Former Israeli Army Spokesperson Staffer Accuses Military Of Misleading Public On Gaza
Ayelet Kroizer alleged that innocent Palestinians were described as “terrorists” and that military communications were adjusted to influence public opinion and reinforce international support for Israeli military operations.
She made the allegations in a post on X announcing that she had become the spokesperson for Breaking the Silence, an Israeli organization that collects testimonies from former soldiers about alleged military abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“During my service, I manipulated the details released to the media. I saw how the word ‘terrorist’ was attached even to innocent Palestinians and how statements were tailored to the target audience and the objective set for it,” she wrote.
Kroizer said her position gave her insight into both the realities facing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and the methods used by the military to communicate those events to the public.
She accused the spokesperson’s unit of exercising extensive influence over how the public understood military operations, arguing that its approach resembled that of a public relations agency rather than an institution expected to provide transparent information.
According to Kroizer, communications directed at Israeli audiences were intended to maintain confidence in the military, while the public's right to receive accurate information was treated as a secondary concern.
She said the unit's stated objective when addressing domestic audiences was to strengthen support for the army, adding “the public’s right to know was secondary at best.”
For audiences abroad, she said, the priority was to build and reinforce international legitimacy for military operations.
“Here, too, the price was the truth,” she wrote.
Kroizer also recalled the process of announcing large numbers of casualties following Israeli strikes, saying statements routinely included expressions of regret over harm to civilians.
“I learned how to report dozens of deaths in a single strike and automatically add that we regret any harm to uninvolved people. That was the routine of my service,” she said.
“I had never been good at staying silent in the face of injustice, but here I was being asked to do PR for it.”
She said she was raised in the ultra-Orthodox community and gave up her exemption from military service three years ago to enlist during the war.
“I enlisted to take part in what I believed at the time was defending the country,” she wrote.
Kroizer added that she had not expected to finish her military service and join Breaking the Silence instead of pursuing travel or beginning her studies.
The organization welcomed her appointment in a post on X, saying the time had come to make the truth about the occupation known to the public.
She concluded her statement with a call for other people who served during the war to share their experiences.
“So I will not stay silent. If you served during the war, don’t stay silent either.”
Israel's war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000, according to figures from Gaza's Health Ministry. The offensive has also destroyed approximately 90% of the territory's civilian infrastructure.
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