As public attention in Greece and across Europe turns to the March to Gaza, Israel has launched a targeted campaign aimed at regional audiences. Through sponsored YouTube ads promoting its “humanitarian aid” efforts, the Israeli government is rapidly boosting video viewership across the region.
As attention in Greece and across Europe focuses on efforts to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza–through the dispatch of the sailing vessel Madleen and the solidarity March to Gaza–the Israeli state appears to be carrying out a coordinated online propaganda campaign, seeking to portray itself as a benevolent humanitarian force.
In recent days, YouTube users in Greece have reported frequently encountering promotional videos from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These ads highlight what Israel describes as “record levels of humanitarian aid” being delivered to Gaza.
The videos describe the situation in Gaza as “one of the largest humanitarian operations in the world right now”–without any reference to the causes of the crisis that made such operations necessary.
Israel’s military campaign and its blockade of humanitarian aid trucks are entirely omitted, as is any mention of the chaotic and heavily criticized rollout of aid distribution on the ground. These developments prompted the World Health Organization to warn that half a million people in Gaza are facing “a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, disease, and death.”
One video features smiling civilians in Gaza receiving aid. “Smiles don’t lie,” the narrator says. “Hamas does.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry appears to be paying particular attention to Greek and other EU audiences as the March to Gaza initiative gets underway. Over the past ten days, its official YouTube channel has posted several videos either with Greek subtitles or fully in Greek—narrated by what appears to be an AI-generated voice. A review of the channel suggests no other Greek-language content has been published in the past year.
The most recent video, titled “Record Levels of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza,” portrays Israel as delivering massive amounts of supplies to residents of the Gaza Strip–an image that stands in stark contrast to the documented reality: for nearly three months (a total of 11 weeks), Israel has barred the entry of food, medicine, and other essential goods into Gaza.
The video has also been translated and targeted to audiences in English, French, Italian, and German.
By noon on Friday, June 13, total views had reached more than 6 million and were rising rapidly. In just four days, the German-language version garnered nearly 1.5 million views and the English 2.76 million. The Italian video garnered over 740,000 views within just two days of being published on the channel. The French version accumulated nearly half a million views over three days.
The Greek version surpassed half a million views on Friday, June 13—its fourth day online.
At the same time, the streets of these countries have been filled with protesters. In Rome, an estimated 300,000 people took part in a major mobilization on June 10 calling for an end to the war in Gaza. Just days earlier, on June 7, tens of thousands gathered to protest the ongoing conflict. In France, approximately 150,000 people demonstrated on June 10. Both France and Germany also saw protests denouncing Israel’s interception of the Madleen, the boat attempting to break the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In several of the video clips showing Palestinians receiving aid packages, a prominent logo appears: GHF. This refers to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a newly established organization based in Delaware, USA. Founded in February 2025, the GHF is officially supported by the governments of the United States and Israel.
The GHF has been accused by other humanitarian organizations, as well as by the United Nations, of serving Israel’s political interests. As a result, several NGOs have refused to participate in the aid distribution plan or collaborate with the organization.
Critics argue that the foundation violates core humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to determine who receives aid. The GHF is also accused of contributing to widespread displacement in Gaza by concentrating aid distribution in just four zones–locations that may be inaccessible to large parts of the population.
Major international outlets–including NBC (US), Sky News (UK), Reuters, France 24, the BBC, and CNN–have described the GHF and its aid strategy as “controversial,” noting that it has effectively sidelined the United Nations from its traditional humanitarian role.
The independence of the GHF has also been called into question within Israel. Last month, in the country’s parliament, opposition leader Yair Lapid claimed that the Netanyahu government was financing the foundation through offshore companies—though he provided no evidence to support the allegation.
Last week, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, citing unnamed government officials, reported that the Israeli government had funneled hundreds of millions of shekels into the organization.
The Israeli government has repeatedly denied funding the GHF.
One day before the GHF launched four humanitarian aid distribution centers in Gaza, the organization’s then-director, Jake Wood, resigned.
In his resignation letter, Wood wrote that “it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.” His successor, Johnnie Moore–a former Trump campaign adviser–also denied that the GHF is funded by Israel, but declined to disclose the organization’s sources of funding.
According to Palestinian authorities, at least 127 people have been killed and hundreds more injured by gunfire since the GHF’s food distribution system began operating.
On June 6, Reuters reported that McNally Capital, a Chicago-based private investment firm, has an “economic interest” in the US private contractor overseeing logistics and security at GHF’s distribution hubs in Gaza.
Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to Solomon’s request for comment on the YouTube campaign or the broader humanitarian aid effort.
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