By Sasha Roytman
MOUNDRIDGE, Kansas — Recent weeks have seen a dangerous and deliberate resurgence of antisemitic propaganda across the globe, driven by Hamas’s deceptive “starvation” campaign in Gaza and amplified by media failures, including The New York Times’ publication of misleading imagery blaming Israel for the hardships of Palestinian civilians.
These modern-day blood libels, disturbingly reminiscent of the tactics of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, demonize the Jewish state and incite antisemitism worldwide, threatening Jewish lives. I believe we must respond with clarity, urgency, and resolve.
Hamas is intentionally manufacturing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It hoards international aid, food, medicine, and supplies meant for civilians and diverts them to its fighters and terror infrastructure. I’ve seen credible reports and footage confirming that Hamas even pays people to disrupt aid distribution, ensuring its subterranean tunnel networks remain well-stocked as ordinary Gazans go hungry on the streets above.
By exploiting the adversity in Gaza that it is the main cause of, Hamas is building a false narrative to foster international sympathy. It spreads manipulated images and sensationalized stories, even misrepresenting the medical status of individuals with serious pre-existing conditions, to paint Israel as an evil force responsible for all of Gaza’s ills. It’s classic Goebbels: create a crisis, then weaponize it to vilify your enemy.
But it doesn’t stop there. Hamas’s rhetoric is inspired by Nazi-style antisemitism. Its 1988 charter invokes The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a proven antisemitic forgery initiated by czarist Russians and promoted by the Nazis. It calls for global jihad against Jews. During the October 7th massacre, Hamas filmed its brutal attacks on Israeli civilians and broadcast the footage, eerily similar to the Nazi film The Eternal Jew, and Israeli hostages have been paraded in forced propaganda videos. Furthermore, in a grotesque inversion of history, Hamas now brands Israelis as “Nazi Zionists,” trivializing the Holocaust and projecting the crimes of the Nazis onto their victims.
When a prestigious media outlet like The New York Times publishes spurious images, it gives credibility to Hamas’s lies. The result? An international surge of antisemitism, the proliferation of slogans such as “Israelis are Nazis” on college campuses, attacks targeting Jewish communities, and a growing normalization of anti-Jewish hate.
Goebbels would be proud of how Hamas cynically generates and leverages suffering in Gaza to gain support and advance its malicious aims. I refuse to stay silent and I ask you not to, either.
Here’s how you can act:
- Demand Media Accountability: Reach out to The New York Times and other outlets. Insist they retract and correct false and misleading content and uphold basic journalistic standards.
- Expose Hamas’s Tactics: Share the truth about Hamas’s aid theft and “starvation” ruse. Let the world see who is really responsible for the situation in Gaza.
- Reject Antisemitic Narratives: Challenge slogans, signs, and social media posts that dehumanize Jews. Use your voice to fight lies.
- Support Ethical Journalism: Encourage fair, credible, and comprehensive reporting that holds Hamas accountable for its actions harming the well-being of Gazan civilians.
The world must confront Hamas’s Nazi-like propaganda and reject the menacing antisemitic lies threatening our societies.
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Sacha Roytman is the Chief Executive Officer of the Combat Antisemitism Movement