israel has controlled the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The territory is home to approximately three million Palestinians and over 500,000 Israeli settlers. Traditionally, the international community has supported a two-state solution, but successive Israeli governments, particularly right-wing coalitions, have increasingly challenged the feasibility of a Palestinian state.

‘Security concerns’ for the pariah state

Smotrich highlighted security concerns as a primary justification for annexation, and argued for a more comprehensive Israeli presence and control over the West Bank territory. This is tied to what he described as Israel’s need for maximum land with minimum Arab population, to prevent what he sees as an existential security risk. 

His press conference not only sought to deter international recognition of Palestinian statehood and cement the occupation’s control over the West Bank, but has also threatened to provoke heightened tensions both within the region and globally. The international community’s response, regional diplomatic repercussions, and internal Israeli political dynamics will determine the plan’s ultimate viability and its impact on the future of the Palestinian people.

In August, Smotrich announced approval for more than 3400 new homes in the controversial E1 area of the occupied West Bank. E1, located between East Jerusalem and the large Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, is significant because annexing it would create a contiguous Israeli corridor connecting Jerusalem with Ma’ale Adumim.

This would physically separate northern West Bank Palestinian cities like Ramallah from southern cities such as Bethlehem and Hebron, effectively bisecting the West Bank and making a future Palestinian state impossible.

Featured image and video supplied

By Charlie Jaay

This post was originally published on Canary.