Israel's psychological warfare campaign intensifies on Gaza civilians

In a disturbing continuation of longstanding tactics, Israel dropped a new round of threatening leaflets on Gaza civilians on Wednesday, adding another chapter to its psychological warfare strategy.

Latest psychological operation targets vulnerable population

The most recent leaflets, written in classical Arabic, contained disturbing genocidal rhetoric, including the statement that "the world map will not change if the people of Gaza cease to exist." This intimidation tactic comes just months after similar leaflets were distributed during the January 19 ceasefire, urging Palestinians to comply with forced displacement plans.

Under images of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, these earlier leaflets manipulatively incorporated a verse from the Qur'an and claimed that even Arab countries were allied with Israel, providing "money and weapons while sending you only shrouds."

A documented history of psychological terror

Israel's use of leaflets as psychological warfare tools follows a pattern established by its ally, the United States, which has employed similar tactics during conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. For Palestinians, these psychological operations have been a consistent feature of Israeli military campaigns:

During the First Intifada (1987-1993), leaflets warned against participation in protests and threatened arrests, curfews, and home demolitions.

The Second Intifada (2000-2005) saw leaflets warning Palestinians against aiding resistance groups like Hamas and Fatah.

Operation Cast Lead (2008-2009), which resulted in nearly 14,000 Palestinian deaths including 333 children, featured leaflets attempting to turn civilians against Hamas while warning of impending airstrikes.

Similar tactics continued through Operation Pillar of Defense (2012), Operation Protective Edge (2014), and Operation Guardian of the Walls (2021), combining leaflet drops with SMS messages and phone calls to create an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.

Resilience against intimidation

Despite these decades-long psychological warfare campaigns aimed at demoralizing civilians and facilitating displacement, Palestinians have demonstrated remarkable resilience.

Earlier this year, Trump announced plans to "take over" and forcibly relocate Gaza's 2.3 million residents to neighboring countries, calling Gaza "a demolition site" without acknowledging Israel's role in creating these conditions.

This steadfastness echoes Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani's 1956 "Letter from Gaza," where he wrote to a friend who had emigrated: "No, I will stay here, and I won't ever leave... Come back to learn from Nadia's leg, amputated from the top of the thigh, what life is and what existence is worth."