Prominent Arab affairs analyst Tzvika Yehezkeli dismissed viral footage of severe flooding in Gaza amid Storm Byron as part of a long-running "Palestinian lie industry," declaring on a morning radio show: "I’ve known this for 30 years. They are extras in one big show produced by the Qatari-funded lie machine and Hamas. These videos, some of which may even be AI-generated, are designed to generate worldwide sympathy, and unfortunately, they succeed. I find it hard to feel even a drop of compassion."
The former IDF military correspondent for Galatz recounted a personal anecdote from a house demolition in Judea and Samaria, where a Palestinian child instructed his mother: "Not yet, it's just the radio here now, start the show when TV arrives," to underscore what he described as orchestrated emotional manipulation.
Yehezkeli's remarks, aired on Channel 14's "Hagit" program, come as the Mediterranean storm unleashes torrential rains, high winds, and flash floods across Gaza and Israel, displacing thousands more in already devastated tent camps, courtesy of Hamas.
Gaza's civil defense (which is still run by Hamas) reported over 2,500 distress calls Thursday alone, with a baby girl allegedly succumbing to hypothermia amid the chaos, though Yehezkeli argued such crises are exaggerated for global PR.
Spotlight on Debunked AI Video: The "Floating Hand" Propaganda Clip
Adding fuel to Yehezkeli's claims, a widely shared video purporting to show Gazans wading through chest-high floodwaters in a displacement camp has been exposed as AI-generated, featuring glaring artifacts like a disembodied "floating hand" clutching a Palestinian flag with no attached body, unnatural water ripples unaffected by movement, and distorted limbs on figures.
